Fantasy Books for 2nd Graders

Jackal is the cleverest animal in the whole Kalahari, and he will happily tell you so himself. So when he spots little Kaggen the Mantis eating a bowl of delicious tortoise-shell soup by the dry road, why does he think tricking one small insect will be so easy? Can vanity be Jackal’s undoing, and who is truly the clever one when two tricksters meet? This Bookbot Level S9 story practices the /ʃ/ sound with words like ‘delicious’, ‘patient’, ‘question’, and ‘situation’.

The forest people love the Moon, but one rainy season the leaves grow too thick and no silver light reaches the ground. The night dances stop, and a girl named Yei sits quietly and dreams up a bold plan. Can one small, glowing gift carried to the tallest treetop remind the lonely Moon that a whole camp is thinking of her? Climb up and find out. This Bookbot EA level practices the ’ea’ sound in one-syllable words like ’leaves’, ‘beam’, ‘gleams’, ‘reach’, and ‘dreams’.

The Moon has the most wonderful secret in the sky, and she needs someone swift to carry it across the Kalahari to the frightened people below. So she whispers her message into the ear of Hare, the fastest, chattiest creature in the desert. But can a messenger who loves talking more than listening be trusted to get the words right? What happens when he skids into camp and blurts it out? This Bookbot story practices two-syllable words with prefixes, including ‘return’, ‘repeat’, ’explain’, ‘inform’, and ‘distrust’.

A princess lives in a tall tower, and every night her beautiful singing floats down to the town below. The townsfolk say she’s being held captive by a fearsome two-headed dragon! When a brave knight arrives with his shining armor and swift horse, he’s ready to rescue her. But is the princess really a prisoner? And is the dragon truly as vicious as the townspeople claim? Sometimes things aren’t quite what they seem!

The rains have not come, and the sweet potato leaves are curling in the heat. Deep in his pool sleeps the Rain Bull, the great gray storm creature who brings the water when he wakes and runs. But the path to his pool is blocked with thorns, and no child should go to the deep water alone. When Zinhle remembers an old tale about reeds and rain, will she find the courage to try? This Bookbot story builds compound words like ‘daybreak’, ‘sunrise’, ‘riverbed’, and ’nightfall’.

Amina is the bravest pearl diver on the reef, and today she has dived deeper than ever before. What could be glowing in the dark water below? When a deep voice warns her that her treasure belongs to the sea king himself, will Amina be brave enough to swim down and ‘return’ it? Can she find the courage to ‘descend’ to his glowing palace and ’explain’ why she came? This Bookbot level practices two syllable words with prefixes like ‘declare’ and ’explore’.

Obiora loves to tell tales all day, carrying every story through his village faster than anyone. So when a skull in the forest speaks three quiet words, he races off to tell the king. But will the skull talk again when the royal guards march out to hear it, or will Obiora’s biggest story leave him with nothing to say? This Bookbot level practices the ‘ow’ sound with words like ‘down’, ’now’, ’town’, ‘slow’, and ‘show’.

High in the sky, the sky folk are holding their greatest feast, and every bird flaps with delight. But when Ajapa the tortoise longs to taste sky food, will the birds ‘invite’ a wingless friend along? What clever trick lets a tortoise fly, and what happens when the sky folk cry, “This feast is for all of you”? Can Ajapa ’explain’ his way out when the birds ‘return’ to ‘reclaim’ their feathers high on a cloud? This Bookbot level practices two-syllable words with prefixes like ‘invite’, ’explain’, ‘return’, and ‘reclaim’.

Mosquito loves to tell tall tales, and one morning she buzzes a whopper right into Iguana’s ear. To escape her chatter, he plugs his ears with sticks and can no longer hear a thing. But when a silent Iguana walks past Python without a nod, fear ripples through the forest and the sun refuses to rise. Can one small fib really turn day into endless night? This EA reader practices the ’ea’ sound with words like ‘sea’, ‘speak’, ‘deaf’, ‘head’, and ’leaf’.

Why the Sky Is Far Away is a retelling of a beloved African folktale. Long ago, the sky hung so low that children could press their hands against it and feel the thunder move through their fingers. Igwe the Sky gave his flesh as food, asking only one thing: take what you need. But what happens when one woman takes far too much? Will the sky ever come close again? This Bookbot level practices two-syllable words with suffixes like ‘softly’, ‘sadness’, ‘kindly’, ‘reminder’, and ‘punishment’.