As older students move beyond simple CVC text, they need carefully controlled decodable stories that allow them to apply new phonics skills without sacrificing accuracy or fluency. When adjacent consonants, digraphs, and suffixes are introduced too quickly or without enough structured practice, readers can struggle to transfer skills to connected text.
Phonic Books That Dog! is a set of fully decodable readers designed for older, catch-up readers who can read simple CVC words and are ready to progress into more complex phonics patterns. The series follows Ben, an animal-loving teenager who has always wanted a dog—until a scruffy stray follows him home and everything changes.
The series takes students from CVC and CVCC word structures through adjacent consonants, consonant digraphs, and suffixes such as -ed and -ing. Each book introduces new phonics elements gradually, while reinforcing previously taught skills through repeated exposure in connected text.
That Dog! shares the same phonics progression as Phonic Books Magic Belt and can be used in parallel to consolidate phonemic knowledge and reading skills. This allows students to strengthen decoding accuracy and fluency without introducing phonics content out of sequence.
Instruction aligns with evidence-based literacy practices and the Science of Reading, making this series suitable for classroom instruction, intervention, and supplemental use.
WHY EDUCATORS CHOOSE THESE BOOKS
- Fully decodable readers with a controlled phonics progression
- Designed for older, struggling or catch-up readers
- Introduces adjacent consonants, digraphs, and common suffixes
- Continuous, high-interest stories that motivate reluctant readers
- Can be used alongside any structured literacy program
KEY SKILLS SUPPORTED
These decodable readers support:
- Decoding CVC and CVCC word structures
- Reading adjacent consonants and consonant digraphs
- Applying suffixes such as -ed and -ing
- Reading fluency, accuracy, and confidence
- Orthographic mapping through repeated practice
THIS SET INCLUDES
12 fully decodable readers
Age range: 8–14+ years
Sold together as a complete series
Ben has always wanted a dog—until a scruffy stray follows him home and everything changes. As Ben tries to convince his family he can keep the dog, students practice increasingly complex phonics patterns within a continuous, engaging storyline.
Book 1: The Ramp (CVC, CVCC)
Book 2: The Lost Dog (CVCC)
Book 3: No Dogs! (CVCC)
Book 4: Drop It! (CVCC, -ed)
Book 5: Ben Gets Strict (CCVCC)
Book 6: Catch Me! (ch, tch)
Book 7: Fishing (sh)
Book 8: Cherished Things (th)
Book 9: Good and Bad Luck (ck, qu)
Book 10: The Long, Thin Boat (ng)
Book 11: Shopping for Props (wh, -ing)
Book 12: Dog in Trouble (le)
WORKS WITH ANY STRUCTURED LITERACY PROGRAM
- Aligns with explicit, systematic phonics instruction
- Supports Science of Reading–aligned practices
- Suitable for classroom, intervention, and MTSS use
- Integrates easily with existing curricula
DISTRICT JUSTIFICATION
Phonic Books That Dog! supports structured literacy instruction aligned with the Science of Reading by providing fully decodable text with a systematic progression from CVC and CVCC words through adjacent consonants, digraphs, and suffixes. Carefully controlled text ensures students practice only taught phonics patterns in connected reading.
Designed for older, catch-up readers, this series builds decoding accuracy, fluency, and confidence, making it appropriate for classroom adoption, intervention programs, and district-wide literacy initiatives.
PAIRS WITH
That Dog! Activities
A reproducible workbook aligned to the series that supports word building, reading, spelling, writing, and comprehension through structured activities connected to each reader.
(Sold separately)
