Children's Books for 2nd Graders

Skel keeps his brick house sparkling clean, but Zom and Jack would rather flop in the grass than lift a mop. When Skel finally marches out the door, the two slackers think they’ve won - no chores, no fuss, just sunshine and naps. But what happens when the muck piles up and strange little legs start skittering through the shadows? Can the pests be stopped? This decodable reader practices the ‘igh’ phonogram in words like ‘bright,’ ‘fight,’ ’night,’ and ‘might.’

Red Bird is sure she’s the boldest, brightest, BEST bird in the yard - but is she really? Up on the hill, Yellow Bird thinks the same. Orange Bird just wants to zoom, Green Bird leads his band, and Blue Bird shoots into the sky. Then a huge gust roars in. Can six very different birds find a way to fly together? This decodable reader practices the ai/ay phonogram in words like ‘paint,’ ’trail,’ ‘stay,’ ‘sway,’ and ‘day.’

ROAR! Did you know scientists can figure out what a dinosaur ate just by looking at its teeth? Or that T-rex might have had feathers and could be related to a chicken? Join one boastful T-rex as it meets long-necked giants, pack hunters, and gentle parents - and slowly discovers there is far more to dinosaurs than size and a big set of jaws. This decodable reader practices 3+ syllable words such as ‘dinosaurs,’ ‘incredible,’ ‘velociraptor,’ and ‘unfortunately.’

Bob loves fishing at the dock - mostly because it’s the perfect spot for a nap! But what happens when something tugs hard on his line and drags him into the deep? Could the huge, hissing sea beast actually need his help? Join Bob on a wild underwater ride full of glowing eggs, tiny snakes, and a secret he’ll carry home in his hands. This decodable reader practices the ea phonogram in words like ‘beast,’ ’leaps,’ ‘great,’ and ‘dreams.’

When Deb’s cat Jack leads her to a deep hole in the yard, what could possibly be hiding at the bottom? A crab with snapping claws, that’s what - and soon one hungry visitor becomes a whole scuttling family! Can Deb catch the tiny babies before they vanish into the sand, or will her garden turn into a crab playground? This decodable reader practices the ‘ie’ phonogram in words like ‘cries,’ ‘flies,’ ‘shield,’ ‘spied,’ and ’tries.’

When Ben calls his cat for dinner, not a whisker stirs - so where has she gone? Following paw prints through the soil, Ben finds his cat perched like a queen on a huge pile of junk. Then the pile BLINKS. Then it WALKS. Can Ben rescue one very happy cat from a rubbish-munching monster that just keeps growing? This decodable reader practices the oi/oy phonogram in words such as ‘soil,’ ‘coin,’ ‘joy,’ ’noise,’ and ’toys.’

Jack leaps into the sea with a shout of joy - until the fish start vanishing! Who is the huge shape lurking in the deep? When a gang of honking, hissing lotls zooms up from the dark, Jack, Zom and Skel bolt for shore. They need someone brave, someone who never flinches. Could Mer be the answer? This decodable reader practices the oi/oy sound in words such as ‘joy,’ ‘join,’ ‘choice,’ ‘foil,’ and ‘ploy.’

Wiwit woke up with a big, squeezing tummy ache - and worse, a heavy monkey clinging to her back! Everywhere she goes, he goes too, weighing her down like a sack of rice. With the village dance only days away, how will Wiwit ever spin and jump with a monkey on her shoulders? Can she find the courage to face the thing that scares her most? This decodable reader practices the oa phonogram in words such as ‘groan,’ ’load,’ ‘road,’ and ‘float.’

Deep in the Ashanti forest, a clever little tortoise named Akyekyere is not fast and not strong, but his mind is sharp as a chisel. So when a hungry leopard blocks his path one morning, what could a slow creature in a hard shell possibly do? Can a shell really beat a sword? Read on to find out how Akyekyere thinks his way home. This Bookbot level practices two-syllable words split between consonants, like ’tortoise’, ‘forest’, ‘morning’, ‘burrow’ and ‘yellow’.

The maize is dead, the goats grow thin, and the river has shrunk to the width of a child’s arm. When the rains fail and the whole village falls into ‘chaos’, who will find the answer everyone has walked past for years? A ten year old girl named Lwazi listens to the wise old Nozipho and begins to wonder about a forgotten well and the water that might still lie at the bottom. Can a village ‘create’ hope from what it already has? This Bookbot level practices two syllable words split between two vowels, as in ‘quiet’, ’trio’, and ’triumph’.