Decodable Books for UFLI Foundations Lesson 122: -ish

Alex whittles a brand-new fishing rod from sticks and string, then dares her friend to race her to the water. There’s just one problem: he has no rod, and the crafting supplies near their village have all vanished. Where on earth is he going to find sticks and string before Alex catches every fish in sight? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘wish’, ‘foolish’, ‘vanish’, ‘peckish’.

Pang the cicada has never conducted a concert before, and the biggest one of the year is only five days away. His wings tremble, his knees wobble, and rehearsal turns into a mess of mixed-up voices and worried whispers. Will this skittish bug find the courage to lead the whole forest in song? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘skittish’, ‘rubbish’, ‘pinkish’, ‘foolish’, ‘sheepish’.

Pip the mouse thinks he’s found the perfect house: window open, room dark, nobody home. But the rope he grabs to tie up his curtains turns out to belong to someone else entirely, a small, roundish stranger who insists it’s a mouse too. Can two very different mice outsmart the giant cat who’s about to walk in? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘smallish’, ‘darkish’, ‘foolish’, ‘famished’, ‘gibberish’.

A cod with bright greenish fins is faster and sneakier than every fisherman on the coast, and everyone has given up trying to catch it, except one determined kid with nothing but confidence. Steve has no rod, no net, and no plan, just a wild splash and a chase through the kelp that leaves him soaking wet. Can a boy with no gear outsmart the most skittish fish in the sea? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘fish’, ‘vanish’, ‘skittish’, ‘swish’, ‘peckish’.

Pip just wants one small, dry spot to sleep, but every box and bin on the street already has an owner who snaps “no room for Pip!” Then the rain turns freakish, a storm rages, and Pip finally finds a smallish gap near a rooftop, dry at last. But when the animals who turned Pip away come knocking, soaked and scared, will Pip give them the same answer they gave? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘wish’, ‘smallish’, ‘selfish’, ‘mulish’, ‘sheepish’.

Amahle’s family is having a rough year, and when the bridge to market washes away, her father comes home tired and sluggish every day. She tries to fix it herself, but her plan goes wrong and leaves her soaked, cold, and foolish. Then the river itself seems to be watching her. Will Amahle find a way to save her family’s luck? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘foolish’, ‘sluggish’, ‘rubbish’, ‘sickish’, ‘vanish’.

Ned is proud of his log wall, locked gate, and ditch-moat, but The Book warns spiders climb, skeletons shoot over walls, and creepers just blow it all up. Ned needs something bigger to keep his home safe, and The Book knows exactly what: a whitish giant made of iron, standing silent in the middle of the town road. What is it, and why does Ned want one right now? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘rubbish’, ‘squarish’, ‘finish’, ‘sluggish’, ‘peckish’.

Kola is a quiet, smallish boy who notices things others walk past, and he has one wish tucked into a song only the wind has ever heard. When his savings buy him a reddish-feathered bird instead of new shoes, his cousins turn childish with teasing, but Kola keeps singing anyway. Then one ordinary morning, carrying water that goes swish in his buckets, his feet start feeling strangely light. What is happening to him? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘wish’, ‘swish’, ‘childish’, ‘reddish’, ‘finish’.

Hop is minding his own business when arrows start raining down from the sky, and one nearly clips his ear! Furious, he sets off to track down the only creature who could be behind it: the king. But finding him means rallying some unlikely friends first. Will Hop and his nervous crew reach the king before another arrow finds its mark? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘foolish’, ‘sheepish’, ‘owlish’, ‘skittish’, ‘rubbish’.

Every morning Rooster crows to wake the whole farm, sure he has the most important job of all. But a quiet guard dog, a gentle pigeon, and a bird who just sits and is loved all seem to think their own jobs matter too. So whose job really is the hardest, and who gets to decide? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘finish’, ‘wish’, ‘cherish’, ‘greenish’, ‘relish’.

Zintle sits by the river every day, watching the water and wondering about the king who lives at the bottom. When she rescues a smallish terrapin, a snappish heron, and a big catfish, something in the deep takes notice. Soon the river rises fast, sweeping away her family’s food and seeds, and Zintle must decide what she truly needs, and what she is willing to give in return. Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘catfish’, ‘wish’, ‘foolish’, ‘unselfish’, ‘cherish’.

A boy finally has enough coins for a wand of his own, but the odd, bent one the shopkeeper pulls from under the counter looks nothing like the shiny ones in the window. Still, it’s the prettiest thing he’s ever seen. Will his very first spell go the way he hopes? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘wish’, ‘smallish’, ‘foolish’, ‘sheepish’, ‘impish’.

Every evening, Auma fills her water container at the edge of the great silver lake, where the wind smells of fish and rain. One night a ripple moves against the wind, straight toward her, and a hand rises from the water holding a small, mysterious bundle. What could the spirit of the lake possibly want with a girl who once tossed a smallish fish back into the water? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘fish’, ‘greenish’, ‘smallish’, ‘selfish’, ‘skittish’.

Ivy’s art room is a glorious mess of paint and brushes, and today she’s determined to paint the best thing she’s ever made. But her yellow paint tube refuses to be squeezed, puffing up proudly among the flattened, foolish-looking tubes who already gave up their colour. As Ivy fills her canvas with swishing trees, cloud people, and a hidden sprite, something bright is still missing. Will Yellow ever let go? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘swish’, ‘foolish’, ‘skittish’, ‘squished’, ‘rubbish’.

A cat gets stuck in a tree, and a boy’s whole day starts to unravel from there. He climbs up to save her, but rescuing the cat is only the beginning of the trouble headed for his ladder, his family’s dinner, and his homework. Will his teacher believe a single word of it? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘foolish’, ‘skittish’, ‘sheepish’, ‘outlandish’, ‘impish’.

Ben’s cat has never missed dinner, so when her bowl sits untouched, he knows something is wrong. Fresh paw prints lead him to a huge, ugly pile of rubbish, right where his cat now sits like a queen on a throne, purring and refusing to budge. Then the pile moves. Can Ben get his cat back before the pile grows too big to stop? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 122: -ish), this book practises words like ‘rubbish’, ‘foolish’, ‘impish’, ‘famish’, ‘smallish’.