Children's Books for 3rd Graders

The Clever Tortoise thinks he can win a race against Cheetah, the fastest animal on the whole plain. But how could a slow tortoise ever beat the swiftest runner around? When the other ’neighbors’ gather to watch and ’eighty’ animals cheer, Cheetah is sure his speed ‘outweighs’ one small tortoise. Could a clever plan and a little patience change everything? This Bookbot level practices the ’eigh’ sound with lesson words like ’neighbor’, ‘weighs’, and ’eight’.

At the edge of the great Congo rainforest, a girl named Amara chases a runaway hen straight past the one tree her mother warned her never to pass. What waits in the deep green shadows? When she stops to help a fallen palm, something ancient is watching, and it has a message for the proud elder who has taken too much. Will Amara find the courage to speak? This Bookbot level practices the ‘augh’ sound with words like ‘caught’, ’taught’, ’naughty’, ‘haughty’, and ‘distraught’.

Wanjikũ is the cleverest girl on the green ridge, quick with a riddle and quicker with a laugh. So why does the charming stranger she marries only appear at dusk, and only eat with his back turned? When his true face finally shows in the firelight, can a clever girl and a brave little brother outrun what waits in the dark? This Bookbot level practices the ‘ph’ sound with words like ‘phantom’, ‘atmosphere’, ’triumphant’, and ‘phew’.

When the rains fail and the fish swim deep, Tano’s village goes hungry. Then his stick hits something buried in the sand: an old drum with weird carved words that promise food to anyone who beats it right. But what happens when a greedy stranger seizes it and breaks the rules? Can Tano undo the harm before someone gets sick? This Bookbot level practices the ei vowel sounds with words like ‘weird’, ‘conceited’, ‘received’ and ’neighbor’.

Sara loves the water more than anything, and dreams that her little stream might one day carry her all the way to the sea. But what happens when a tiny, bossy fish called Pixie bursts out of the weeds and promises her a gift beyond imagining? Could there really be a secret world hiding beneath the waves, and might Sara be the very first human to find it? This decodable reader practices the ‘wr’ sound in words like ‘wriggled,’ ‘wrapped,’ ‘wrenched,’ and ‘wrinkled.’

What happens when a giant boy crawls out of his cave hoping to make a friend? Sen is gentle and kind, but his hands are HUGE and his voice shakes the rooftops! When the village children spot something enormous behind the hedge, they run for their lives. Can Sen show them he isn’t a monster before it’s too late? This decodable reader practices the soft g sound in words like ‘gentle,’ ‘giant,’ ‘village,’ ‘huge,’ and ’edge.’

Why does the Moon wear dark marks across her silver face? Long ago, the Sun and Moon both blazed in the daytime sky, and no one had ever seen a shadow or slept a wink. When the weary world begs for rest, can the gentle Moon find a way to soften her fierce glare and give the night its very first evening? Discover the answer in this warm folktale. This Bookbot book practices the ‘ph’ sound with words like ‘sphere’, ‘phantom’, ‘phases’, and ’triumph’.

When Zom offers to fix up Skel’s cramped little house into a proper palace, Skel jumps at the chance for more space. But can a zombie who spends three whole days getting the cobwebs just right actually finish building a whole house? And what will Skel find when he comes home from his trip? This decodable reader practices the kn phonogram in words like ‘knew,’ ‘knocking,’ ‘knuckles,’ ‘knobbly,’ and ‘knot.’

Deep below the purple crystal cave, Jill is hunting for diamonds in her shiny armor - but what happens when the ground suddenly disappears beneath her feet? Trapped in a pit with an enchanted zombie looming above, then facing fiery baby zombies bouncing through the flames, Jill will need every ounce of courage to survive the night. Can one brave miner fight her way back to the surface? This decodable reader practices the ‘ui’ phonogram in words like ‘bruise,’ ‘fruit,’ ‘juice,’ ‘pursuit,’ and ‘suit.’

Kwaku Anansi has cooked a feast fit for a king, and he plans to eat every last bite himself. But when dusty, hungry Turtle knocks at the door, will clever Anansi share his soup, or trick his tired guest away from the table? And when Turtle sends a leaf ‘signed’ with an invitation to his own river feast, who will go home with an empty stomach this time? This Bookbot level practices the ‘gn’ sound in ‘gnawed’, ‘gnarled’, ‘gnashing’, and ‘resigned’.