Recommended Books
Here are some suggested books, grouped by skill, which students will be able to read independently. These books are elementary level books. However, in some cases, older students can use these books for reading practice.
Letters A/a, B/b, D/d, F/f, and G/g
- Bear's Bargain, by Frank Asch
- Four Famished Foxes and Fosdyke, by Pamela Duncan Edwards
- Who Will Be My Friends?, by Syd Hoff
- Dad's Dinosaur Day, by Diane Dawson Hearn
- The Goat Parade, by Steven Droll
- Danny and the Dinosaur, by Syd Hoff
Letters E/e, H/h, J/j, L/l, and M/m
- Horton Hears a Who!, by Dr. Seuss
- The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, by Dr. Seuss
- Hunches in Bunches, by Dr. Seuss
- Norma Jean, Jumping Bean, by Joanna Cole
- The Tawny, Scrawny Lion, by Golden Books
- Lambs for Dinner, by Betsy and Guilio Maestro
- The Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary
- Martha the Movie Mouse, by Arnold Lobel
- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura J. Numeroff
- An Extraordinary Egg, by Leo Lionni
- Hop on Pop, by Dr. Seuss
- Hot Hippo, by Mwnge Hadithi
- My Messy Room, by Mary Packard
Letters N/n, P/p, R/r, S/s, and O/o
- Noisy Nora, by Rosemary Wells
- Piggy in a Puddle, by Charlotte Pomerantz
- Sammy the Seal, by Syd Hoff
Letters T/t, V/v, W/w, X/x, Y/y, and U/u
- Teeny, Tiny Woman, by Jane O'Connor
- Ten Apples up on Top, by Theo La Sieg
- Vegetable Soup, by Ann Morris
- Willie's Wonderful Pet, by Mel Celulash
- Waiting for a Frog, by Glen Coats
- Wagon Wheels, by Barbara Brenner
Letters Z/z, Q/q, C/c, K/k, and I/i
- The Quilt Story, by Tony Johnston
- The Quarter Story, by Deborah Williams
- Zella, Zack and Zodiac, by Bill Peet
- Inch Worm, by Leo Lionni
- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura J. Numeroff
- The Candy Corn Contest, by Patricia Reilly Giff
- Calico the Cat, by Donald Charles
- Kitten Can, by Bruce McMillan
L-Blends, R-Blends, and S-Blends
L-Blends
- Flat Stanley, by Jeff Brown
- A Glass Slipper for Rosie, by Patricia Reilly Giff
- Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia, by Peggy Parrish
- Sly Fox and Red Hen, by Fran Hunia
R-Blends
- Bread, Bread, Bread, by Ann Morris
- Crow and the Pitcher of Aesop's Fables
- Dracula Doesn't Drink Lemonade, by Debby Dadey
- Grandpa Came to Stay, by Rob Lewis
- The Frog Who Would by Kind, by Kate Walker
- The Treehous,e by Karen Hoenecke
- Triplet Trouble, by Debby Dadey and Marcia Jones (there are 10 books in this series)
S-Blends
- Scruffy, by Peggy Parrish
- Small Pig, by Arnold Lobel
- Snow, by Karen Hoenecke
- Spectacular Stone Soup, by Patricia Reilly Giff
- Stanley, by Syd Hoff
- Stop, Stop, Stop, by Edith Thatcher Hurd
- Swing, Swing, Swing, by G. Truman and S. Dieterichs
After the blends are taught and the student knows them well, continue to read good literature to the student. Once they complete the Five Phonetic Skills, they will be able to read many, many books independently, including the reading series selected by the school. From this point on, expect a good deal of individual reading.
Finding Good Books
It is sometimes difficult to find books that have a degree of controlled vocabulary for young readers. We have reviewed the following books, series, and publishers and found that many of their books are excellent for independent reading as early as three-letter words and blends and are particularly good after students have learned the Five Phonetic Skills. Again, these are primarily for elementary age students but can be used by some older students as well.
| Books | Publisher |
|---|---|
First Readers Program
|
Modern Curriculum Press |
| Scholastic Phonics Readers & Phonics Chapter Books | Scholastic |
| Scholastic Phonics Booster Books | Scholastic |
| Easy Readers - Lippincott Phonics | McGraw-Hill School Division |
| Puffin Easy to Read | Puffin Books |
| All Aboard Reading | Grossett & Dunlap |
| A Book to Remember | Flyleaf Publishing |
| Scribner Reading Series | Scribner Educational Publishers |
| Bob Books | Scholastic |
| Little Blue Readers Little Red Readers Little Green Readers |
Sundance Readers Peter & Sheryl Sloan |
| Student into Reading | Random House |
