Decodable Books for Jolly Phonics Classrooms: Step 2, Unit 4: double letters

Gad is the friendliest ghost around, but every kid he meets runs away screaming. Coconuts don’t work. Balloons don’t work either. Can a lonely ghost find a way to make new friends without scaring them half to death? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘yell’, ‘grass’, ‘happy’, ‘still’, and ‘funny’.

Deep in the forest, Anansi finds a strange mossy rock that makes anyone who speaks near it fall fast asleep. He is far too clever not to test its power, and soon he has a plan to trick every animal in the forest out of their food. But one small, careful creature is watching from the shadows, counting every trick. What will she do when she learns Anansi’s secret? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘moss’, ‘yells’, ‘still’, ‘fuss’, ‘silly’.

A girl made of nothing but air sits in the classroom, silent and still, close enough to touch but impossible to see. When a boy spots a strange dip in the cushion beside him, he starts to wonder who else might be hiding in plain sight. Could there really be someone right there that nobody notices? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘still’, ‘spills’, ‘chilly’, ‘happy’, ‘carefully’.

Ned’s homemade armour is a plain, muddy brown, and he wants to look amazing before facing monsters. Out in the grass on the hill, he tries dyeing it with flowers he picks himself, but the results keep going wrong. Can he mix the right colour before nightfall? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘dull’, ‘grass’, ‘yells’, ‘fizz’, ‘mess’.

Adaeze stands still and happy by the glassy lake until a tall stranger arrives to win her hand, but she thinks he seems odd. When Mama Nnaji tells her to check an ash disc well, Adaeze sets her trap and waits by the lake bank. Will the tracks in the ash tell her the truth about him? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘still’, ‘happy’, ‘odd’, ‘glassy’, ’tall’.

Steve is starving, and he’s sure he knows exactly how to fix that. First he grills a fish over a crackling fire, certain nothing could go wrong. Will his hungry stomach finally get the hot meal he’s been dreaming of? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘grill’, ‘hotter’, ‘puff’, ‘fuss’, ’tummy’.

Skel has a list of chores as long as his arm, and no time to rest. When the sun goes down, he’s got a bench calling his name and a stubborn refusal to sit on it, so instead he grabs his bow and heads for the hills with his dog, Bones. What will he find out there in the dark? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘yells’, ‘huffs’, ‘hisses’, ‘stiff’, ‘bliss’.

The ocean is big, blue and sunny, with grass and coral filling the sandy bed below. But not every part is calm: one grumpy mob is cross and gruff, and something is making a mess on the sand. Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘chill’, ‘still’, ‘mess’, ‘fill’, ‘happy’.

Ned has lived by the flower fields for only three days, but already he wants to know what lies beyond them. When a talking book floats up and offers to guide him, Ned sets off across the grassy hills toward a strange village, a stone well, and a hulking iron figure that seems to be guarding something. What will Ned find when he finally steps inside? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘yells’, ‘grassy’, ‘cross’, ‘bliss’, ‘stiff’.

Ned’s tiny shed keeps knocking him over, so he decides to build something better: a big house up on a grassy hill, with room to actually fit through the door. A talking book pops up from the grass, bursting with building tips Ned doesn’t always follow. Will his big plan turn out just as grand as he imagines? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘grass’, ‘hill’, ‘still’, ‘happy’ and ‘huffs’.

Fig Pig sets sail across the sea, vowing to bring Brat Cat back the most amazing thing ever seen. He meets odd mushroom cows on grassy hills and a chilly, still shore with a huffing wait ahead. Will he find something better than fish and glassy water before his stuff runs out? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘well’, ‘off’, ‘yells’, ‘chilly’, ‘puffs’.

A pal builds a fort from a big sheet, a grandad clings on for a wild bike ride, and a tiny bird on a stick spins ribbons in the sun. There’s a fluffy puppy, a curious kitty, and a brother who yells about bugs zipping past. Even a sprinkle from the hose turns into a mess! Who in this busy, happy life will get soaked next? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘happy’, ‘still’, ‘fluffy’, ‘kitty’, ‘mess’.

Brat Cat can’t stop thinking about the funny mooshrooms Fig Pig tells her about, so she packs a sack of grain and sets off to see them herself. When she calls out to the three creatures on the beach, they just stare and blink at her. Can she get them to come close enough to say hello? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ’tells’, ‘yells’, ‘fluffy’, ‘yummy’, ‘fuss’.

Jack wants a pet like nobody else has: something spectacular, something big. He treks off across the hills and up into the snow, and there on the ice he finds a small, fluffy cub. Could this lost little cub be the best pet Jack has ever found? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘happy’, ‘fluffy’, ‘hills’, ‘bitter’, ‘chilly’.

Kola is a small, quiet boy who notices things others miss, and he has a song all his own. When he spends every coin he owns to free a caged sunbird, he never expects the bird to change everything about him. As feathers begin to sprout on his back and his cousins yell and mock him, can Kola find the courage to sing his song fully and see what he becomes? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘still’, ‘small’, ’tells’, ‘fluff’, ‘happy’.

Summer holidays have begun, but a boy’s plans for water balloons and games keep falling apart. Mum has washing, Dad rushes off to work, and his sister is too busy with her school project to play. Could the family’s chatty pet parrot be his last hope for some summer fun? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘yells’, ’tells’, ‘huffs’, ‘cross’ and ‘happy’.

Ben has one pet bird, and its song fills the whole house with music. So he begs his father to catch more birds from the forest, imagining ten songs instead of one. Soon every shelf is lined with cages, but something isn’t quite right: not one of the new pets will sing. Why do you think the birds have all gone quiet? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘fills’, ‘grassy’, ‘hills’, ‘still’, ‘sunny’.

Zig isn’t like the other fish in his pond. When the tiny fish beg him to stop, he just keeps climbing right up the mossy bank and into the grass. Where could a fish possibly be going on dry land? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘yells’, ‘buzz’, ‘mossy’, ‘stiff’, ‘sunny’.

Ned is on a quest for loot, kitted out in the hot desert sun. When The Book yells at him to stop, will Ned listen before he digs straight into trouble? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘yells’, ’tells’, ‘hiss’, ‘stiff’, ‘bliss’.

Hare sits up in the tall grass on a hill every evening, calling out to his best friend the Moon. But the Moon is always so far off, and Hare wishes he could sit right beside her for once. What will he try first to reach her? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘still’, ‘hill’, ‘calls’, ’tall’, ‘puffs’.

Habtamu loves breathing in the rich smells drifting from rich Bekele’s kitchen over their shared wall, but Bekele is cross about it and drags him before the judge, insisting a smell can’t just be enjoyed for free. Will Habtamu find a way to prove his innocence? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘sniff’, ‘smell’, ‘cross’, ‘still’, ‘happy’.

Tembo the Elephant claims the waterhole for himself, and no one else may drink. The other animals grow thirsty and cross under the hot sun. Can a small, funny hare find a way to stop a bully so much bigger than himself? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘yells’, ‘cross’, ‘huffs’, ‘still’, ‘winner’.

The sky used to hang so low that children could reach up and touch it, and it gave sweet food to everyone in the village who asked. There was just one rule: take only what you need. But at the harvest feast, a woman fills her pot with a giant chunk of sky, far more than her guests will eat. What will she do with all that food once the party ends? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ’tells’, ‘fills’, ‘supper’, ‘yell’, ‘bunny’.

A lion has come down to the hill at night, sniffing and hunting for the herd, and only a boy with a staff stands guard at the pen. He bangs his staff, hums a hushing song, and blocks a gap in the fence, but the lion still creeps closer through the dark. Can the boy’s song and a burning branch really keep the herd safe? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘staff’, ‘stiff’, ‘hiss’, ‘hisses’, ‘skill’.

A girl named Suki has quietly learned the secret song that makes a giant tree drop its fruit, but she knows two rules must be followed together or the tree turns cross and drenches you in mud. When a bossy, brass-ringed merchant marches off to sing it alone, will he remember both parts of Suki’s plan? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘still’, ‘cross’, ‘bossy’, ‘yells’, ‘mess’.

Dash is built to go fast, but Mister Chow drives so slowly that a cart, a green car, and a girl in a pink dress all pass them by. Then a new driver with a big grin approaches, ready to make Dash’s wish for speed come true. Will this thrill turn out to be everything Dash hoped for? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘wheel’, ‘yells’, ‘muddy’, ‘cross’, ’thrill’.

A boy and a girl live in a yard full of junk, and no matter how hard they try, the mess always creeps back. Then a kind lady offers them something they have never owned: books. Soon they are sweeping paths and hiding piles just so she will come back each week, but one day, will she show up at all? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘yells’, ‘happy’, ‘messy’, ‘huff’, ‘still’.

Zig can’t wait to catch his own dinner, but every plan goes wrong fast. A rock turns out to be a grumpy turtle, and speedy shrimp slip away in a flash. Then a bug on a branch catches his eye, and so does a hungry kingfisher watching the very same spot. Can Zig finally land a catch of his own? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘miss’, ‘yells’, ‘huff’, ’tummy’, ‘floppy’.

Bess the bird has guarded her eggs for weeks, humming them a song and dreaming of being the best mum ever. But her tummy is rumbling louder than ever, and the grassy hill is full of juicy worms just waiting to be eaten. Should she leave the nest, even just for a moment? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ’eggs’, ‘fluffy’, ’tummy’, ‘grassy’, and ‘still’.

Tess spots Lily’s cool new jacket hanging on the bunk bed rail and just can’t resist trying it on for art class. But paint spills everywhere, leaving a big mess she desperately tries to hide. Can Tess fix things before Lily finds out? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘spills’, ‘mess’, ‘yells’, ’tells’, ‘still’.

Steve and Alex catch so much cod that fish pile up everywhere on the dock. Instead of storing it properly, they eat until they’re stuffed and just leave the rest sitting out. What happens when they finally open that chest again? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘smelly’, ‘sniff’, ’toss’, ‘mess’, ‘fuzzy’.

Ned’s crop patch is full of the same old thing, and his talking book says there’s more out there, if he’s willing to go looking. When he finally spots something odd poking out of the ground, a curious little farm animal starts sniffing nearby, and it wants what Ned just picked. Will it leave him alone, or follow him all the way home? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ’tell’, ‘hurry’, ‘sniff’, ‘grass’, ‘happy’.

Ineza climbs into the misty hills to fill her family’s bucket from a spring near the old stones, where an ancestral spirit is said to watch. When she meets an old woman there with a spilled pail, will Ineza stop to help, even though the work is slow? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘hill’, ‘fill’, ‘spills’, ‘fuss’, and ‘still’.

Jill flings her banana peel and Mum yells that it’s a mess. But then a stinky, buzzing cloud of rubbish appears over Jill’s bed and follows her everywhere she goes, even to class. Kids point, a rat becomes her only pal, and nothing she tries will make the cloud budge. Can Jill ever get it to go away? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ‘buzz’, ‘mess’, ‘yells’, ‘smell’, ‘still’.

Jess and her pals are lounging on the grass on a hot sunny day when she comes back from the market with a big secret to tell. Her fingers are sticky, her cheeks are grinning, and something has clearly gone wrong. What could possibly have happened at the market to leave Jess in such a mess? Written for Jolly Phonics classrooms (Step 2, Unit 4: double letters), this book practises words like ’tell’, ‘yell’, ‘grass’, ‘still’, ‘happy’.