Children's Books for 3rd Graders

The cursed emerald is back, and it’s tougher than ever! When our hero tries to hurl it into the Nether, the gem flings him to the desert instead. Each morning his fingers grow colder, and anyone who touches the stone freezes solid. Could Jake have an idea rough enough to work, or is time finally running out? A decodable reader exploring the ‘ough’ phonogram through words like ’enough,’ ’though,’ ’thought,’ and ’through.’

The cursed emerald is finally going down - into a lava pit, no less - but how do you throw something that turns you to stone the moment you touch it? Our hero has a wild plan involving a mine cart, a fire resistance potion that tastes suspiciously like nothing, and one very brave best friend named Jake. Will the rails hold? Will the potion work? Can anyone really outsmart a whispering gem? This decodable reader practises the ph sound in words like ‘phantom,’ ‘morphed,’ ‘symphony,’ and ‘phew.’

Long ago, the Ituri forest was quiet in the wrong way, for there was no drum and no music at all. Elephant owned the only drum, and she would not share it with anyone. So when young Boma, a boy who hears music in everything, longs to learn to play, what could he possibly offer a giant who already has all she needs? Can a clever trade turn one drum into a gift for the whole forest? This story practises the /ʒ/ sound in ‘pleasure’, ’treasure’, ‘decision’, ‘occasion’, and ‘casually’.

When Tembo the mighty elephant plants his feet at the only waterhole and declares it his own, every thirsty animal on the parched plain goes without. Who could possibly out-muscle the biggest beast on the savanna? Watch clever little Sungura the Hare hatch a plan so bold it just might work. Will his trick be enough to make Tembo share? This Bookbot level practises the ‘ph’ sound with words like ’elephant’, ‘pheasant’, ‘phase’, ’triumphant’, and ’epiphany’.

Indlovu is the biggest, boldest elephant anyone has ever seen, and she wants everyone to know it. But when she dares to shout that she is stronger than the rain, the sky falls silent and the waterholes crack dry. Can a tiny hornbill teach the mightiest creature on the plain that even the greatest must learn to ask? Will the rain ever return before it is too late? This Bookbot level practises the ‘ph’ sound in words like ’elephant’, ’triumphant’, ‘prophecy’ and ‘phew’.

Deep in the rainforest lives an Elephant so sure that nothing small could ever matter to him. But when his careless feet crush a tiny weaver bird’s nest, will Pili simply fly away, or find a way to make a giant listen? Can a creature no bigger than his toe truly stand up to him? This warm, clever tale about courage and respect will delight young readers. This Bookbot level practises the ’ei’ phonogram with words like ‘being’, ‘weigh’, ‘height’, ’eight’, and ‘seize’.

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’.