Children's Books for 2nd Graders
Ouch! That Was My Leaf!
Spike the cactus is lonely and wants to find a friend. He hops around the garden in his pot, asking different trees if they want to be pals. But the orange tree is grumpy, the banana tree is scared, and others just sigh at him. When he finally finds someone willing to chat, something goes wrong. Why is it so hard for Spike to make friends? Will he ever find a pal who truly understands him?
Panha Won't Come Down!
Panha’s town is buried under thick, gloomy smog, and she’s had enough! Has anyone ever really seen the sky behind all that grey? When Panha climbs the tallest hill and spots actual sunlight, she races home with a wild idea: invent a plane, fly above the clouds, and bring the sun back. But what will she find waiting up there? This decodable reader practises words with prefixes such as “declared,” “exclaimed,” “replace,” and “unfair.”
Paws Off the Ball!
Coach Vic has a secret tucked inside an old trunk, and his shelves are packed with shiny trophies like pirate treasure. What could be so exciting? When he pulls out a big white volleyball and promises to teach everyone how to play, eyes go wide and hands shoot up - especially Dog’s paws! But will Dog remember the rules once the ball starts flying? This decodable reader practises es plurals in words like ‘beaches,’ ‘matches,’ ‘watches,’ and ‘wishes.’
Run, Fig Pig, Run!
Deep in an old, forgotten mine, brave Fig Pig marches in with his little lamp beaming and a pickaxe swung high. But what happens when he spots a chest full of gold, a sleeping beast the size of a wheelbarrow, and a narrow rail stretched across bubbling lava? Will he reach the great black coal he dreams of, or will something at the entrance send him running? This decodable reader practises the ’ea’ sound in words like ‘beam,’ ‘dream,’ ‘reach,’ and ‘scream.’
The Bees Want Them Back!
Ned’s shed in his backyard looks a bit plain - can he jazz it up somehow? With help from his magic book, he makes a beeline for the seashore to dig up something very strange and very blue. But when he starts picking flowers in the sunshine to brighten the place up, a grumpy beehive has other ideas! Will Ned get stung, or find a clever way to escape? This decodable reader practises compound words such as ‘backyard,’ ‘beeline,’ ‘seashore,’ and ‘sunshine.’
The Pumpkin Patch
Zom’s pumpkins are the biggest, plumpest crop he’s ever grown, and he’s already dreaming of the delicious cakes he’ll bake. But when one pumpkin vanishes overnight without a single footprint left behind, his suspicion grows. Who - or what - is sneaking through the patch after dark? Can Zom and Skel stake out the garden and catch the mysterious thief before every last pumpkin disappears? This decodable reader practises ci/si/ti making /sh/ in words such as ‘attention,’ ‘delicious,’ ‘suspicion,’ and ‘determination.’
Wait for Me, Dad!
Dad rides off to work every morning - but what if a little girl decided to chase him all the way across the world? Could a scooter be fast enough? A bus? A digger? From zooming roads to splashing waves, one determined girl refuses to give up until she spots something huge on the horizon. Which ride would YOU pick first? This decodable reader practises suffixes in words like ‘faster,’ ‘proudly,’ ’tightly,’ and ‘fearless.’
Hands Off My Joke!
Dr Can Do has the world’s best Christmas joke saved up - but someone keeps stealing his punchlines! Will he finally get to deliver his grand finale at Christmas dinner, or will a sneaky joke thief beat him to it one more time? A warm, giggly family tale full of crackers, candles, and laughter around the table. This decodable reader practises the igh phonogram in words like ‘bright,’ ’light,’ ‘sight,’ ‘might,’ and ’tight.’
Who Took My Nuts?
Pip the squirrel has tucked away forty-nine nuts for winter - but when she checks her secret stash, every single nut has vanished! Who could have taken them? The bluebird says no. The bees say no. Even a passing fly won’t help. Can Pip’s friend Liz help her work out what really happened before the first snowfall arrives? This decodable reader practises compound words such as ‘armchair,’ ‘beehive,’ ‘snowfall,’ ‘weekday,’ and ‘woodwork.’
A Rod
Alex has a shiny new fishing rod and she’s already racing for the water - but poor Steve doesn’t have one! Can he scrounge up sticks and string before Alex hauls in every fish in the sea? And when his search turns up two sad, broken rods instead of crafting bits, is his fishing day sunk for good? Dive in and find out! This decodable reader practises 2-syllable open words such as ‘before,’ ‘begins,’ ‘open,’ ‘over,’ and ’taken.’