Children's Books

Meg is the best vet in the whole forest, and today her most important jar of medicine is nearly empty! Can she trek deep into the woods, cross slippery rocks, and gather the rare herb she needs? And what will she do when a scratchy monkey, a hurt bird, and one very hungry little fawn all cross her path? This decodable reader practises the wr phonogram in words like ‘wraps,’ ‘wriggles,’ ‘wrist,’ and ‘write.’

Juma is the unluckiest fisherman on the whole waterfront, hauling up empty nets while every other boat comes home full. But one morning his net drags up something strange in the deep water past the reef. What is trembling inside the little sealed jar? And when a spirit offers three wishes, what will Juma choose when his last wish arrives? This Bookbot GN level practises the /n/ sound in words like ‘sign’, ‘foreign’, ‘gnarled’, ‘benign’, and ‘signs’.

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 practises the soft ‘g’ sound in words like ‘village’, ‘gentle’, ‘courage’, and ‘danger’.

Everyone laughed when eight year old Thandi said “Let me try.” How could a small girl stop a cattle stealing giant that had defeated the bravest men in the valley? While her whole village stayed distraught and afraid, Thandi walked the giant’s hill alone, watching, thinking, and carrying one shiny secret. Can clever really beat big and strong? This Bookbot level practises the ‘augh’ sound with words like ‘caught’, ’laughed’, ‘distraught’, ‘daughter’, and ’taught’.

Far from the city, in a cabin where fireflies dance in the darkness, a boy named Cam has a good little lamp that glows beside him as he reads in peace. But what happens when bright electric lights arrive at his fence? Will Cam forget the quiet flame that once lit up his face? And when a fierce storm strikes, who will break the silence of the dark? This decodable reader practises the soft c sound in words like ‘city,’ ‘circle,’ ‘place,’ and ‘peaceful.’

Kind words open a path no force ever could, but will a nine-year-old boy learn that in time? When Sifiso’s grandmother falls ill across a deep green pool guarded by a great serpent, three grown men have already tried and failed to cross. Can a gift succeed where courage alone cannot? Sifiso ‘knows’ he must try, even as his ‘knees’ shake and his ‘knuckles’ turn white. In this Bookbot level, young readers practise the ‘kn’ words ‘knows’, ‘knees’, ‘knuckles’, ‘knock’, and ‘knot’.

Bingo has the best job in the whole village, guarding the grain store for a fat bone and the warmest spot by the fire. But when a sweet smell drifts in from the forest one night, will he leave his cosy place to chase it? And what will he find when he finally races back home? This heartwarming tale shows what happens when we forget to treasure what we have. Level: AUGH. This book practises the /aw/ sound with words like ‘caught’, ’taught’, ’naughty’, ‘haughty’, and ‘distraught’.

Fisi the hyena eats and eats, and the word “enough” means nothing to him. So when a windfall of bones appears in the rocky hills, his belly takes charge. Then a strange voice answers from a crack in the rocks, granting him a most convenient ‘permission’ to take it all. Is a real spirit hiding there, or is greedy Fisi fooling only himself? Will he ever learn to stop? This Bookbot Level S9 story practises the /ʃ/ sound in words like ‘permission’, ‘collection’, ‘commotion’, and ‘confession’.

When the yams run low and the whole village must share, why is the barn giving out less each morning even though the lock stays shut? Clever Mbe the tortoise thinks he has found a secret way to take more than his fair share, but a sharp eyed neighbour named Chinyere notices things others miss. Will anyone discover the truth? This Bookbot level practises the ’eigh’ sound with lesson words like ‘weight’, ’eight’, ’neighbour’, and ’eighty’.

On a sunny granite hill grows the sweetest marula tree, until a troop of greedy baboons claims it all for themselves. When tiny Tsuro the Hare offers to help, everyone laughs. How could a creature the size of your knee outwit twelve bullies? What secret is hidden in his little grass bag, and why does he carry a drum? This warm African trickster tale is a Bookbot Level SI reader, practising the /ʒ/ sound in words like ‘pleasure’, ‘decision’, ’treasure’, ‘composure’ and ‘measured’.