Growing Our Phonics Library with Little Lions Literacy Decodable Books

3/28/2026

I’ve been adding more books to our phonics collection lately, and these decodable books from Little Lions Literacy have been a nice addition. As we continue moving along in our reading journey, I’ve been paying even more attention to the kinds of books that truly support the skills my son is working on while helping him feel confident as far as his reading. Not every phonics book is created equally, and after using quite a few different ones at this point, I can definitely say these have stood out to me in several ways.

Large spread of children’s decodable books opened and closed, showing illustrated pages and simple reading text.

The Phonics Focus Is Clear Right Away

One of the first things I noticed is how clearly each book tells you the phonics focus right on the cover. Whether it’s ea vowel teams, long o sounds, tch blends, or another skill, I really appreciate not having to flip through the pages of the book to figure out the focus. It makes it much easier to intentionally pull a title that lines up with whatever we’re already learning in our lesson plans, and I always appreciate resources that make that part feel simpler.

Neatly stacked decodable books with illustrated covers, including titles like “Ketchup, Please!” and “Daisy Goes to Puppy Class.”

A Clean Layout That Supports Early Readers

I really like the overall look and feel of these books too. The font size and style are easy for early readers to work through, and the spacing makes a big difference. Some of the other phonics books we’ve used include texts that seem a little too small, distracting fonts, or just too much packed onto one page for a beginning reader. Thankfully, that's not the case with these decodable books. They feel approachable, and conquerable which I think that matters a lot for my son. He's already using so much mental energy to stay focused and sound out the words, the book itself should support that process, not make it harder.

Young child lying down reading a book, surrounded by open decodable books with simple sentences and illustrations.

Simple Stories and Familiar Topics

The books are colorful which my son has made very clear to me is important for him. He does not like black and white text with black and white images. I've seen and tried what I've thought are great phonics practice books, but he's not very enthused about using them because they're not in color.

I like that the illustrations are straightforward and that the stories are based on topics and situations kids actually like or are familiar with. I think that helps more than people may realize. He seems to find the pictures amusing as he's pointed out what's happening in the books on several occasions without me prompting him to do so.

Overall, I want reading practice to feel supportive and meaningful, not dry or disconnected. These books feel simple in a good way. The stories are easy to follow, the pictures support the text, and nothing feels overly busy or distracting.

Longer Books That Build Reading Stamina

Another thing I like is that these books are a bit wordier and longer than some of the other phonics readers we own at a similar level. Some early readers are so short that the book is over almost as soon as your child gets into a rhythm. These give my son a little more practice and a little more stamina-building, which I really value. He’s able to read about 90 to 95 percent of the text on his own, so even though he’s not on a high reading level yet, these give him the chance to read something that feels substantial and satisfying. They feel more like real books, and I love that for him.

Child holding an open book showing a short passage about birds and an illustration of birds in a nest.

Lots of Books for More Skill Practice

I appreciate that there are a lot of books in each set. This gives us a chance to practice the same skills we’re learning within our lesson plans without having to reread the same books over and over again. That’s been really helpful because although repetition matters, so does variety. Having multiple titles that reinforce similar phonics skills gives us more flexibility and keeps practice from feeling too repetitive.

Helping Build Reading Independence

I think one of the biggest strengths of these books is that they allow my son continue to work on the same skills we're learning with our main reading curriculum, but with different stories. Since he can read most of the text on his own, these books have also helped build his independence as a reader. I’m always trying to find books that make him feel accomplished while still giving him enough of a challenge. These books have done well with that. He has to concentrate and put in real effort, but he also gets that rewarding feeling of reading a full book mostly on his own.

Left: child reading an open book with simple sentences about dogs. Right: child sitting and reading a decodable book titled “Mr. Maxwell.”

Great for Home, Travel, or the Classroom

These are great books to keep in rotation outside of formal lesson time too. They’re easy to toss into my son’s bookbag for a trip to Grandma’s house or bring along in the car for some extra practice. I think they’d make a great addition to a teacher’s classroom library as well. If I were still in the classroom, I could absolutely see myself sending these decodable books home in homework folders so students could get extra targeted reading practice in a way that feels doable for them and their families.

A Couple Honest Critiques

My only honest critiques are that I do think the books could’ve found a way to include even more of the target phonics patterns within each story, and I’m a little unsure about the “Red Words” listed at the beginning of each book. My guess is that they’re meant to highlight some of the sight words readers will come across in the story, but I did find that part a little confusing at first. I was expecting to see those words highlighted in red throughout the book which wasn't the case. Those things haven't stop us from enjoying the books, but they were worth mentioning.

Child sitting on a bed reading simple-text books, pointing to words and pictures in decodable reading material.

Final Thoughts

Overall, these books have been a solid addition to our growing phonics collection, and I think they’re especially helpful for children who are ready for decodable text that feels approachable, clear, and long enough to build real confidence. For us, they’ve been a nice way to add more meaningful phonics practice without making reading feel too overwhelming, and that’s always something I’m looking for as we continue moving forward.

If you’re curious about Little Lions Literacy, I definitely suggest checking out their website for yourself. One thing I like is that they let you preview some of their decodable books online, which gives you a better sense of what the books are like before you buy. They also have a nice collection of free phonics games and printable worksheets on their site, which is always a bonus when you’re pulling together reading practice for little ones.

I’ve recently started using their Alphabet Books Collection and some of their First Readers books with my 2-year-old, so stay tuned because I’ll be sharing more about those in an upcoming blog post.

Have you found any decodable books that have made a noticeable difference in your child’s reading confidence?

Have you tried Little Lions Literacy with your child or students? If so, what did you think?

What matters most to you when choosing phonics books for your child?

What phonics books or printable resources would you recommend to another parent of an early reader?

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Your feedback is always appreciated.