Adventure Books for Kids

My two villagers wandered off again - and this time, the river swept them straight into a dark cave! What happens when something green and groaning lurches out of the shadows? Can I brew a cure in time, or will my silly neighbors be zombies forever? I only have ingredients for one try, so I’d better not mess this up! This decodable reader practices the ’eigh’ sound in words like ’eight,’ ’neighbors,’ ‘outweighed,’ and ’eighty.’

Meet Ambulance - a shiny truck who was born to go FAST! But Mr. Chow, her kind driver, takes it slow and steady through every street. When a new paramedic swaggers in, grinning and ready to fly, Ambulance finally gets her wish for speed. But will zooming through town be everything she dreamed? This decodable reader practices the soft c sound in words like ‘ambulance,’ ‘city,’ ‘race,’ and ‘bounce.’

Panha’s town is buried under thick, gloomy smog, and she’s had enough! Has anyone ever really seen the sky behind all that gray? 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 practices words with prefixes such as “declared,” “exclaimed,” “replace,” and “unfair.”

Otieno’s family needs the best fishing spot on the lake, but sly old Musa never loses his one-day contest. What secret trick lets Musa win every time, and can a clever boy uncover it before the sun goes down? Race out onto the water and find out whether thinking can beat pulling! This Bookbot book practices the ‘kn’ sound with words like ‘knack’, ‘knot’, ‘knocks’, ‘kneels’, and ‘knuckles’.

The Clever Jackal is small, thin, and the exact color of dry grass. When a huge hungry lion named Shaka blocks the path to the waterhole, what can one tiny jackal possibly do against a beast as broad as a boulder? Can a clever mind outsmart brute strength? Follow Mkhulu as he thinks fast and stays cool in one very sticky spot. This Bookbot Level S9 story practices the /ʃ/ sound with words like ‘protection’, ‘decision’, ‘satisfaction’, ‘commotion’, and ‘situation’.

The river boys of Thabo’s village have one rule: never wade past the stepping stones, because everyone knows a crocodile ‘cruises’ the dark water beyond. So why would a nine-year-old cross them alone? And when Thabo finds the great beast trapped and ‘bruised’ on a sandbar, what will he choose to do? A river that takes can also give, but only a brave, kind heart will learn how. This Bookbot level practices the ‘ui’ sound with words like ‘cruise’, ‘fruit’, ‘juicy’, and ‘suitable’.

Every evening, Auma carries water home from the great silver lake. But when a ripple moves against the wind and a green hand offers her a humming feather, what promise is she really being asked to keep? Days later a storm swallows her father’s canoe far from shore, and the grown men say there is nothing to be done. Can one soaked, frightened girl call the lake spirit in time? This Bookbot level practices the ‘augh’ sound with words like ‘caught’, ‘daughter’, ‘distraught’, ‘haughty’ and ’taught’.

In the land of a thousand hills, where mist clings to the ridges, young Ineza climbs to fetch water and meets a strange old woman with amber eyes. When a small act of kindness is offered without a second thought, what will the ancient spirits remember? And when Ineza’s little brother vanishes into the dark hills, who will help her find him? This Bookbot level practices the /ʒ/ sound with words like ’treasure’, ‘measure’, ‘pleasure’, ‘decision’, and ‘visions’.

Deep in Maasai country, a bold and hungry hyena named Olkiama has a clever plan to steal the cattle tonight. But inside the fence waits Aisha, just eight years old and keeping watch for the very first time. Can one small girl with a lantern and a handful of pebbles outsmart a determined thief in the dark? What will she do when she hears something moving by the east fence? This Bookbot book practices longer words of three or more syllables, with ‘something’, ‘suddenly’, ‘silently’, and ‘absolutely’.

Kofi is a clever young goat with a brain quicker than her hooves, and one evening she wanders too far from the village. When Fisi the Hyena blocks every path with his sly, ‘wry’ grin, how can a small goat outsmart a hungry hunter three times her size? And when Fisi’s own trick goes ‘wrong’, what will Kofi choose to do? This Bookbot book practices the ‘wr’ sound with words like ‘wriggle’, ‘wrap’, and ‘wrestles’.