Bookbot Decodable Books: Soft g
Our mission is making literacy accessible to all children, one sound and one story at a time. These soft g decodable books help children notice when the letter g says j. Readers tackle soft g words such as gem, giant, gentle, gym, magic and giraffe, and ge words like page and village, checking the letter after g to decide which sound to use.
Free
Not Done Yet!
Dr. Can Do has a brilliant plan for every cottage in the village - warm carpets, cozy floors, and piles of wool in every color you can imagine! But shearing a whole flock by hand takes so much energy. Could a gentle machine help? And what happens when his friend Jill suggests hiring a villager to run a brand-new Wool Shop? This decodable reader practices soft g words such as ‘gentle,’ ‘huge,’ ‘village,’ ‘gem,’ and ‘imagine.’
Free
Not Tonight, Monsters!
When the sun goes down and monsters come creeping, most folks hide under the blankets - but not Ned! Tonight he’s grabbed his magic sword and marched right out the door. Can one brave farmer really fight off a giant zombie, a sneaky skeleton, and a huge spider with mean little eyes? And what strange treasure might glint on the floor when the night is done? This decodable reader practices soft g words such as ‘gem,’ ‘gentle,’ ‘giant,’ ‘danger,’ and ‘charged.’
Free
Python Wants Anansi
Anansi owes great Python a debt, and Python has decided that the payment will be Anansi himself, cooked with pepper in a bright pot! But this clever spider has never met a problem he cannot talk his way out of. Can Anansi spin a story about a royal knot cunning enough to trap a giant snake? What happens when a trickster faces a hungry legend of the forest? This Bookbot Level G book practices the soft ‘g’ sound with lesson words like ‘giant’, ’legend’, ‘danger’, ‘huge’, and ‘village’.
Free
Who Bit the Guava?
Who took a huge bite from the ripest guava on the tree? Kina and Kale are on the case! Was it a hungry caterpillar, a sneaky grasshopper, or even a magic pixie? When every guess turns out wrong, the brave detectives set up camp under the tree to catch the mystery biter. Could the culprit only come out at night? This decodable reader practices soft g words such as ‘giant,’ ‘magic,’ ‘orange,’ and ‘huge.’
Free
Wait! Don't Go!
What happens when a giant boy crawls out of his cave hoping to make a friend? Sen is gentle and kind, but his hands are HUGE and his voice shakes the rooftops! When the village children spot something enormous behind the hedge, they run for their lives. Can Sen show them he isn’t a monster before it’s too late? This decodable reader practices the soft g sound in words like ‘gentle,’ ‘giant,’ ‘village,’ ‘huge,’ and ’edge.’
Dragon!
What happens when a gentle evening walk turns into something far scarier? Tip the Dog and Fig Pig are heading home from a hunting trip when a huge shadow blocks the sun - and a giant beast appears above them that should never leave The End. Can three small friends stand their ground against a dragon in a rage? This decodable reader practices soft g words such as ‘gentle,’ ‘giant,’ ‘gigantic,’ ‘ridge,’ and ‘village.’
Don't Stop the Bridge!
Jill is standing on the edge of a gigantic lava lake, and the only way across is a bridge that doesn’t exist yet! Can Dr Can Do’s strange new machine really build a path over all that bubbling orange sludge? And what happens when a clever invention turns out to have one tiny, terrifying problem? Join Jill, her cat, and one very mischievous mage for a brave dash through the Nether. This decodable reader practices the soft g sound in words like ‘bridge,’ ‘huge,’ ‘mage,’ and ‘village.’
Don't Look Behind You!
Deep in a huge cave, Steve’s pockets are stuffed with gems - but what is that strange shuffling in the shadows behind him? His torch has fizzled out, a mob of bats is swooping closer, and his armor is too fragile to take much more damage. Can he dodge the bats, leap the ridge, and emerge before they catch him? This decodable reader practices the soft g sound in words such as ‘gems,’ ‘huge,’ ‘dodge,’ ‘ridge,’ and ‘gentle.’
Anansi and the Huge Price
Long ago, all the stories in the world sat locked in a wooden chest high in Nyame the Sky-God’s palace. When Kwaku Anansi the spider decides those tales should belong to him, the Sky-God names an impossible price: capture four dangerous creatures and bring them back alive. Can one small, clever spider outwit a python, a leopard, and more to win the stories of the sky? This Bookbot level practices the soft ‘g’ sound in ‘huge’, ‘rage’, ‘danger’, ‘judge’, and ‘village’.
Danger in the Water
High on the ridge where three rivers meet, Chief Mwangi believes no child could ever be cleverer than his own daughter. But when Wambũi falls gravely ill and no elder can name the cause, one quiet farm girl remembers something she saw days ago near the stream. Can she find the courage to prove it, and will the proud chief listen? This Bookbot level practices the soft ‘g’ sound with words like ‘ridge’, ‘village’, ‘courage’, ‘danger’, and ‘imagine’.
The Huge Lake Bulge
The fishermen of Kogelo village have not filled a net in twelve nights, and old Oloo whispers that something deep in the lake has frightened even the great fish away. When twelve-year-old Opiyo sees the water ‘bulge’ and ‘surge’ in the dark, he learns the creature below is not hungry but heartbreakingly alone. Can one boy’s shaky voice, and his grandmother’s old fishing song, calm a lonely ‘giant’? This Bookbot level practices the soft ‘g’ sound in ‘gently’, ‘village’, and ‘danger’.
That Horse Is Bones!
Brat Cat loves her farm - nobody gets in, nobody gets out! But when a storm rolls in and she spots a huge horse standing alone at the edge of the trees, she thinks she’s found her newest guest. What could possibly go wrong? And why does this strange horse look like it’s made of rattling bones? This decodable reader practices soft g words such as ‘cage,’ ‘huge,’ ‘charge,’ ‘danger,’ and ‘gentle.’
Mosquito's Huge Yam
Village life turns upside down when a chatty mosquito tells one small lie. Why does an iguana stuff sticks in his ears, and how can that make the sun refuse to rise? Follow the panic as it leaps from python to rabbit to owl, and see whether the animals can trace their way back to the truth before the long night swallows them. This Bookbot level practices the soft ‘g’ /dʒ/ sound with words like ‘danger’, ‘gently’, ‘huge’, ‘imagine’, and ‘rage’.
Hare Has No Room
The Clever Hare loves to talk his way out of trouble, but when Leopard finally corners him on a narrow path with nowhere to run, has our quick-witted friend finally met his match? Hare begs to be thrown anywhere but the thornbush at the ’edge’ of the path. But is that really what he fears? Read on to discover his cleverest trick yet. This Bookbot story practices the soft ‘g’ sound in words like ‘huge’, ‘danger’, ‘village’, and ‘gently’.
The Strange Garden Snake
In the hills above a river valley, a girl named Amahle keeps the best garden in her village. One morning she finds a snake coiled at the garden’s edge, green and gold with calm copper eyes. Most people would run. Amahle stands still and looks back. What does a green-gold spirit snake want, and can one quiet girl protect it when the whole village turns against her? This Bookbot Level G story practices the soft ‘g’ sound in words like ‘village’, ‘gentle’, ‘courage’, and ‘danger’.
Nzou and the Last Grass
Kalulu the hare is small, but is small always the same as weak? When mighty Nzou the elephant charges through the plain, driving every other animal off the last green meadow and bellowing that he alone remembers every river, who would dare challenge him? Watch a clever hare propose a contest that a giant cannot win by strength alone. Can wit succeed where muscle rules? This Bookbot Level G story practices the soft ‘g’ sound with words like ‘huge’, ‘charges’, ‘gentle’, ’edge’, and ‘village’.
My Wand Won't Listen!
In a village where magic is as common as mud, Aidan has finally saved enough coins to buy his very first wand. But what happens when the only wand he can afford is crooked, scratched, and just a little bit grumpy? Can a boy with big dreams and a dodgy wand ever cast a proper spell? Join Aidan as sparks fly, candy rains, and magic misbehaves! This decodable reader practices the soft g phonogram through words like ‘village,’ ‘magic,’ ‘courage,’ ‘huge,’ and ‘gentle.’
Why Won't You Sing?
Ben loves the little brown bird that sings from its cage on the porch, filling his house with music sweet enough to curl his toes. But one bird means just one song - so what happens when Ben asks his father to catch more and more, until every ledge is lined with cages? Why won’t his new birds sing a single note, and can Ben figure out what they really need? This decodable reader practices soft g in words like ‘cage,’ ‘gentle,’ ’large,’ and ‘strange.’
The Fog Turns Strange
Opio is ten, and he’s sure he’s old enough to paddle the family canoe out past the village all by himself. He knows the shallows, the bird calls, the way the water turns gray before rain. But what happens when a thick fog rolls in and the shore vanishes? With his father’s lessons whispering in his mind, can one small boy find his way home across the wide, open lake? This Bookbot story practices the soft ‘g’ sound in words like ‘village’, ‘courage’, ‘gently’, and ‘change’.
The Monkey on My Back
Lily woke up with a pain so big it felt like a giant monkey clinging to her back, heavy and squeezing and impossible to shake off. Everywhere she went, the monkey came too - even when she tried picking tomatoes in the garden or practicing her dance for the village art festival. But what happens when the festival is only three days away and the monkey just won’t let go? This decodable reader practices the soft g sound in words like ‘gentle,’ ‘huge,’ ‘village,’ and ‘magic.’
Who Painted My House?!
Pep the bird has a huge idea: paint the whole village in gorgeous, magical colors before the big parade! But what happens when he splashes pink, purple, and orange across every door, fence, and ledge without asking first? Can one paint-covered genius really turn a dull village into something strange and wonderful - or will the angry crowd stop him before he finishes? This decodable reader practices soft g words such as ‘village,’ ‘huge,’ ‘gorgeous,’ ‘gentle,’ and ‘ridge.’
Just One More Prank!
In the quiet village of Canville, the Mage has a problem - his magic just won’t stay put! It fizzes, sparks, and begs to be let loose. Surely one tiny prank couldn’t hurt, right? But when bricks, cacti, bubbling lava, and squawking chickens start piling up around town, will anyone stop the mischief before it’s too late? A decodable reader exploring the soft g sound through words such as ‘magic,’ ‘giant,’ ‘village,’ and ‘gentle.’
I Am the Magic Queen!
Susy is eleven years old, and she has decided she wants to be amazing - not just any amazing, but Susy, Queen of Magic! But how can she put on a real show without a cape, a wand, or a single trick up her sleeve? Luckily, her clever dog Mak is ready to be her magical assistant, the Orange Spirit. Can these two best friends pull off the greatest show their village has ever seen? This decodable reader focuses on the soft g sound in words like ‘gentle,’ ‘huge,’ ‘imagine,’ and ‘village.’
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Frequently Asked Questions
How does the soft g rule work?
When g comes before e, i or y, it often makes the soft j sound, as in gem, giant and gym. At the end of a word the soft sound is usually spelled ge, as in page, cage, huge and village. Before a, o, u or a consonant, g keeps its hard sound, as in gate, go, gum and grin.
Which common words ignore the soft g rule?
Quite a few common words keep a hard g before e or i, including get, give, girl, gift, begin, tiger, geese and giggle. That is why the soft g rule works best as a first try rather than a fixed law: children try j, and if the word sounds wrong, they switch to the hard g. Most of these exceptions are everyday words, so children often know them by sound already.
How can you tell hard g from soft g?
Look at the letter right after the g. If it is a, o, u or a consonant, the g is almost always hard, as in game or glow; if it is e, i or y, try the soft j sound first, as in gentle or gym. The dge spelling after a short vowel, as in badge and fridge, is another reliable sign of a soft g.
Why is soft g taught after soft c?
Soft c and soft g use the same signal letters, e, i and y, but c follows its rule almost every time while g has many exceptions. Learning the steadier soft c rule first, with words like city and cent, gives children a pattern they can then test on g. Soft g decodable books build on that earlier learning, and Ehri et al. (2001) showed that children taught phonics in a planned order read better than those given little or no phonics, which supports teaching them in order.