A decodable chapter book for grades 4–7 readers who still need decoding support — and are done with baby books.
Skills Focus:
✔️ Blends and digraphs in connected text
✔️ CVCe and common long-vowel patterns
✔️ Vowel teams and high-utility heart words
✔️ Multisyllabic word attack across a full-length story
✔️ Fluency built chapter by chapter, not page by page
✔️ Comprehension through a clear problem-and-solution arc
Inside the Book:
Word list for pre-reading decoding practice
Character name pronunciation guide
Comprehension questions to build understanding
Writing prompts that position students as thinkers, not remedial learners
Glossary of key story words
"How to Use This Book" guide for teachers, tutors, and families
Why Families and Teachers Love It:
Reads like middle school, decodes like intervention
Reflects authentic language and honors African-American English
Centers a Black boy, his family, and his community with dignity
Opens real conversations about digital citizenship, growth mindset, and repairing a friendship
Our First Decodable Chapter Book!
The Why
Picture a sixth grader in the library.
He reads at a second-grade level. Every book he’s interested in is too hard to decode. Every book at his reading level has a puppy or a princess on the cover.
So he picks nothing. And walks out one more time believing he's not a reader.
That's the child we wrote The Dropped Pass for.
It's a real chapter book — football, group chats, a dropped pass, a meme that goes too far, a team, a grandmother, and a repair. It just happens to be decodable, so the reader everyone assumed couldn't do it finally can, on his own.
Interest level: grades 4–7. Phonics band: grades 2–3. No baby-book design. No stereotypes. A full family and community, drawn with dignity.
Startup Readers: Decodable Books for Early Readers
Phonics‑Based Decodable Books Aligned with the Science of Reading
Shop by set
5 books · Save $14.95 vs. buying individually (Set: $35 · Individual titles total $49.95)
Build strong reading foundations with this 5-book decodable series focused on short vowel sounds. Each book isolates one vowel—a, e, i, o, or u—helping early readers master decoding one sound at a time.
Includes the following titles: Sam and Tab (short a), Ed and the Red Pen (short e), Kim’s Big Trip (short i), Rob’s Big Job (short o), Russ and the Bus (short u)
With simple CVC words, limited high-frequency words, and engaging, easy-to-follow stories, children can read with confidence and success from the very beginning.
Perfect for: Pre-K–early elementary students and striving readers who need a strong phonics foundation.
6 books · Save $14.94 vs. buying individually (Set: $45 · Individual titles total $59.94)
Take your child’s reading to the next level with this 6-book decodable series designed to build and strengthen short vowel mastery over time.
Unlike Level A, each book in the Level B series intentionally builds on previously learned skills, giving readers repeated practice and deeper reinforcement. As children progress, they revisit earlier vowel sounds while adding new ones—culminating in a final book that provides a comprehensive mixed review of all short vowels.
Includes the following titles: Pam and the Cap (short a), Meg Hen & Egg (short e), Tim and the Rip in His Hat (short i), Dom and the Hot Box (short o), Gus and Pup (short u), and Pet Fun Day (mixed review of all short vowels)
With controlled text, CVC patterns, and carefully selected high-frequency words, this series supports growing readers as they develop accuracy, fluency, and confidence.
Perfect for: Students who have been introduced to short vowels and are ready for practice, reinforcement, and skill integration.
Schools & Districts: We accept purchase orders. See how it works here.
Shop by Individual Titles
Meet Sam and his playful cat, Tab, in this engaging short vowel "a" decodable book! Designed for early readers, this fun and simple story builds confidence in blending and fluency while keeping young learners entertained.
📚 Skills Focus: Short A sound, Grades Pre-K-2
Russ is waiting for the bus, but things don’t go quite as planned! This short vowel "u" decodable book helps young readers practice phonics skills while following a fun and humorous story.
📚 Skills Focus: Short U sound, Grades Pre-K-2
Dom and the Hot Box is a fully decodable early reader designed to help children build confidence with short /o/ CVC words while reviewing short /a/, short /e/, and short /i/ patterns. In this engaging story, Dom encounters a hot box, giving young readers a clear, relatable situation that supports both decoding and understanding.
With tightly controlled text, repeated word patterns, and a simple cause-and-effect storyline, this book helps beginning readers strengthen blending, build fluency, and apply both new and previously learned skills in connected text.
Perfect for parents, teachers, and tutors, Dom and the Hot Box provides intentional practice that supports accuracy, confidence, and early reading success.
Skills Focus:
✔️ Short /o/ CVC words (primary focus)
✔️ Review of short /a/, /e/, and /i/ CVC words
✔️ Blending and decoding VC/CVC patterns
✔️ Fluency through repetition and rereading
✔️ Comprehension through clear cause-and-effect structure
Ed's red pen is on the loose, but can his friend Peg help him get it back? This short vowel "e" decodable book supports early readers as they strengthen their decoding skills through a relatable and engaging storyline.
📚 Skills Focus: Short E sound, Grades K-2
Pam and the Cap is a fully decodable early reader designed to help children build confidence with short /a/ CVC words. In this simple, relatable story, Pam faces a small problem when her cap goes missing—inviting young readers to follow along as she works to solve it.
With tightly controlled text, repeated word patterns, and a clear storyline, this book supports beginning readers in blending sounds, building fluency, and understanding what they read.
Perfect for parents, teachers, and tutors, Pam and the Cap provides meaningful decoding practice while helping children experience success on every page.
Gus and Pup is a fully decodable early reader designed to help children build confidence with short /u/ CVC words while reviewing short /a/, /e/, /i/, and /o/ patterns. In this warm, engaging story, Gus helps his pup out of a muddy situation, giving young readers a clear problem-and-solution sequence to follow.
With tightly controlled text, repeated word patterns, and meaningful action, this book supports beginning readers as they practice blending sounds, build fluency, and apply previously learned skills in connected text.
Perfect for parents, teachers, and tutors, Gus and Pup offers intentional practice that strengthens decoding, comprehension, and reading confidence.
Skills Focus:
✔️ Short /u/ CVC words (primary focus)
✔️ Review of short /a/, /e/, /i/, and /o/ CVC words
✔️ Blending and decoding VC/CVC patterns
✔️ Fluency through repetition and rereading
✔️ Comprehension through clear problem-and-solution structure
Kim’s adventure takes an unexpected turn when her bag rips—but with the help of a new friend, she’s back on track! This short vowel "i" decodable book encourages young readers to decode with confidence and enjoy the journey of reading success.
📚 Skills Focus: Short I sound, Grades Pre-K-2
Meg, Hen, and Egg is a fully decodable early reader designed to help children build confidence with short /e/ CVC words while also reviewing short /a/ patterns. In this gentle, engaging story, Meg works to return a hen and her egg to the pen, giving young readers a clear, easy-to-follow sequence that supports both decoding and comprehension.
With tightly controlled text, repeated word patterns, and a simple problem-and-solution structure, this book helps children strengthen blending, build fluency, and apply previously learned skills in meaningful context.
Perfect for parents, teachers, and tutors, Meg, Hen, and Egg provides intentional practice that supports accuracy, confidence, and early reading success.
Skills Focus:
✔️ Short /e/ CVC words (primary focus)
✔️ Review of short /a/ CVC words
✔️ Blending and decoding VC/CVC patterns
✔️ Fluency through repetition and rereading
✔️ Comprehension through clear story sequencing
Pet Fun Day is a fully decodable early reader designed to help children build fluency with mixed short-vowel CVC words. In this playful, cumulative story, Pam, Tim, Meg, Gus, and Dom come together with their pets, giving young readers the opportunity to apply all five short vowels in one engaging text.
With repeated sentence structures, familiar characters, and a clear sequence of events, this book encourages rereading and helps children move from careful decoding to more automatic, confident reading.
Perfect for parents, teachers, and tutors, Pet Fun Day serves as a powerful fluency builder and review text for developing readers.
Skills Focus:
✔️ Mixed short-vowel CVC words (a, e, i, o, u)
✔️ Fluency and automaticity through repeated reading
✔️ Application of previously learned phonics skills
✔️ Blending and decoding across multiple vowel patterns
✔️ Comprehension through cumulative story structure
Rob is ready for a big day at work, but there’s a lot to do! Perfect for beginning readers, this short vowel "o" decodable book uses simple, predictable text to reinforce phonics skills and fluency in an engaging way.
📚 Skills Focus: Short O sound, Grades K-2
Tim and the Rip in the Hat is a fully decodable early reader designed to help children build confidence with short /i/ CVC words while also reviewing short /e/ and short /a/ patterns. In this warm, relatable story, Tim discovers a rip in his hat, inviting young readers to follow along as he responds to a simple problem.
With tightly controlled text, repeated word patterns, and a clear problem-and-solution structure, this book supports beginning readers as they practice blending sounds, building fluency, and making sense of what they read.
Perfect for parents, teachers, and tutors, Tim and the Rip in the Hat provides meaningful decoding practice while helping children apply both new and previously learned skills in connected text.
Skills Focus:
✔️ Short /i/ CVC words (primary focus)
✔️ Review of short /e/ and short /a/ CVC words
✔️ Blending and decoding VC/CVC patterns
✔️ Fluency through repetition and rereading
✔️ Comprehension through clear story structure
Join Kylah on a powerful journey as she faces her fear of bees and discovers just how important they are to our world.
With the guidance of Mrs. Lee, a knowledgeable beekeeper, and the support of her family, Kylah explores an urban apiary and begins to see bees in a whole new way. What starts as fear turns into curiosity, confidence, and respect.
This advanced decodable book is thoughtfully designed to strengthen reading skills while offering a meaningful, culturally affirming story that children can see themselves in.
Skills Focus:
Reinforces the “ee” vowel team for targeted decoding practice
Builds fluency through a mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences
Supports advanced foundational literacy development
Why Families Love It:
Encourages courage, curiosity, and real-world connections
Reflects authentic language and honors African-American English
Engaging story that keeps growing readers motivated
Perfect for: 1st–3rd grade readers ready to expand their decoding skills and confidence
First Steps to Reading: Unlocking Consonant Sounds is designed to help parents intentionally teach consonant sounds in small, manageable groups (4–5 at a time)—out of traditional alphabetical order. This method accelerates a child’s ability to begin blending and decoding words, especially when paired with vowel instruction.
Rooted in Montessori principles and aligned with the Science of Reading, this book focuses on what matters most: helping children move quickly from learning sounds to actually reading.
Inside, you’ll find:
A clear, parent-friendly approach to teaching consonant sounds
Strategic grouping of letters to support early blending
Simple guidance to help children transition into decoding words
A method that builds confidence and momentum from the very beginning
This resource is ideal for parents, caregivers, and educators who want to take a more intentional, effective approach to early reading instruction.
Perfect for: Pre-readers, beginning readers, and any child who needs a stronger foundation in phonics.