The Best Decodable Books

In this post, I explain what features to look for in decodable texts to ensure they are high-quality and aligned with the science of reading.  Then I share a list of the BEST decodable books for readers of different levels and ages. Be sure to download 5 FREE decodable books with comprehension questions for kindergarten, first or second-grade students!

A decodable text is a text you use in beginning reading instruction.  It can be a book, a passage, or a poem that only includes phonics patterns and high-frequency words that you have already taught your students. 

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There are a lot of decodable texts on the market these days. It can be hard to know which are high-quality and will truly meet the needs of your students.  Today I want to help take guessing work out of it for you.  In this post, I will explain what features to look for in decodable texts to ensure they are high-quality and aligned with the science of reading.  Then I’ll share a list of the BEST decodable books I have come across in my research and work. 

Features of High-Quality Decodable Texts  

According to Wiley Blevins high-quality decodable texts are: 

1. Comprehensive. It should make sense and sound natural.  
2. Instructive.  This means they include previously taught decodable words and have a heavy focus on the target phonics skills for a specific week of instruction.   
3. Engaging.  High-quality decodables are texts that students will want to read over and over again.  This is necessary to ensure students build fluency and are able to discuss and write about the text.

The Best Decodable Books 

There are a lot of decodable books out on the market these days.  Purchasing a set of decodable books can be a big investment.  You want to make sure you are getting a high-quality resource, especially if you are paying for it out of your own pocket, as many teachers do! The books I am sharing here in this list all meet the criteria set by Blevins but also have some of their own unique qualities.  

So let’s take a closer look at my list of the best decodable books:

Decodable Books with Comprehension Questions by Christina Winter

I guess it is no surprise that #1 on my list is my own decodable books with comprehension questions!  These books are ideal for k-2 students and align to a research-based systematic phonics scope and sequence.  In addition to books, the resource includes explicit lesson plans for each book, activities for before, during, and after reading, as well as student printables and audio recordings of each book!  

These books are phonics-based texts. They contain target phonics skill words, previously taught phonics skill words, and irregular high-frequency words.  They are engaging and use high-utility words.  You won’t find nonsensical language or tongue twisters. The names used in the books are fully decodable. These books give students the opportunity to apply the skills you have taught. This is so important because we know that application is how skills stick.  

The books in this resource are printable.  Send them home with students and use them year after year.  They do include illustrations but the pictures will not clue students into the words.  

One feature that makes this resource unique is that every book includes a QR Code which allows students to listen to the story read aloud by a fluent reader.  This is an awesome feature for students who may need extra support.   Students can access the QR code at school or at home! 

Finally, these books are more affordable than most!  The bundle (which includes the 60 books) is less than $1 a book! 

Take a closer look at Christina Winter’s Decodable Books with Comprehension Questions here. Ready to give them a try? Download 5 FREE decodable books with comprehension questions here.

Whole Phonics by Jill Lauren 

Whole Phonics™ is a structured literacy program for beginning readers created by Jill Lauren.  The beginning-to-read series is Off You Go! and is designed to prepare students for the Level 1 readers.  There are then three levels of Whole Phonics books that students progress through.  

All of the Whole Phonics™ books come with information for the teacher inside the cover.  This includes the sounds the book focuses on, high-frequency words and vocabulary, prompts or a summary to introduce the book, and comprehension questions to ask after reading.  

Additionally, each Whole Phonics™ reader comes with nine workbook pages and at least one game.  These activities do a good job of ensuring students get instruction and practice with sounds, phrases, sentences, story comprehension, writing, and spelling. 

One of my favorite things about these decodable books is the illustrations.  They feature diverse characters and their animals and have a comic-book look and feel to them.  They are very engaging and make the books a particularly good option for older students.  

A complete set of the Off We Go! Readers (8 books) can be purchased for $50.  A complete set of Phonics Readers and workbooks can be purchased for $135 per level.  There are currently levels 1-3, with levels 4 and 5 coming soon! 

Express Readers by Elise Lovejoy  

Express Readers are decodable books written by Elise Lovejoy.  Elise has created 7 different sets of decodable readers.  In the first set, “I am Ready” students meet the character, Bug.  Bug is the star of every book at the beginning set but he also appears on every single page throughout the entire collection of Express Readers’.  Students have so much fun spotting him and following his adventures! 

The paperback books all have clever, hand-drawn color illustrations and large black text.  The storylines are engaging and cute. In each Express Reader, you will find a list of “sticky words” which are high-frequency words that are not decodable at the level of the book.  You’ll also find a list of “Slow Down Sounds” which are sounds that are being practiced for the first time in that book.  

The complete collection of Express Readers includes 55 books and can be purchased for $225.  

Phonic Books

Phonic Books Ltd was founded in the UK in 2006 by three who wanted to develop phonics reading books for students of all ages and levels.  

One thing that makes Phonic Books unique is that they have decodable stories designed for older students ages 8-14.  These books combine high-interest storylines with structured phonics progression.  The chapters are short and the illustrations are motivating.  At the beginning of these books, you will find a list of vocabulary words and blending practice.  

They also have decodable books for younger beginning readers.  These stories are engaging and imaginative with great color illustrations.  At the beginning of each book, you will find helpful information and blending lines to prepare students to read.  At the end there are comprehension questions and games students can play to consolidate learning.  

All of the Phonic Books series has an accompanying spiral-bound, reproducible workbook that offers supplementary support to students who need extra practice at each level.

You can shop all of the series from Phonic Books here.

Half-Pint Readers

These adorable little decodable books were created by a kindergarten teacher, who wanted her students to have real books to read as soon as they could sound out CVC words!  There are three levels (A, B, and C) of books in the series.  Each series has 36 different titles.  The books are short and would be great for building student confidence. 

New words are listed at the beginning of each story and comprehension questions are listed at the end. Each book builds upon the skills of previous books.  The illustrations are colorful and well done. Each level includes a booklet that suggests a multi-sensory activity to go along with each book. 

One feature I love is that you can read the books online for FREE! This is a great way to try them out before purchasing. 

Half-Pint readers can be purchased for $48 per level.  This includes 36 books and the booklet of suggested multi-sensory activities.  

Dog on a Log  By Pamela Brookes

The Dog on a Log books were created by a homeschool mom, Pamela Brookes.  They are based on Orton-Gillingham’s methodology.  There are three different series of Dog on a Log books: Pup Books, Let’s Go! Books, and Chapter Books. The chapter books are a great option for older students who may be turned off by anything that may look “babyish”.   

All of the books are paperback and are printed in black and white with a large, easy-to-read font. They have illustrations that are from photos and clip art.

One thing I really like about this publisher is that they offer a free online assessment tool to help you determine exactly where in the series a student should begin, as well as a free guide for how to use the decodable books. 

The books can be purchased on Amazon or online at Barnes and Noble.   The Chapter books are about $12.99 each.  (Barnes and Noble will give educators a 20% discount).  You can download free samples of Dog on a Log books here. 

Flyleaf by Laura Appleton-Smith

Flyleaf decodable books were written and published by Laura Appleton-Smith. She did a wonderful job creating beautiful, engaging, vocabulary-rich stories that can be sounded out by beginning readers.  

Flyleaf includes an Emergent Reader series and three additional Reading Series Levels 1, 2 and 3.  Each series includes a collection of engaging and meaningful, decodable books in a range of text types that includes narratives, informational texts, and poetry.  This variety of genres is one thing that makes Flyleaf unique!  Additionally, the illustrations in the narratives and photographs in the informative texts are TRULY top-notch. 

The series also all include Foundational Skills Teacher’s Guides that contain explicit, systematic, book-by-book instructional supports for teachers, as well as book-by-book progress monitoring assessments and periodic formative assessments.  They also offer Close Reading Teacher’s Guides.  These are scripted book-by-book instructions for teachers to help students to think more deeply about the text.  

Flyleaf is offering a FREE online portal for both students and teachers for the 2022-2023 school year.  You can access it here. 

The Flyleaf decodable series, Foundational Skills Teacher Guides, and Closer Reading Teacher Guides can be purchased separately or all together. 

Just Right Reader founded by Sara Rich

Just Right Reader has created Science of Reading-aligned decodable books for students in BOTH English and Spanish. The stories are engaging, relatable, and include colorful illustrations with diverse characters.

Just Right Reader has decodables designed for pre-k, kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and upper elementary students. The pre-emergent library focuses on phonemic awareness, and letter recognition and includes dry-erase writing pages. The K-2 decodables work through CVC words and digraphs, vowel teams, and final stable syllables. Finally, the high-interest decodable chapter books for 3rd-5th grade developing readers focus on phonograms, morphemes, and multisyllabic words.

One thing I love about these books is that each title comes with a QR code you can scan to access video phonics lessons, phonics lesson plans, and teacher resources. Implementation is seamless!

They also sell Take-Home Decodable Packs that make it easy to extend phonics instruction into the home and engage parents and families in reading.

You can shop Just Right Reader Decodables and/or request a sample here.

I hope the information and resources I’ve shared today will help to bring more effective, SoR-aligned reading materials and instruction to your classroom! Do you have other favorite decodable books that I didn’t mention here today? I’d love to hear your suggestions! Tell us about your favorite decodable books in the comments below!