KidTeller BlogWhat Are Decodable Books? A Parent's Guide With Series to Try
What are decodable books?
Decodable books are beginning readers written almost entirely with the letter-sound patterns a child has already been taught, plus a few taught high-frequency words such as the and was. Because every word can be sounded out, your child practices phonics instead of guessing from pictures. Pick a book that matches the step your child is on in their phonics lessons, from short-vowel words like cat to vowel teams like rain.
Key takeaways
- Decodable books are written with the letter-sound patterns a child has been taught, plus a few taught high-frequency words, so every word can be sounded out.
- Predictable leveled readers often repeat a sentence pattern and lean on pictures, which lets a beginner guess words instead of decoding them.
- A book is decodable for your child only if it matches the phonics step your child has reached, so check the series' scope and sequence first.
- Free decodable texts are available from the UFLI Foundations toolbox and Reading Universe, and public libraries often lend Bob Books and other decodable series.
- Read each decodable book two or three times for fluency, then read a picture book aloud for fun.
Your child's kindergarten teacher sends a note home: "Please read decodable books at home every night." You look at your shelf of picture books and ask the obvious question: what are decodable books, and which ones count? Decodable books, also called decodable readers, are a specific kind of beginning reader, and free decodable books are easy to find once you know what to look for.
What are decodable books?
Decodable books are beginning readers written with words that use only the letter-sound patterns a child has been taught. Reading Universe defines decodable text as text written only with words that contain patterns a student has been explicitly taught to decode, plus a small set of taught high-frequency words such as the, was and said.
A book for a child who knows short a and the sounds of s, m, t, c, n and d might say: "Sam sat. A cat sat. Sam and the cat sat." Every word except the can be sounded out. Wikipedia's entry on decodable text gives a similar example, "Pat the fat rat."
Decodable books vs leveled readers
Decodable books and leveled readers both look like thin early readers, but they are written for different jobs. Leveled readers are graded by sentence length and story complexity and can use any spelling. Many beginner leveled books repeat one sentence pattern and change one word that the picture shows, such as "I see a dog. I see a frog."
| Decodable books | Leveled or predictable readers | |
|---|---|---|
| Words chosen by | Phonics patterns the child has learned | Length, sentence pattern, story level |
| How a child reads them | Sounds out each word | Often remembers the pattern and checks the picture |
| What they practice | Decoding and blending | Fluency with familiar words, story sense |
| Typical sentence | "The fox sat on a box." | "I see a red bus. I see a green truck." |
| Best use | Daily phonics practice | Stories once decoding is solid |
Why teachers ask for decodable books
Teachers ask for decodable books because a beginner needs practice with the exact sounds they learned that week. The US Institute of Education Sciences practice guide Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding rates two recommendations as having strong evidence: link the sounds in speech to letters, and teach students to decode words, analyze word parts, and write and recognize words. It also recommends that every student read connected text every day.
A decodable book is the bridge between those two. Your child learns the sound of sh on Monday and reads "Shan had a fish in a dish" by Thursday.
Why guessing from pictures causes trouble later
Predictable books let a child "read" a page by remembering the pattern and looking at the picture. That works in a book about a red bus, and fails in a second-grade book with no pictures and longer words. The Wikipedia entry on decodable text notes that whole-language texts have been criticized for encouraging word guessing strategies instead of skilled reading.
Decodable books take the guessing option away. When the only way to read "chip" is to blend ch-i-p, your child builds the habit of looking at every letter. For more on how that habit grows year by year, see when kids learn to read.
How to tell if a book is decodable for your child
A book is decodable for your child only if its patterns match what your child has learned. A book full of vowel teams is decodable for a second grader and a guessing game for a kindergartner who knows short vowels.
- Ask the teacher which step your child is on. Most schools follow a phonics program with a set order. One sentence such as "We are on digraphs" tells you what to look for.
- Find the series' scope and sequence. Decodable series publish the order in which they teach patterns, often on the back cover or the publisher's site. Match the book's step to your child's step.
- Read the first page yourself. Count the words your child could not sound out. If there are more than two or three per page that are not taught sight words, the book is too hard for now.
- Check the sight words. Words such as the, was and said are fine if your child has learned them. The sight words for kindergarten list shows which ones come first.
- Listen to your child read one page. Steady sounding out with a few slow words means the book fits. Constant stopping means you step back one level.
Many books sold as "phonics readers" or "level 1" are leveled readers with a phonics label. A level number on the cover tells you nothing about which sounds the book uses. Look for the target pattern, such as "short a" or "ch, sh, th," on the cover or inside.
The usual phonics order, and what your child can read at each step
Phonics programs differ in the details, but most move from simple to complex in a similar order. The Wikipedia article on phonics describes instruction that starts with single-letter sounds and simple CVC words such as sat and pin, and covers digraphs, blends, silent e, vowel digraphs and r-controlled vowels after that.
| Step | Pattern | Example words | What your child can read |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Short vowels in CVC words | cat, pig, sun, bed, hop | "The pig is in the mud." |
| 2 | Consonant digraphs | ship, chin, that, duck | "The fish is in a dish." |
| 3 | Consonant blends | frog, stop, hand, milk | "The frog can jump in the pond." |
| 4 | Silent e (magic e) | cake, bike, home, cute | "Jane will ride a bike home." |
| 5 | Vowel teams | rain, play, feet, boat | "We play in the rain by the boat." |
| 6 | R-controlled vowels | car, her, bird, corn, hurt | "The bird sat on the barn." |
Your child does not need to finish every step before hearing great stories. Read-aloud time stays open to any book, while practice time stays on the step they are learning.
Decodable book series to try
Decodable book series come from many publishers, and The Reading League keeps a list of decodable text sources sorted by reader age. The League calls the list a starting point and does not endorse any one option. Every series below appears on it.
| Series | Publisher or maker | What it covers | Free or paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Books | Scholastic | Sets in order; Set 1 is short vowels and three-letter words | Paid; often at libraries |
| Books to Remember | Flyleaf Publishing | Decodable stories in many genres, with an Emergent Reader series | Paid |
| Take-Everywhere Literacy Packs | Just Right Reader | Packs of decodables for practice at school and home, Pre-K to grade 12 | Paid |
| Dandelion Readers | Phonic Books | Sets by unit, then vowel spellings | Paid; some free printables |
| Dog on a Log | Pamela Brookes | Orton-Gillingham style steps that add phonics rules and sight words | Paid |
| Jolly Phonics Decodable Readers | Jolly Learning | Stories and folktales for its synthetic phonics program | Paid |
| Simple Words Books | Simple Words Books | Decodable chapter books for older and striving readers | Paid |
| UFLI Foundations decodable passages | University of Florida Literacy Institute | Passages that follow the UFLI lesson sequence | Free online |
Bob Books were created by teacher Bobby Lynn Maslen, first published in 1976, and have been published by Scholastic since 1994. Pamela Brookes wrote the Dog on a Log series to help her own daughter, a dyslexic learner, and the books follow an Orton-Gillingham style sequence. Simple Words Books suits an older child who needs decodable text but wants a "big-kid" chapter book.
Free decodable books
Free decodable books are easier to find than most parents expect. The UFLI Foundations toolbox posts lesson resources, including decodable passages, grouped by unit. If your child's school uses UFLI, ask for the lesson number and print the matching passage.
Reading Universe, the site behind the glossary above, offers free printable decodable texts tied to single skills such as magic e. Your public library is the third source: ask the children's librarian for the decodable or phonics readers, which some libraries shelve apart from leveled readers. The early reader books guide shows where decodables sit next to the leveled series you will see on the same shelf.
How to read a decodable book together
Reading a decodable book together takes about ten minutes. Sit side by side with the book flat on the table so you can both see each word.
- Preview the tricky words. Point to the one or two taught sight words in the book and say them together before you start.
- Put a finger under each word. Your child slides a finger under the letters left to right while saying each sound, then blends: "sh-i-p, ship."
- Wait before you help. Give your child a few seconds. If they are stuck, point to the first letter and ask, "What sound does this make?"
- Reread the page. After a page is decoded, read it again together so it sounds like talking.
- Read the book again tomorrow. A second and third read on the next days builds fluency. Faster, smoother reading on day three is the sign it worked.
- Talk about the story. Ask one question, such as "Why did the fox hide?" so reading stays about meaning.
The how to teach a child to read guide fits these sessions into a ten-minute daily routine.
Then switch to a story for fun
Decodable books are practice, and their stories are limited by design. After practice, read a full picture book aloud, one with rich words your child cannot decode yet. That builds vocabulary and keeps the love of stories alive while decoding catches up.
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When to move on, and common mistakes
Your child is ready to ease off decodable books when they read most patterns, including vowel teams and r-controlled vowels, accurately and at a steady pace. From there they move into early chapter books, and the Lexile levels by grade chart helps you match book difficulty.
Mistakes to avoid
- Skipping steps: A book two steps ahead turns into guessing practice. Go back to the step your child can read with few errors.
- Reading only decodables: The stories are thin by design. Keep a daily read-aloud of real picture books.
- Correcting every slip at once: Let your child finish the sentence, then go back to one word.
- Covering the pictures: Pictures are fine after the word is decoded. Talk about them once the page is read.
- Trusting the cover label: "Level 1" and "phonics reader" do not mean decodable. Check the target pattern.
Your decodable books checklist
- Know the step: Ask the teacher which phonics pattern your child is on.
- Match the series: Pick a book from a series whose scope and sequence matches that step.
- Start free: Print a UFLI or Reading Universe passage, or borrow Bob Books from the library.
- Read it three times: Ten minutes a day, the same book over two or three days.
- Keep stories in the mix: A read-aloud of a real picture book every night.
Decodable books are a short phase in your child's reading life. Use them every day while your child learns the code, and keep bedtime for the stories that make them want to read.
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Frequently asked questions
What are decodable books?
Decodable books are short beginning readers made of words a child can sound out with the phonics they have learned, plus a few taught high-frequency words. A book for a child who knows short a might read: Sam has a cat. The cat sat on a mat.
What is the difference between decodable books and leveled readers?
Decodable books control which spelling patterns appear, so a child can sound out nearly every word. Leveled readers control length and sentence difficulty but use any spelling, and beginner levels often repeat a sentence pattern with a picture clue, so a child can read them by guessing.
What are decodable readers?
Decodable readers is another name for decodable books. Schools often use it for the small booklets or printed passages that go with a phonics program, one booklet per new sound or pattern.
Where can I find free decodable books?
The UFLI Foundations toolbox from the University of Florida Literacy Institute posts decodable passages for its lessons, and Reading Universe has free printable decodable texts tied to single phonics skills. Your public library may also lend Bob Books and other decodable sets.
When should a child stop reading decodable books?
A child can ease off decodable books once they read most common spelling patterns, including vowel teams and r-controlled vowels, accurately and without long pauses. Many children keep using them for each new pattern while they start early chapter books.
