Children's Books for 1st Graders

Deep in an old, forgotten mine, Fig Pig grips his little lamp and marches bravely into the dark. What treasures are hiding in the shadows? Who built these huge stone archways, and why did they leave? With a shiny blade tucked under his arm and his trotters wobbling, Fig Pig creeps past sleeping spiders and bubbling lava - but will he spot the warning sign in time? This decodable reader practices silent e words such as ‘brave,’ ‘cave,’ ‘flame,’ ‘shine,’ and ‘race.’

Spring has sprung, and Bug has a fizzy, buzzy feeling in her belly - she wants to SING! But what happens when Duck’s song is too wet, Frog’s is too long, and Big Bird’s is far too loud? Can one tiny bug really find a song of her very own, and will the whole gang ever learn to sing together? This decodable reader practices the ’ng’ sound in words like ‘sing,’ ‘song,’ ’long,’ ‘strong,’ and ‘spring.’

What happens when a little sailor spots a huge pipe spilling dark muck into the sparkling sea? With waves to save and brave words to shout, can one small voice really make the whole sky listen? Grab your boat, feel the breeze, and find out what a stick in the sand can do when somebody, anybody, needs to pay attention. This decodable reader practices silent e words such as ‘brave,’ ‘plane,’ ‘save,’ and ‘white.’

Ned is the bravest knight around - but every monster fight leaves him covered in bumps and bruises! What he needs is armor, and armor means leather, and leather means… cows. Easy, right? But when Ned charges down the hill yelling at the top of his lungs, the cows have other ideas. Can one small knight outsmart a herd of very fast cows? This decodable reader practices the ’th’ sound in words like ’thick,’ ’three,’ ’thud,’ and ’thumps.'

Jack’s mind just will not sit still! One second he is on the moon, the next he is a goat on a cliff, a mole in the dirt, or a fish chatting to a goldfish. Where will his daydreams take him next, and what could possibly be strong enough to pull him back? Follow Jack on a whooshing, wandering adventure full of surprises. This decodable reader practices the ‘wh’ sound in words like ‘what,’ ‘where,’ ‘which,’ ‘whiff,’ and ‘whoosh.’

Spot is the world’s greatest finder of things - so when he loses his girl Jane at the zoo, how hard can it be to track her down? He spots long brown hair around the corner… but is that really Jane, or something much bigger? Can a little dog sniff out his favorite person in such a huge, busy place? Join Spot’s wild zoo hunt! This decodable reader practices short u with j, v, y in words like ‘jump,’ ‘just,’ ‘vest,’ and ‘yuck.’

Prince Din wants the biggest leaf ball in the kingdom - but the best leaves grow in the wild forest, where dangerous creatures are said to lurk! When a huge striped cat comes bounding out of the bushes, Din bolts deeper into the trees and gets horribly lost. Is that tiger really chasing him, or could something stranger be going on? This decodable reader practices short u with j, v, y in words like ‘jumps,’ ’luck,’ ‘plums,’ and ‘stuck.’

The Congo rainforest hides more than towering trees. When nine-year-old Amara chases a runaway hen past the tree her mother warned her never to pass, she tumbles into a world of shadows, glowing beetles, and a shimmering Forest Spirit named Moke. Why would the forest choose to speak to one small girl? And what will she dare to say when she returns to her village? This Bookbot SH story practices single-syllable words like ‘dash’, ‘push’, ‘bush’, ‘fresh’, and ‘shelf’.

The fish are gone, the market is empty, and Tano is only eleven when his digging stick strikes something buried in the sand: an old drum with a strange rule carved into its base. Three beats to ask, one to say thank you, and only one wish a day. But what happens when a bigger boy grabs the drum and refuses to follow the rules? Can Tano set things right before the magic turns sour? This Bookbot level practices the ‘wh’ sound in words like ‘when’, ‘what’, ‘whir’, and ‘whole’.

Sara loves to float in her cool, clear stream, dreaming of faraway seas. But what happens when a tiny, bossy fish bursts out of the weeds and begs her to follow? Where will the current carry her - and whose sparkling kingdom waits in the deepest, darkest part of the ocean? Could a girl from a little creek really become queen of the whole sea? This decodable reader practices the wh phonogram through words like ‘whales,’ ‘what,’ ‘whirl,’ ‘whose,’ and ‘whole.’