Nature Books for 2nd Graders
In the Deep
Anika stands at the water’s edge, clutching her snorkel and feeling very unsure about this whole ocean thing. What if it tastes like pickles? What if something with tentacles is waiting? But once she dips below the waves, a secret world of glowing specks, baby turtles, flying fish and a colour-changing octopus opens up. Will Anika find her courage in the deep blue? This decodable reader practises prefixes in words like ‘inhale,’ ’explore,’ ‘detect,’ ‘retreat’ and ‘debrief.’
Not One Drop!
Girl is thirstier than she has ever been, and there is not one drop of water left anywhere! The pump is dry, the tank is empty, and even the creek has cracked in the sun. Will she find a sip to drink? Can a single silent cloud in the open sky really hear her shouting? A decodable reader practising 2-syllable open words like ‘baking,’ ‘open,’ ‘silent,’ ’tiny,’ and ‘water.’
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.”
The Bucket Splashes!
Ned has a brand new house, a very bossy magic book, and a belly full of nothing but apples. Can he really grow his own food from tiny seeds hidden in the grass? And when The Book sends him lugging a bucket of seawater across the whole field, will Ned’s arms survive the journey? A funny tale of hard work, wobbly green shoots, and one very unhelpful book. This decodable reader practises es plurals in words such as ‘bunches,’ ‘patches,’ ‘searches,’ and ‘splashes.’
Nuru and the Dry Well
On a red-sand ridge above the sea, one ancient baobab has grown alone for longer than anyone can remember. When the village well suddenly runs dry and the grown-ups only argue, brave young Nuru climbs the hill to ask the wisest thing she knows: the tree itself. Could a tree really know where the water went? And will anyone believe a ten-year-old? This Bookbot level practises the ‘ou’ sound in words like ‘ground’, ‘proud’, ‘found’, ’loud’, and ‘shout’.
There Are Ants!
Ants! Hundreds of them, marching in a long brown row straight across the yard. Where are they all going, and what are they hunting for? One curious kid bends down low to watch the tiny army at work, following them from the grass to the skates, past a pile of treats, and right into the kitchen. How much can one little ant carry, anyway? This decodable reader practises the ‘ow’ sound in words like ‘brown,’ ‘down,’ ‘crowd,’ ‘slow,’ and ‘wow.’
Don't Chase the Deer!
Joan’s little house sits by a quiet forest road, and she longs to explore the shadows beyond the trees. But when a white deer steps out of the woods and beckons her to follow, will she remember her mother’s warning? What wonders - and what dangers - wait along the path? Joan is about to find out she’s not alone in the forest. This decodable reader practises the ‘oa’ sound in words like ‘coat,’ ‘road,’ ‘roam,’ and ‘soaks.’
Sail East!
Dive in and sail east across the Minecraft world - have you ever wondered what lies beneath those endless blue waves? From warm seas where fish weave through kelp to bleak frozen chunks of ice, every ocean hides something different. Which mobs swim in peace, and which ones might be a threat? Can you help keep our real oceans healthy too? This decodable reader practises the ’ea’ phonogram in words like ‘beach,’ ‘clean,’ ‘heat,’ and ‘reach.’
SOS in the Sand
What happens when a small child spots something big and wrong by the shore? When a grey factory starts pouring dark muck into the waves, one brave kid grabs a stick and writes three giant letters in the sand. Will anyone see the message? Will anyone listen? Sometimes the smallest voices have the loudest things to say, if only the sky is willing to look down. This decodable reader practises the ’ea’ sound in words like ‘beach,’ ‘sea,’ ‘clean,’ and ‘speak.’
Stop Daydreaming!
Have you ever daydreamed so hard you forgot where you were? Boy can’t stop! One minute he’s bouncing on the moon, the next he’s a woodpecker tapping a tree, a goat on a sunny hillside, or a mole munching earthworms underground. But what could possibly be strong enough to pull him out of his wildest daydream yet? Something warm and delicious is drifting through the doorway… This decodable reader practises compound words such as ‘backpack,’ ‘daydream,’ ‘goldfish,’ and ‘sunshine.’