Children's Books for 3rd Graders

Deep in an old, forgotten mine, Fig Pig grips his little lamp and marches bravely into the dark. But what lurks beyond the rusty rails and towering stone arches? A glittering chest? A snoring spider the size of a wheelbarrow? A wobbly walkway over bubbling lava? Fig Pig thinks he’s tough enough for anything - but can one brave little pig really handle all that? This decodable reader practises the ‘ough’ phonogram in words like ’tough,’ ’though,’ ‘brought,’ and ’enough.’

Rooster has spotted a mouse in his farmyard, and he’s certain this will be the greatest catch in farm history! But what happens when Mouse zips away in a flash and vanishes into a haystack? And whose angry WOOF is that behind the bushes? Can Rooster outrun a very big, very loud, very toothy problem? Feathers will fly in this farmyard chase! This decodable reader practises the ‘si’ making /zh/ sound in words like ‘confusion,’ ‘decision,’ ’treasure,’ and ‘vision.’

Spring has sprung, and Bug has a fizzy, buzzy, can’t-sit-still feeling in her belly - she wants to SING! But what happens when Duck only sings in the rain, Frog’s song has forty-seven verses, and Big Bird’s trill nearly blows Bug’s antennae off? Can one tiny bug find a song that’s truly her own, and maybe bring all her friends together too? This decodable reader practises the wr phonogram in words like ‘wriggle,’ ‘wrinkled,’ ‘wrist,’ ‘wrong,’ and ‘wry.’

What happens when a tiny toy boat meets a big, grey factory pouring dark gunk into the sea? When a child spots a bruised reef and drifting ghost-fish, can three huge letters carved in the sand really call for help? Will anyone up above look down in time to save the ocean’s juicy stories? This decodable reader practises the ‘ui’ sound in words such as ‘bruised,’ ‘cruise,’ ‘pursuit,’ ‘sluice,’ and ‘juicy.’

Ned is brave enough to fight zombies, skeletons, and spooky spiders, but tonight he needs something new: armour! And to make armour, he needs leather, and to get leather, he needs cows. Easy, right? But what happens when the cows refuse to stand still? Can Ned sneak, leap, and swing his way to becoming a real knight? This decodable reader focuses on the kn sound in words like ‘knight,’ ‘kneels,’ ‘knew,’ ‘knock,’ and ‘knuckles.’

Spot is the world’s greatest finder of things - lost socks, buried bones, even cheese that rolls under the fridge! So when he loses his girl Jane at the busy zoo, how hard can it be to track her down? But why does every clue lead him to the wrong animal? Can a very confused dog sniff out his best friend before the zoo swallows him whole? This decodable reader practises the soft c sound in words like ‘face,’ ‘race,’ ’nice,’ and ’entrance.’

Prince Din wants the biggest leaf ball in the kingdom, but the best leaves grow deep in the wild forest - where nobody dares to go! When a fierce tiger bursts from the bushes with gnashing teeth, the brave little prince finds himself hopelessly lost among the bamboo. Is that striped shadow really hunting him, or could it be something else entirely? This decodable reader practises the ‘gn’ sound in words like ‘gnarled,’ ‘reign,’ ‘sign,’ and ‘assign.’

The Clever Tortoise thinks he can win a race against Cheetah, the fastest animal on the whole plain. But how could a slow tortoise ever beat the swiftest runner around? When the other ’neighbours’ gather to watch and ’eighty’ animals cheer, Cheetah is sure his speed ‘outweighs’ one small tortoise. Could a clever plan and a little patience change everything? This Bookbot level practises the ’eigh’ sound with lesson words like ’neighbour’, ‘weighs’, and ’eight’.

At the edge of the great Congo rainforest, a girl named Amara chases a runaway hen straight past the one tree her mother warned her never to pass. What waits in the deep green shadows? When she stops to help a fallen palm, something ancient is watching, and it has a message for the proud elder who has taken too much. Will Amara find the courage to speak? This Bookbot level practises the ‘augh’ sound with words like ‘caught’, ’taught’, ’naughty’, ‘haughty’, and ‘distraught’.

Wanjikũ is the cleverest girl on the green ridge, quick with a riddle and quicker with a laugh. So why does the charming stranger she marries only appear at dusk, and only eat with his back turned? When his true face finally shows in the firelight, can a clever girl and a brave little brother outrun what waits in the dark? This Bookbot level practises the ‘ph’ sound with words like ‘phantom’, ‘atmosphere’, ’triumphant’, and ‘phew’.