A decodable book is written to use only the letter-sounds a child has already been taught. If a class has learned s, a, t, p, i and n, their decodable book will be built almost entirely from words those six letters can make, sat, tap, pin, a nap.
The point is that the child can actually read it, sounding out every word themselves, rather than guessing. That first experience of reading a whole book independently is enormously motivating, and it reinforces exactly the skill phonics is building.
Decodable vs predictable books
The alternative, sometimes called predictable or “levelled” books, uses repeated sentence patterns and strong picture clues, so a child can guess the next word from context. “The dog is big. The cat is …” with a picture of a small cat.
The trouble is this rewards guessing from pictures rather than reading the words, and that habit works against fluent reading later. Decodable books remove the guesswork: the only way through is to decode.
How to use them at home
- Let your child do the sounding out. Resist jumping in to supply a word, give them time.
- If they stall, model the sounds slowly (“c, a, t”) and let them blend, rather than just telling them the word.
- Read it more than once. The second and third read build fluency and confidence.
- Keep it short and warm. One little book is a complete, successful piece of reading, celebrate it.
Do decodable books replace real stories?
No, and this is important. Decodable readers are practice for the mechanics of reading. Alongside them, keep reading rich, beautiful picture books aloud to your child, far above what they can decode themselves. That is where vocabulary, imagination and the love of story come from.
The two jobs run in parallel.
Common questions
Are decodable books boring?
Early ones are necessarily simple, but good decodable series still tell small, warm stories. And they are only ever half the diet, you should still be reading rich picture books aloud to your child at the same time.
Where do I get decodable books?
Most schools send them home matched to what your child has learned. If you are buying, look for series labelled “decodable” or “phonics readers” that follow a clear phonics progression, rather than generic “early readers”.
- National Reading Panel, Teaching Children to ReadNational Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), 2000
- Jim Rose, Independent Review of the Teaching of Early ReadingUK Department for Education and Skills, 2006