CVC Books for Beginning Readers

CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant, like cat, sun and pig) are the first words most children learn to sound out. They are the building blocks of reading, and children need lots of practice reading them in real sentences, not just in word lists.

That is what Miss Wendy’s Favorite Phonetic Books give them. Level 1 is made mostly of CVC words, and Levels 2 and 3 keep plenty of CVC practice while adding slightly longer words. Every word uses short vowel sounds and hard consonants, and the only sight words are a, the and is. No surprise words like “was” or “of” to trip up a beginning reader.

The stories are short, so emerging readers can finish a whole CVC book and feel proud. With no pictures inside, children focus on decoding every word.

Also see: decodable books for kindergarten · science of reading books · the best books for emergent readers