Decodable Books for Jolly Phonics Classrooms: Group 7, er /er/

Alex has her diamond shovel, her lucky boots, and a feeling that today’s dig is the one. Deep under the hillside, blue sparkles wink from the walls, and something strange and delicious is waiting on the tunnel floor. What could possibly be buried down here? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ’never’, ‘clever’, ‘jerks’, ‘shiver’, ‘faster’.

Sam has her basket on her back, and she can’t stop staring at the incredible houses along her way. A house perched on stilts, a shop that serves hot food, a home full of racing kids, this town has never seen anything like it. Which house does she want most? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘her’, ‘perched’, ’ever’, ’never’, ‘serves’.

Zom’s pumpkin patch has never looked better, until one morning a pumpkin is missing without a single footprint or clue. More vanish each night, no matter how hard Zom tries to guard them, and soon only one is left. Could a monster really be sneaking into the patch? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ’thicker’, ‘perches’, ’temper’, ‘winter’.

Leopard the hunter catches Anansi and pins him flat in the dirt, hauling him back to a rocky den for supper. There’s no way past that stern, watchful guard blocking the only gap, so a clever spider must think fast. What trick could possibly get him out? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘clever’, ’expert’, ‘faster’, ‘perfect’, ‘under’.

Jojo just wants someone to kick a ball with, but the boy across the fence never seems to hear a word he shouts. Tricks, taps, and a wild kick toward the road later, will Jojo figure out why his new friend won’t look up? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘faster’, ’never’, ‘clever’, ’expert’, ’thunder’.

Ada’s mother didn’t come back from the well, and all she left behind is an empty jug and one enormous footprint. An elder presses a strange rattling pod into Ada’s hand and tells her sound can be a door or a wall. Can a clever girl outwit a monster whose one ear hears everything? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘her’, ‘monster’, ’elder’, ‘clever’, ’thunder’.

Brat Cat has a list, and she never lets anything stop her from finishing it, chickens fed, sheep brushed, fences fixed. But when an arrow thuds into her shoulder out of nowhere, she spins around ready for a fight, so who dares interrupt her chores on a Tuesday? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘her’, ’never’, ‘jerk’, ’temper’, ‘faster’.

Ned rows for days across endless water, hungry and tired but determined to find the perfect spot for a house. When a strange talking book washes up on the beach, it promises to help him survive, but its very first piece of advice sends Ned running for his life. Will Ned trust the book’s next plan, or has he learned to be more careful about who gives the orders? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘perfect’, ‘clever’, ’temper’, ’timber’, ’expert’.

Ned has a talking book, an enchanting table, and one big problem: he needs leather, sugar cane, and paper to craft his very first spellbook. But every step must be done just right, or Mister Book makes him start all over again. As night falls and the stalks are still too short to cut, glowing lanterns are the only thing standing between Ned and whatever comes creeping out of the dark. Will Ned finish his books before the monsters arrive? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ’never’, ‘proper’, ‘river’, ’expert’, ’lanterns’.

Dot never goes anywhere without her big red umbrella, not even to breakfast. But one rainy morning, it’s gone, not on its hook, not on the shelf, nowhere to be found. Soaked and shivering under a leaky tin roof with no shelter in sight, Dot must brave the storm and find it herself, but will anyone she meets along the way have seen it? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘her’, ’never’, ‘shelter’, ‘shivers’, ‘under’.

A girl loves watching the birds in her garden, but a certain black cat has other plans. Between chirping trees, a busy grandad, and a festival of color, can she keep the sneaky cat from slipping out the back door again? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘her’, ‘perch’, ‘gather’, ‘helper’, ‘afternoon’.

Chui the leopard is fast, fierce, and plain gold from nose to tail, but every gazelle spots him coming a mile off. Night hunts fail, mud rubs off, and his stomach keeps growling louder than his pride. Could a painter’s inky handprints be exactly what this hungry hunter needs? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘hunter’, ‘herd’, ‘faster’, ’never’, ‘perches’.

A fishing village hasn’t caught a single fish in twelve nights, and old Oloo whispers that something huge is hiding in the deep water. When a boy sneaks aboard his father’s boat for a night raid, lanterns glinting on the black water, they find the lake hiding more than fish. Could a monster under the waves actually be sad, not scary? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘monster’, ‘under’, ‘shivers’, ‘silver’, ‘water’.

Kalulu the Hare is small, but he is a clever thinker with a quick temper for buffalo bullies. When Ngombe the Buffalo blocks the crop land, claiming it for the biggest animal, Kalulu bets him a race to the big tree at sunup instead. Can wee ears and a clever trick beat a temper faster than any buffalo’s charge? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘clever’, ’temper’, ‘faster’, ’never’, ’thinker’.

Rabbit thinks he has the best life on the whole farm, and never wants to leave it. But one afternoon, curiosity gets the better of him, and he leaps into a basket headed off the farm and around the corner into the wide world. What happens when Rabbit meets something far faster and far scarier than he ever imagined? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ’ever’, ‘afternoon’, ‘corner’, ‘faster’, ’never’.

Cam lives deep in the woods, where every night is the dark, can’t-see-your-feet kind, so his little lantern always keeps him company for frog patrol and bedtime reading. Then a bright new street lamp arrives, and Cam stops saying goodnight to his old friend altogether. What happens to the lantern when the modern lights go out in a crashing storm? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ’lantern’, ‘helper’, ‘corner’, ’thunder’, ‘perfect’.

Ned finally builds a stand for his heavy armor and swears off fighting for good, but a hungry craving for cakes sends him chasing after a herd of cows instead. Getting them home is easy, but the sun is setting fast and his fence is only half built. Will Ned finish in time, or will the darkness bring trouble he can’t outrun? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘herd’, ‘monster’, ‘clever’, ‘shiver’, ’never’.

Dot brings home a black cat, but he looks so sad, sitting alone with his tail up and his face gloomy. Something is clearly wrong, but what could it be? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ’never’, ‘clever’, ‘faster’, ‘perhaps’, ‘herd’.

Pat has a big, stinky question: where does the pee and poop go? No one will answer, so Pat jumps straight into the toilet to find out. Down he swirls, spinning faster and faster, until a grinning Sewer Rat greets him for a splashy tour through pipes, grates, and giant tanks. Will Pat ever learn where the water goes? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘faster’, ‘filter’, ‘perched’, ‘water’, and ’thinker’.

Zom adores his chickens, but a clever fox keeps slipping into the pen and stealing hens under cover of night. He builds fences, gates, and locks, yet somehow she always gets through. Will he ever outsmart her? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘clever’, ‘hunter’, ’enter’, ’never’, ‘proper’.

Every night, a puppeteer sews and pulls the strings for a calm, elegant puppet who never runs from danger, even when a tiger appears. The audience adores her steady smile, but will her creator ever understand why she refuses to panic? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘her’, ’expert’, ’never’, ‘perfect’, ‘master’.

Jack thinks he’s an expert with animals, thanks to his dog and his friend’s bird. But his new cat never acts the way he expects, and no matter what food he offers, she turns her nose up at all of it. Will Jack ever figure out what this fussy hunter really wants? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘hunter’, ’never’, ‘perfect’, ‘gathers’, ’expert’.

Leopard finally traps clever Hare in a narrow path with nowhere to run, right beside a thick, thorny bush. Hare has a cozy den hidden deep inside that bush, a shelter no leopard could ever enter. So when Leopard threatens to fling him straight into those very thorns, why does Hare start to shiver and beg? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ’never’, ‘clever’, ‘shelter’, ‘under’, ‘corner’.

Gudo the baboon and his troop guard the sweet marula tree, hurling rinds at anyone who dares come close while others go hungry. When a small hare shows up with a strange bag and a bold offer, can something this tiny outwit a baboon so sure of himself? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘clever’, ’never’, ’temper’, ‘master’, ‘perches’.

Obiora loves nothing more than telling a good story, and one afternoon on the forest road he stumbles on something under the ferns that seems to talk. Can he get others to believe him before he even reaches the palace? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘faster’, ’enters’, ‘jerks’, ’never’ and ‘shivers’.

Gĩcere the hyena never lets anyone else’s food alone, and the other animals are tired of it. When clever Mwĩrĩ sets sweet potatoes to cook by the river, she has one strict rule: the pot stays shut until the end. Can a nosy hyena really wait that long? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘clever’, ‘gather’, ‘jerks’, ‘river’, ‘snooper’.

Saba never gives up on the quiet boy who won’t eat with her. She learns a lion perched under a fig tree has to be tamed before its whisker can go into a healer’s magic brew, but Saba has no idea how to get close to such a fierce creature. Can she earn its trust without becoming its next meal? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ’tender’, ‘perched’, ‘whisker’, ‘under’, ‘slumbers’.

A girl insists she’s a tree, and trees never, ever take naps. She races past trees, hides in a bush, and turns a whole row of them into her giggling followers, leaning and shaking on command. But when the trees vanish and the path stretches on under a hot sun, will her clever trick be enough to get her home? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘clever’, ‘faster’, ‘shivers’, ‘helpers’, ‘under’.

A helper finds the lad in tears on the path: a dragon has snatched his toy. Up, up they fly, faster and faster, but the dragon never slows down. Can they get the toy back before it’s gone for good? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘faster’, ‘helper’, ’never’, ‘shiver’, ’temper’.

A girl loves sailing her toy boat and reading the waves, until muck from a factory pipe starts oozing into her sea. Under the water, one side of the reef is still alive, but the other side has turned gray and lifeless, and the dark water keeps creeping closer. Can a girl with nothing but a stick and three letters in the sand get someone to listen before it’s too late? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘under’, ‘her’, ’expert’, ‘stern’, ‘fresher’.

A girl lives at the edge of a quiet forest, where nothing ever happens… until a white deer steps out of the trees and looks right at her. Her mother warned her never to follow it, but she does anyway, and soon the path behind her is gone. Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘faster’, ‘ferns’, ‘shivers’, ’thunder’, ‘perches’.

Deep in Amara Forest, an afternoon chase after a runaway hen sends a girl racing under the trees, further than she has ever gone. Lost and shivering among roots and shadows, she stops to help a small bent tree, and something ancient begins to stir nearby. Will the forest let her leave, or does it have something to teach her first? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘shivers’, ‘under’, ’enter’, ‘stern’, ’temper’.

Zebra stands out on the hot, dry veld, plain white while every other animal wears a stripe or a spot. Baboon guards the last waterhole with his fire, chasing off any animal who comes near, and the whole herd grows thirsty and desperate. Can a clever thinker outsmart a bully with a bad temper? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘clever’, ‘faster’, ‘gathers’, ’temper’, ‘perches’.

Deb’s cat digs up a strange visitor in the backyard, a real live crab hiding in a hole! Soon Deb discovers the crab is hungrier than her own pet, gobbling up every scrap she brings. But when the crab’s tiny babies scamper loose from their bucket, can Deb catch them all before they vanish? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘her’, ‘faster’, ‘under’, ‘scamper’, ’temper’.

Pep the painter has big plans for the parade float, but a crash sends paint pots tumbling everywhere. He shivers, staring at the mess… until he spots something wonderful in the splatters. Could a happy accident turn into the best idea Pep has ever had? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘faster’, ‘painter’, ‘perhaps’, ‘shivers’, ’temper’.

Sal has a clever plan: she wants to be a magic queen with her best pal Max as her helper. But she has no hat, no cloak, and no tricks. Perhaps an old book of magic hidden under the rafters can help her put on the perfect show. Will Sal and her faster, ever-eager helper pull off the show of a lifetime? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘her’, ‘clever’, ‘perfect’, ‘helper’, ‘under’.

Ned and his talking guidebook are hunting for diamonds deep underground, but the tunnels split in two directions, and neither one looks safe. When thick cobwebs cling to his arms in the dark, something with too many legs starts stirring nearby, and Ned has to think fast before it’s too late. Will Ned find a clever way through the danger below? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Group 7: er /er/), this book practices words like ‘shivers’, ‘clever’, ‘faster’, ‘monsters’, ‘under’.