Children's Books for 3rd Graders

Every day, I make a lot of choices. These choices shape not only my day, but the weeks and months ahead. They may even have weight for what happens in my future.

Bop has been waiting for the Bantengan parade all year, and he’s determined to learn every single dance move before he gets there. But when he tries to twist his wrists and strike a pose like Big Brother, everything goes wrong! His legs wriggle, his arms flap, and he tumbles straight into the bushes. Can Bop find a way to make his feet finally listen? This decodable reader focuses on the ‘wr’ sound in words like ‘wrists,’ ‘wriggle,’ ‘wrong,’ and ‘wraps.’

Ned the farmer has a problem - his new leather armor is plain, boring brown, and he wants to look AMAZING! Can a handful of red and yellow flowers from the fields really turn into something better? With his magic Book guiding him, Ned squeezes, mixes, and dyes his way through one silly color after another. Will he ever find the perfect shade? This decodable reader practices the ‘ough’ phonogram in words like ‘although,’ ‘brought,’ ’enough,’ ’though,’ and ’tough.’

Fig Pig is setting sail on the grandest cruise of his life! With a boat packed full of fruit and juice, he’s ready to explore faraway lands and find a brave crew to join him. But will polar bears chase him off the ice? Will golden deserts or squelchy swamps hide the perfect recruit? And who on earth would suit life aboard a tiny raft with one very bold pig? This decodable reader practices the ‘ui’ sound in words like ‘cruise,’ ‘fruit,’ ‘suit,’ and ‘recruit.’

Skel the skeleton hasn’t picked up a paintbrush in years, but when a village art show opens its doors to ANYONE, his bony fingers start to tingle. Off he goes in pursuit of a muse - and finds something sparkling in the lake! What if this strange, shimmering squid holds the secret to art no villager has ever seen before? Will Skel be brave enough to share it? This decodable reader practices the ‘ui’ sound in words like ‘cruise,’ ‘fruit,’ ‘juicy,’ and ‘pursuit.’

Brat Cat loves her farm - nobody gets in, nobody gets out! But when a storm rolls in and she spots a huge horse standing alone at the edge of the trees, she thinks she’s found her newest guest. What could possibly go wrong? And why does this strange horse look like it’s made of rattling bones? This decodable reader practices soft g words such as ‘cage,’ ‘huge,’ ‘charge,’ ‘danger,’ and ‘gentle.’

Ina won’t eat, and a boy who notices what everyone else walks past has just spent his shoe money to set her free. What happens when Kola sings the song he has kept only for the open air? As his shadow flickers with wings, will he make the choice his grandmother leaves entirely to him? This Bookbot book practices the ’s’ /ʒ/ sound in words like ‘casually’, ‘decision’, ‘unusual’, and ‘measured’.

High on the ridge where three rivers meet, Chief Mwangi believes no child could ever be cleverer than his own daughter. But when Wambũi falls gravely ill and no elder can name the cause, one quiet farm girl remembers something she saw days ago near the stream. Can she find the courage to prove it, and will the proud chief listen? This Bookbot level practices the soft ‘g’ sound with words like ‘ridge’, ‘village’, ‘courage’, ‘danger’, and ‘imagine’.

A dry season grips the enkang, and the river has turned to dust. When a girl named Entito finds a lost hornbill chick on the ridge, will one small act of care be enough to make the sky listen? As the cattle grow thirsty and a strange still cloud caps the great mountain, Entito must face the fierce red Enkai and a hard choice. Will the rain ever come? This Bookbot level practices the /ʒ/ sound in ’treasure’, ‘occasion’, ‘decision’, ‘measures’, and ‘pleasure’.

Fire is Old Tortoise’s alone, buried in a pot beneath a flat rock, and no one else in the cold Karoo has ever felt its warmth. When Kato’s baby sister falls ill with cold, what can one boy with two small stones possibly do against a creature who guards his treasure so fiercely? Could a spark, a nest of grass, and a clever idea change everything? This Bookbot level practices the ’ei’ phonogram with words like ’their’, ‘being’, ‘height’, ’neither’, and ‘receive’.