STEM Books for 2nd Graders

Where does pee and poop actually GO? Pat the rat has a question nobody wants to answer, so he takes a deep breath and dives straight into the toilet! Down in the dark sewer, a cheerful rat offers to show him everything. Can Pat follow the water through tanks, filters, and pipes all the way to the sea? This decodable reader practises 2-syllable open words such as ‘maybe,’ ‘only,’ ‘open,’ and ‘over.’

Ned has a shiny new shed, a magic book, and a brand new shovel - but what happens when his shovel clangs against something hard and golden deep in the ground? Can a clever tool crack open stone, and what treasures might be hiding beneath Ned’s feet? Join Ned as he digs, builds, and dreams up his next big adventure! This decodable reader practises compound words such as ‘hillside,’ ‘pickaxe,’ ‘daylight,’ and ‘cobweb.’

After a week of rain, the sun is finally out and the wind is perfect - can a homemade kite with a secret weapon really fly higher than every other kite on the street? Follow along as one clever kid measures, cuts, and draws a smiling troll queen onto paper wings, then sends her soaring past the rooftops. Will she rule the whole sky? This decodable reader practises es plurals in words like ‘splashes,’ ‘bushes,’ ‘rushes,’ ‘sketches,’ and ‘reaches.’

Jill’s yard is buried under cobblestone, and the line for the village stone bin is massive. Why wait all day when she could just build one herself? With a pattern from Dr Can Do and a chest full of buckets and redstone, Jill marches off to her workshop - but will every piece fall into place before sunset? This decodable reader practises VC/CV syllables in words like ‘bucket,’ ‘pattern,’ ‘sunset,’ and ‘problem.’

Doc Can Do has walked a long way to find a new place to stay - but when he reaches the village, every wall is lit by smoky, drippy torches! Can this clever inventor convince the villagers that his bright new lamps, speedy rails, and wild ideas are better than fire? What will he build next? This decodable reader practises the ai/ay sound in words like ‘day,’ ‘stay,’ ‘main,’ and ‘rays.’

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.”

Dr. Can Do’s workshop is a disaster - you can’t even see the floor! Can one very grumpy inventor actually tidy up without getting distracted? When he spots a huge pile of stone he’ll never use, he hatches a wild plan involving lava, redstone, and a clever disposal device. But will tidying really stick, or will the mess creep back? This decodable reader practises the ‘ow’ sound with lesson words like ‘blow,’ ‘glow,’ ‘scowl,’ ‘howl,’ and ’throw.’

It’s the hottest afternoon of the summer, and Gilly the goat is absolutely miserable. The stream is too wet, the shrubs are too small, and shade fit for a goat is nowhere to be found! But when Gilly spots a family building a real house in town, a wild idea starts fizzing in her brain. Could a goat actually build her own shelter? This decodable reader gives kids practice with 3+ syllable words such as ‘afternoon,’ ‘miserable,’ ‘congratulations,’ and ‘particular.’