Fantasy Books for 2nd Graders

Auma carries water to the great silver lake each evening, but tonight a ripple moves against the wind and a green hand rises with a gift wrapped in reeds. When a terrible storm swallows her father’s canoe, will one small feather and a whispered name be enough to calm the furious water? A tender tale of courage and kindness rewarded. This Bookbot story practices splitting two syllables between two vowels, with words like ‘being’, ‘quiet’, ‘giant’, ‘react’, and ’triumph’.

When Zom and Skel race to the top of a giant hill, Skel wins in triumph - but what has Zom found down below? A strange, glowing egg sits quietly in the dirt, humming with blue and white light. Is it a bird’s? A fish’s? A dragon’s? Will anyone claim this odd egg before Zom turns it into his next snack? This decodable reader practices vowel team syllables in words like ‘diet,’ ‘giant,’ ‘quiet,’ ‘ruins,’ and ’triumph.’

Pendo can tell truth from lies just by watching faces, but when a powerful merchant accuses her father of stealing his cloth, who will believe a girl with no proof? Then, in a warm tide pool at the beach, her fingers close around a strange singing shell. What secret does it hold, and can it help her father before it is too late? This Bookbot EA book practices the ’ea’ sound with words like ‘sea’, ‘speak’, ‘beach’, ‘please’, and ‘real’.

On a red-sand ridge above the sea, one ancient baobab has grown alone for longer than anyone can remember. When the village well suddenly runs dry and the grown-ups only argue, brave young Nuru climbs the hill to ask the wisest thing she knows: the tree itself. Could a tree really know where the water went? And will anyone believe a ten-year-old? This Bookbot level practices the ‘ou’ sound in words like ‘ground’, ‘proud’, ‘found’, ’loud’, and ‘shout’.

A stranger arrives at the farm with a kiosk full of rare wares. One glowing thing hums quiet and bright - but the Trader says it carries a curse. Why would Jack grab it and run? What happens when chaos creeps into a quiet room? Can the duo undo the ruin before the whole house turns to watermelon? This decodable reader practices vowel team syllables in words like ‘chaos,’ ‘kiosk,’ ’neon,’ and ‘ruin.’

Dragon is sure he’s a natural. Why practice for the big fire test when he could lounge on a sunny hillside with a basket of tasty snacks? But when the day arrives, only puffs of gray smoke come out - and everyone is watching! Can a strange little chili plant with a spicy red pepper help Dragon find his missing flame before it’s too late? This decodable reader practices VC/CV syllables in words like ‘basket,’ ‘sunset,’ ‘pepper,’ and ‘hillside.’

When Shawn falls asleep with a brand new box of pencils, something extraordinary begins to stir. The lid creaks open, the pencils tiptoe out, and they discover a book full of drawings - but every page is gray! Can a box of colorful pencils fix a black-and-white world before morning? And what will Shawn say when he wakes at dawn? This decodable reader practices the aw/au phonogram in words like ‘dawn,’ ‘draw,’ ‘yawn,’ and ‘fault.’

When the sun beats down and Mom’s smile starts to wobble, Giraffe hatches a plan so silly it might just work - he’ll climb sky-high and eat the sun itself! But what happens when a giraffe swallows the brightest thing in the whole universe? Can Bear’s bowl of bread dough save the day, or has Giraffe cooked up the biggest mess ever? This decodable reader practices the ’ea’ sound in words like ‘beat,’ ‘dream,’ ‘peach,’ and ’treat.’

Diane is the proudest litterbug around - until she wakes up one morning to find a stinking cloud of rubbish hovering right above her bed! Flies buzz, wrappers swirl, and the cloud follows her everywhere she goes. Can Diane figure out how to make her smelly shadow disappear? Will anyone want to sit with her at lunch, or is a small gray rat her only friend now? This decodable reader practices 2-syllable open words such as ‘about,’ ‘open,’ ’even,’ and ‘only.’

Dragon has stolen Shawn’s toy again! Can Dawn and Shawn catch a mischievous dragon who zooms through clouds and never, ever slows down? Hold on tight as they grab Dragon’s mane and shoot up into a sky full of swirling coins and spinning junk. Will they snatch the toy back before Dragon’s jaws chomp it to bits? This decodable reader practices the aw/au sound in words like ‘dawn,’ ‘claws,’ ‘pause,’ and ‘sprawl.’