Download our Free Decodable Readers

(Click on an image below to download and view each decodable book)

The goal of these free decodable readers is to teach children to work out words for themselves when they are reading. Learners should use their knowledge of English letter-sound relationships to say the sounds in the words from left to right to decode the words. Learning how to decode words effectively enhances literacy skills.

Please feel free to share this free decodable book library with others. Check back soon as we will be adding more free resources to this page, including more free decodable texts and phonics books! For more decodables, check out SPELD SA's free PDF library of Phonic Readers HERE and our list links to other decodable books HERE.

Tips for using the decodable readers with students

The decodables follow the phonics sequence taught in the ReadingDoctor® Online program, but they can be used by teachers, tutors or parents to support any other well designed synthetic phonics resource in the classroom or at home. They are suitable for beginning readers or older students with reading difficulties in any grade.

Note that the text in these decodable books is presented to your child before your child turns the page to see the picture! This is so that kids can check to see if they read the word correctly rather than relying on the picture to guess the word!

Encourage your child to work the word out using their sounds instead of guessing. If your child cannot read the word, point to the letters and say the sounds for them. If you are not sure how to prounounce the letter-sounds yourself, see our interactive guide HERE. If your child gets stuck on one of the tricky ‘sight’ words’, just say, “Good try!” and tell them the tricky word!

Work through this decodable reader library in sequence, gradually buiding on previously established skills. Have fun, and don’t forget to talk about the pictures! They are intentionally ridiculous to stimulate conversation! Your child’s language skills will benefit from lots of discussion!

Free Decodable Reader Library

Below is a list of our free decodable books. More readers are being added regularly!

Decodable Readers | PART I | Basic Code

Level 1A - CVC Words

(Click on an image below to download and access each decodable book)

 

PART I - Book 1

Ant nap.

CVC Words | s, a, t, p, i, n, e | Tricky words: a, the

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 1A in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

 
 

PART I - Book 2

The cat and cod run.

CVC Words | c, h, o, r, d, l, u | Tricky words: a, the

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 1A in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

 

PART I - Book 3

A fin is on the man.

CVC Words | b, m, w, f, g | Tricky words: a, the, is

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 1A in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

 
 

PART I - Book 4

A yak is in the jet.

CVC Words | v, k, x, j, z | Tricky words: a, the, is

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 1A in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

 
 

PART I - Book 5a

A wet dog and a fat hog.

CVC Words | All common single-letter graphemes | Tricky words: a, the, is, this, that, he, she, have, has

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 1A in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

 

PART I - Book 5b

Ted was fed in his red bed.

CVC Words | All common single-letter graphemes | Tricky words: a, the, is, this, that, he, she, have, has

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 1A in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

Level 1B - CCVC Words

(Click on an image below to download and access each decodable book)

 
 

PART I - Book 6

Stan will spin the spud.

CCVC Words | Consonant blends st, sp, sn, pl | Tricky words: a, the, has, have, he

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 1B in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

 

PART I - Book 7

A crab is in the pram.

CCVC Words | Consonant blends tr, bl, pr , cr, cl | Tricky words: a, the, is, she, he

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 1B in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

 
 

PART I - Book 8

This frog gran will drum.

CCVC Words | Consonant blends fl, gr, dr, fr, sk, sw, br | Tricky words: a, the, this, is, she, he, I, you, to, was, has, have

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 1B in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

 

Level 1C - CVCC Words

(Click on an image below to download and access each decodable book)

 

PART I - Book 10

The lost band will rest.

CVCC Words | Ending Consonant blends -st, -nt, -nd | Tricky words: a, the, is, his, this, with, go, to, have

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 1C in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

 

Decodable Readers | PART II | Intermediate Code

Level 2A

(Click on an image below to download and access each decodable book)

 

PART II - Book 1

Pete has a cap and his pet has a cape.

Split digraphs 1 | a_e, e_e, i_e, o_e, u_e | Tricky words: a, the, this, that, is, he, she, I, to, go, has, have

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 2A in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

 
 

PART II - Book 2

The black duck was a champ at chess.

Consonant digraphs | ch, ck | Tricky words: a, the, this, is, his, her, no, of, off, to, has, was, with

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 2A in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

 
 

PART II - Book 3

They will shift this thin shape.

Consonant digraphs | sh, th¹ | Tricky words: A, the, is, has, she, his, this, they, with, to, for, said

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 2A in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

 
 

PART II - Book 5

Quin is squishing the strong squid.

Letter-sound pattern qu and consonant digraph ng | Tricky words: A, the, is, was, she, for, doing, to.

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 2A in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student. 

 

Level 2B

(Click on an image below to download and access each decodable book)

 

PART II - Book 9

Steve the sheep and a green queen sleep on the beach.

Vowel teams | ee, ea¹ | Tricky words: A, the, is, he, his, she, to, these.

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 2B in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student.

 
 

PART II - Book 10

This moose with a loose tooth in his jaw is on the seesaw.

Vowel teams | oo¹, aw | Tricky words: A, the, is, has, are, he, his, she, to, this, these, there, their.

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 2B in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student.

 
 

PART II - Book 12

A herd of zebras with shirts in a church.

r-controlled vowels | er, ir, ur | Tricky words: A, the, is, are, was, of, to, do.

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 2B in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student.

 
 

PART II - Book 13

Morty the stork is farting sparks in the dark.

r-controlled vowels | or, ar | Tricky words: A, the, is, are, his, has, of, into.

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 2B in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student.

 

Level 2C

(Click on an image below to download and access each decodable book)

 

PART II - Book 15

Ray is in a train that has a tail and a brain.

Vowel teams | ai, ay | Tricky words: A, the, is, has, she, he, of, to.

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 2C in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student.

 
 

PART II - Book 16

The toad in tights is soaking the loaf in soap.

Vowel teams | oa, igh | Tricky words: A, the, is, are, was, his, he, she, so, go, to, they, these.

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 2C in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student.

 
 

PART II - Book 18

This mouse has a house that is down in the ground.

Vowel teams | ow¹, ou | Tricky words: A, the, is, have, has, was, of, his, she, go, these.

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 2C in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student.

 
 

PART II - Book 20

This cowboy was boiling his oysters on the toilet.

Vowel teams | oi, oy | Tricky words: A, the, is, are, was, his, he, she, of, by, so, go, to, they.

Students should be given this decodable reader after completing Level 2C in ReadingDoctor® Online. It should not be attempted until the letter-sound patterns and tricky ‘sight’ words listed above have been taught to the student.

 

Watch this space! More free decodable books and other resources to support phonics skills coming soon!

FAQ

(Click on a question to see the answer)

  • A: Decodable readers are books with text that aligns with the phonics skills being taught, making it easier for students to practice and apply their decoding skills. They are like ‘trainer wheels’ that help students develop their reading ability until they are ready to read regular books!

  • Decodable readers are specially crafted books tailored for early-stage anr struggling readers, incorporating specific letter-sound relationships (grapheme-phoneme correspondences) that the students have been taught. These books allow learners to apply their emerging skills in combining (blending) sounds to read words, thereby fostering quick and effortless word recognition (automaticity). This process supports children in achieving success in independent reading.

    Decodable readers emphasize the importance of utilizing decoding strategies for word reading, steering children away from relying on pictures or context-based guesses. They are most beneficial after students have acquired an understanding of basic letter-sound relationships and are capable of blending these sounds to read from left to right.

  • While decodable texts play a crucial role in teaching children to read, they should not be the sole type of reading material for early readers. It is important for educators and caregivers to also read high-quality children's literature that features richer vocabulary and more complex sentence structures to young learners daily. Doing so exposes children to excellent reading examples and helps them to expand their vocabulary and understanding of sentence construction, which are essential components in supporting their overall reading development.

  • Decodable readers and predictable texts are two different types of reading materials commonly used in educational settings. Decodable readers are designed to reinforce the relationship between sounds and letter patterns (phonemes and graphemes) that children have learned. They encourage young readers to apply these relationships by breaking down and sounding out words, strengthening decoding skills and self-teaching. On the other hand, predictable texts rely on repetitive patterns and strong visual cues to support the narrative. While they may engage children through predictability and imagery, they encourage guessing based on pictures rather than teaching children to decode text using their knowledge of phonics. This approach can limit the development of foundational reading skills and vocabulary expansion, as it does not necessarily teach children to read the words themselves.

    Don’t throw out your beautiful sets of predictable texts/ levelled readers, though! They are useful to give to students once they have establishd the decodng skills requred to read them!

  • A: You can access our free library of decodable readers by visiting this page and clicking on one of the book covers. The reader wil then download in a PDF flipbook viewer and your student can read it on a computer, phone, iPad or other tablet device.

  • A: The science of reading refers to the body of scientific knowledge supporting evidence-based practices for teaching reading. Decodable readers align with these principles by helping educators to provide systematic and explicit instruction in phonics.

  • A: Yes, decodable readers feature words with specific vowel patterns including vowel digraphs and short vowels to help students practice and reinforce these essential phonics skills.

  • A: Yes, the decodable readers are designed to support emergent readers who are learning foundational reading skills, however it is crucial that the graphemes and tricky (sight) words have been taught to the student before they attempt to read the books by themselves! You can download a free trial of ReadingDoctor Online to begin teaching your child the skills needed to read these decodable books HERE.

  • A: Decodable readers can be used to reinforce phonics skills. They facilitate reading fluency and help students to become more confident readers as they progress through different grade levels and evemtually develop the skills to read regular books.