Fantasy Books for 1st Graders

Rob, Pam and Tim love causing mischief on the farm - until Dad’s magical mirror shows them three warty, green-skinned monsters staring right back! Can a fancy hat fix it? What about a super-speedy sprint, or the friendliest smile ever? The kids try everything to escape the horrible reflection, but the mirror keeps showing something nobody wants to see. What’s really going on? This decodable reader practises VCC/CVCC words such as ‘best,’ ‘gasp,’ ‘gold,’ and ‘kind.’

The whole lake stirs, and a green hand rises with a gift wrapped in reeds. Who is Nyar Nam, the spirit of the lake? When a fierce storm traps Auma’s father far out on the churning water, the men on shore say nothing can be done. Can one brave girl and a strange feather calm the waves before it is too late? This Bookbot level practises the /w/ and /h/ sounds in words like ‘when’, ‘who’, ‘whole’, ‘while’, and ‘where’.

In the coral-stone town of Lamu, Pendo can read faces like a sailor reads the sky, so she always knows who cheats. But when a loud merchant accuses her father of theft, who will trust a fish-seller’s daughter with no proof? Then, in a warm tide pool on the beach, her fingers close around a strange singing shell. What will it whisper to her? This Bookbot level practises the ‘ch’ sound in words like ‘beach’, ‘cheat’, ‘watch’, ‘reach’, and ‘cheers’.

The chick picks at rocks to check its luck. On a red hill sits a baobab tree older than the rocks and wiser than anyone in the village. When the well runs dry, can a small girl named Nuru get the grown ups to listen to a talking tree? Will they dig where she points, or trust the costly water boat instead? A story about sharp ears, stubborn courage, and where lost water really goes. This Bookbot level practises the /k/ sound with words like ‘rocks’, ‘picks’, ’luck’, ‘check’, and ‘kicks’.

Dragon’s big fire test is tomorrow, and he’s SURE he’s a natural - so why bother practising when there are cheese puffs to eat? But when the big moment arrives, only a sad puff of smoke comes out! Can a friendly chilli plant in funky sunglasses help Dragon find his spark before it’s too late? Will he ever light up the sky? This decodable reader practises silent e words such as ‘flame,’ ‘brave,’ ‘bite,’ ‘place,’ and ‘save.’

When Shawn tumbles into bed with a brand new box of pencils, he has no idea what happens after dark. Why are the pencils creeping out of their box? What is that strange book whispering to them from the desk? And can a nervous little red pencil find the courage to colour a whole world before morning comes? This decodable reader practises short u with j, v, y in words like ‘bud,’ ‘gulp,’ ‘fun,’ and ‘must.’

When the sun beats down and Mum gets too hot on the farm, Giraffe hatches a plan so fine it just might be silly - what if he climbed up high and ate the sun whole? But what happens when the sky goes dark as a cave and his tummy starts to glow with a hot little flame? Can Bear think of something brave to save the day? This decodable reader practises silent e words such as ‘ate,’ ‘brave,’ ‘flame,’ ‘ripe,’ and ‘whole.’

Diane is the proudest litterbug around - until one morning, a stinky, buzzing cloud of rubbish appears above her bed and refuses to leave! What happens when the trash cloud follows her to school in front of all her friends? Can a lonely girl and one brave little rat figure out how to make the mess disappear before it swallows the whole park? This decodable reader practises the ’th’ sound in words like ’thank,’ ’that,’ ’think,’ and ‘with.’

When Boy’s favourite toy gets snatched by a mischievous dragon and carried high into the clouds, what’s a brave friend to do? Girl knows just one answer: hold on tight and chase that silly dragon across the sky! Can they zoom fast enough to catch the toy before Dragon gets up to more trouble? Buckle up for a wild, whooshing ride packed with giggles and gasps. This decodable reader practises open syllables in words like ‘cry,’ ‘fly,’ ‘sky,’ and ‘we.’

Jack’s mind just will not sit still! One second he is on the moon, the next he is a goat on a cliff, a mole in the dirt, or a fish chatting to a goldfish. Where will his daydreams take him next, and what could possibly be strong enough to pull him back? Follow Jack on a whooshing, wandering adventure full of surprises. This decodable reader practises the ‘wh’ sound in words like ‘what,’ ‘where,’ ‘which,’ ‘whiff,’ and ‘whoosh.’