What is a decodable book?
A decodable book or passage is different from other books in that it follows a progression of learned phonics concepts. Decodable books are used by beginning readers to well-establish learned reading concepts, and sequentially build one phonics concept upon another.
For instance, a child who has only learned words with short letter "a" would practice a book having words like "cat", "sat", or "mat". She would not yet be expected to read books containing words with other concepts like digraphs ("she" "chat", or "what"). Only after the concept of digraphs has been specifically taught would a book with those words be introduced.
There is another term for beginning readers used by many schools called "leveled books", and these are books based on a standard leveling system ordering books by grade, and level of difficulty. This can be based upon vocabulary, subject matter, sentence structure, etc.
A child might encounter many words in a "leveled" book that could contain phonetic concepts that have not been explicitly taught yet.
There has long been a question of whether or not children should learn to read from "leveled" books, or "decodable" books.
Although it is not harmful to have leveled books in your library for engagement, and read alouds, decodable books should definitely be in your plan if you are teaching a beginner.
The truth is - readers who understand how to decode words using phonics concepts become better, stronger readers. Some children can move forward quickly into leveled readers for more engaging and fun material, but ALL kids need to solidify phonemic awareness, and phonics skills to advance in a well-grounded way.
I like to think of it like this. Some kids catch on to math very quickly, and can even understand broad algebraic concepts at a young age. But - that doesn't mean they don't need to understand the basic building blocks of math in order to progress further. At some point, you always need to understand the basics of what you are learning in order to advance.
And so, decodables are a great way to go when teaching your child to read. In addition to using decodables, teachers and parents should read aloud higher level books of all kinds to develop and foster a rich vocabulary and a love for reading.
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Would you like to try some free decodable sentence activities?
I have a few decodable sentence printables for the short vowel sounds that you can have for FREE! These will include a few additional words in the sentences from Fry's first 100 high frequency words. Those words are listed on each worksheet. >> CLICK HERE << to get those, or on the picture below:
How do you read decodable books?
As mentioned above, these books go in a certain order of phonics concepts. So - you would choose books that only cover concepts that your child has already learned, in progression. Or, you can use the books as a guide to know what to teach next.
Many reading curriculums have their own set of decodable books, like Reading Horizons, or All About Reading. And you can find lots of other sets of decodables out there too - for any age. (See list below).
Are Bob books decodable?
They are! Bob books are very popular, and are easy to purchase on Amazon. You can either purchase the entire set, or you can get just one set at a time.
I did take a quick look at the reviews for Bob books on Amazon. I read any bad reviews I saw, and the thing I see repeated is that some find these books "boring" for kids to read.
Perhaps these reviewers might be missing the point of the books. The point is not to entertain the student or enrich the vocabulary. That can be done with exciting read alouds, or audiobooks. These are the books the KIDS would be reading. And not by pictures or word clues, but in order to learn to DECODE words. They are tools for learning to read.
Best decodable readers - What to look for..
The best decodable readers will be the ones that coincide with your phonics program. This way, as you go through a set of decodables, you'll be introducing new concepts as you go.
If you don't have a specific reading program, you can always purchase a set of decodable books, and teach your child according to the order of the books.
You may want to consider the type of illustrations in the set of books you purchase. You don't necessarily want your reader to guess words based on pictures, but you do want the illustrations to coincidence and "spice up" the text.
Are decodable readers boring (or controversial?)
They can be controversial to some - because some reading programs only call for using leveled readers alongside a phonics program, instead of using any kind of decodable books. Teachers who prefer leveled books say that that "Cat sat on mat" or similar is way too boring.
On the other hand, many reading teachers feel like a beginning reader needs that "decodable" practice alongside phonics instruction for reinforcement. I have found that reading specialists and those who work explicitly with reading instructions by far prefer decodables for teaching young readers.
Simply handing a child a book at their general perceived level and expecting them to be able to read it because of context and picture clues is just not sufficient. The leveled books themselves aren't necessarily bad, but they may include words that could frustrate a child and cause him to end up "pretending" to read, which can cause problems later.
As to whether or not they are boring - that's up to the teacher! A good teacher can always make learning fun. These are not books with a plot that will have you hanging on. They are books with a purpose - to teach reading. And, there are great decodable choices out there that have beautiful illustrations that don't "give the text away" and do a great job of spicing up the material.
Really, there should be decodables for reading practice in your child's library at the very earliest stages of reading, but also more advanced books for kids to look through on thier own time, (and for more mature readers to read aloud to them).
Decodable Book Sets to Consider for Your Library
Decodables for younger students
Reading Horizons Discovery Kindergarten
More info here. These books follow the Reading Horizons Discovery curriculum, but can also be purchased separately (a great deal!) I was sent by the company a set of these books to review, and you can see my thoughts on the Reading Horizons decodables above.
Reading Horizons Discovery 1-3
More info here. The next level up from the Kindergarten set, these are a great option for your decodable library. These are also included in my review above.
Dog on a Log Books
More info here for the prereaders, and here for the first step of decodables (there are more in the series to check as well.)
BOB books
More info here. (Individual sets can be purchased as well).
Charge Mommy series
More info here.
Express Readers
More info here.
ReadBright
More info here.
Alphabet Series Readers
More info here. (This is a link to the first volume only.)
Dr. Maggie's
More info here. (3 volumes available)
Primary Phonics Readers
More info here.
I See Sam books
More info here.
Geode Books
More info here.
Flyleaf Emergent
More info here.
Half Pint Readers
More info here.
High Noon Dandelion
More info here.
Junior Learning
More info here.
Miss Rhonda's Readers
More info here.
Sonday System Books
More info here. (Note - you don't have to buy the whole system - the pieces can be purchased individually toward the bottom of the page, including the readers.)
Voyager Supris
More info here.
Should you build a decodable library for your class or home?
Absolutely. You should have decodable books if you are teaching beginning reader(s), whether in a classroom setting, or in your home.
I hope this has helped you make a decision about decodables for your student. Be sure to let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below.
