Nature Books for 1st Graders

Ben has one little bird, and its song is the sweetest sound he’s ever heard. But what if he had ten birds? Or a hundred? With his dad’s help, Ben fills the house with cages of every color - but why won’t any of the birds sing? Can Ben figure out what his feathered friends really need before it’s too late? This decodable reader focuses on the ’th’ sound in words like ’this,’ ’them,’ ’then,’ and ‘with.’

Ned spots a bee buzzing past a lush bush and just has to know where it lives. But when he finds a nest full of fresh, golden honey, will he listen to The Book’s warnings, or grab his axe and charge in? And what happens when his new bee friends love him a little too much? A bold, buzzing adventure full of sticky surprises! This decodable reader practices the sh phonogram in words like ‘bush,’ ‘fresh,’ ‘hush,’ ‘rush,’ and ‘shirt.’

Dive into an underwater adventure! A young girl explores the ocean and discovers amazing sea creatures. She meets a friendly fish that can fly, spots something shiny that looks like gold, and encounters animals with curly legs that nip! What other surprising creatures will she find in the deep blue sea? Join her as she swims through this exciting underwater world full of wonder and discovery.

Girl is thirsty - the thirstiest she has ever been! But when she grabs her pail, only one tiny drop falls out. Where has all the water gone? The pump is dry, the tank is empty, and even the river has nothing left to give. Will Girl find a drink before she gives up? And why won’t that one little cloud do its job? This decodable reader focuses on the ‘wh’ sound in words like ‘what,’ ‘when,’ ‘where,’ and ‘while.’

The sky above Panha’s town is gray and gloomy, and the sun has been hidden for as long as she can remember. But what if the sun is still up there, waiting? What if a brave girl with a pile of gears could actually build a plane and fly high enough to find it? Climb the hill with Panha and see how far a big idea can take her. This decodable reader practices the ’th’ sound in words such as ’that,’ ’then,’ ’through,’ and ’thuds.'

Ned has a brand new home, a proud name on the sign, and a belly that rumbles louder than thunder. Can a talking Book really teach him to grow food from tiny seeds? Why does every job start with “simple” and end with sore arms? From shaping a blade to hauling a bucket from the lake, Ned is about to find out that farming is harder than it looks! This decodable reader practices silent e words such as ‘bake,’ ‘bone,’ ‘shape,’ ‘while,’ and ‘waste.’

The chick picks at rocks to check its luck. On a red hill sits a baobab tree older than the rocks and wiser than anyone in the village. When the well runs dry, can a small girl named Nuru get the grown ups to listen to a talking tree? Will they dig where she points, or trust the costly water boat instead? A story about sharp ears, stubborn courage, and where lost water really goes. This Bookbot level practices the /k/ sound with words like ‘rocks’, ‘picks’, ’luck’, ‘check’, and ‘kicks’.

A thin path of ants is winding right across Seth’s yard - hundreds of them, maybe thousands! Where are they all marching to, and what on earth are they hunting for? Seth and his dog follow the tiny army as it climbs his things, storms the kitchen, and sniffs out every crumb it can find. But can Seth stop them before they reach his favorite snack? This decodable reader practices the ’th’ sound in words like ‘path,’ ’thanks,’ ’through,’ and ’things.’

Jen’s mom and dad must set off to hunt for food, leaving her alone at the little leaf-roofed hut with only Piglet for company. But what happens when a white deer tiptoes out of the trees and beckons her into the shadows? Can Jen find her way home before dusk falls, and who might she meet along the way? This decodable reader practices short u with j, v, y in words like ‘just,’ ‘yum,’ ‘hunt,’ and ‘dusk.’

Dive beneath the waves with Ping the fish! From warm, sunny reefs where pink things cling to the rocks, to icy seas where cod and squid hang on in the deep, the Minecraft ocean is full of wonder. But what happens when junk starts to wreck the sea? Can Ping, Tang, and their gang help life spring back to all things? This decodable reader practices the ’ng’ sound in words like ‘cling,’ ‘spring,’ ‘strong,’ and ‘brings.’