Children's Books

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 practises the ’ei’ phonogram with words like ’their’, ‘being’, ‘height’, ’neither’, and ‘receive’.

On a red Kalahari night, when the pans have dried up and the water bottles grow light, Naru remembers her grandmother’s tales of a hidden star that points to water. But can one girl, awake in the dark while the elders sleep, trust old star lore enough to lead her people the right way? A brave, hopeful story with a heart as wide as the sky. This Bookbot book practises the ‘ough’ sound in words like ‘drought’, ’though’, ’thought’, ’through’, and ’tough’.

The river has stopped flowing, the crops are wilting, and no one will speak the name of what sleeps in the deepest pool. When nine-year-old Nomsa discovers that something ancient was taken from the water, can she find a way to make right what was done, even when a broken thing cannot simply be mended? Will the river ever run again? A gentle tale of courage and respect. This Bookbot level practises the ‘wr’ sound in words like ‘wrong’, ‘wrinkled’, ‘wriggles’, and ‘wrists’.

Deep in an old forest lives Oro Igbo, a serious spirit who keeps careful accounts of all that hunters take and promise. When young Ayo wanders into the sacred grove by accident, will he remember the rule his father taught him? And when he later meets a greedy hunter who does the forest ‘wrong’, what will the watchful trees decide? This Bookbot level practises the ‘wr’ phonogram in words like ‘wrapped’, ‘wrinkled’, ‘wrens’, and ‘wry’.

Hyena has found the sweetest treasure on the whole dry veld, and she is not sharing one drop with anyone. But clever Jackal is watching from the shadows, and he is very hungry. Can a small, quick trickster outsmart a bigger, stronger beast? What plan is forming behind those bright eyes? This Bookbot level practises the phonogram ’ei’, with lesson words like ‘being’, ’neither’, ‘seize’, ‘weighs’, and ‘weird’.

Thwack! Arrows are raining down from the sky, and one nearly catches Hop in the ear! Who could be behind this startling onslaught? Distraught and cross, Hop sets off to find the king, gathering brave friends along the way. But will the king listen when they finally track him down? This decodable reader practises the ‘augh’ sound in words like ‘caught,’ ‘distraught,’ ‘haughty,’ and ’laughter.’

In the lake town of Oguta lives Adaeze, a princess who reads the weather in the water and solves every riddle she meets. So when a smooth-voiced suitor glides up to the palace gate, why does she alone feel that something is wrong? What secret hides beneath his sharp dark suit, and can one clever girl and a small disc of ash unmask him before the whole court? This Bookbot Level S9 story practises the /sh/ phonograms in ’tradition’, ‘ancient’, ‘accusation’, ‘attention’, and ‘aberration’.

In the walled town of Ilara, the Oba owns a magic drum that spreads a feast for the whole town, but only when beaten with a giving heart. So when a greedy trader steals it and speeds off north, who will chase him down? Young Remi, whose father has taught her to make any drum talk, races after the thief. Can one brave girl bring the drum home? This Bookbot level practises the ‘augh’ sound in ’taught’, ‘caught’, ’laugh’, and ‘distraught’.

The nights grow so dark that children cry out in fear and even the great trickster Kaggen the mantis cannot fix it. When he catches a hundred fireflies, they only tumble back to earth. What happens when his own worn shoe flies off his foot and an idea takes hold? Will light ever find a way to stay in the sky? This Bookbot level practises the ‘gn’ phonogram making the /n/ sound, with words like ‘sign’, ‘gnaw’, ‘gnarled’, ‘design’, and ‘resigned’.

Kaggen can spin moonlight from a sandal, but there is one thing he cannot make. Fire. And fire belongs to the Ostrich, who hides it under his wing and never lets anyone near. Can a clever little insect outwit a huge, guarded bird? What plan could a mantis dream up, and what happens when the flame finally breaks free? This warm folktale rewards patience, cleverness, and courage. This Bookbot level practises words like ‘solution’, ‘situation’, ‘question’, and ‘action’.