Decodable books are the books children can read by themselves early on, because almost every word uses sounds they have already been taught. They can be expensive to buy, and free decodable readers in Australia are hard to find. This guide explains what makes a book decodable, how Victoria’s Phonics Plus sets work, and where to find 20 free decodable books that follow them.
What is a decodable book?
A decodable book is written with a controlled set of sounds. If your child has learnt the sounds s, a, t, p, i, n, a decodable book at that stage might say “Pat sat. Tap, tap, tap!” Every word can be sounded out and blended with what your child knows, plus a few common tricky words they are learning by heart.
That is different from many older-style home readers, which often lean on repeated sentences and pictures as clues, so children can guess a word without reading it. A decodable book asks your child to do the real work of reading: look at the letters, say the sounds, blend them into a word. Because they can, they feel the success of reading a whole book on their own.
The Victorian Curriculum expects this from the first year of school. In Prep (Foundation), children learn to “read decodable and authentic texts using developing phonic knowledge”. In other words, both decodable books and real-world books have a place.
What is Phonics Plus?
Phonics Plus is a set of lesson plans from the Victorian Department of Education for Prep to Year 2, developed by current teachers and school leaders. It teaches sounds in a careful order, a few at a time, in groups called sets. Victorian government schools began moving to systematic synthetic phonics in 2025, and from the start of 2027 they must teach at least 25 minutes a day in Prep to Year 2. Schools may use Phonics Plus to do this, but the lesson plans themselves are optional.
Knowing the set your child is on is very useful at home. It tells you which sounds they know, which books they can read, and which made-up words are fair to try. If you’re not sure, ask your child’s teacher: “Which phonics set is the class on?”
Free decodable books, set by set
KidStudy has one free decodable book for each set from 1 to 20. They are read online, on an iPad or a phone, with no login, no ads and nothing to buy. Each book only uses the sounds and word shapes of its set and the sets before it, plus a few tricky words. Find them all on the Phonics shelf.
| Set | New sounds or word shape | Book |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | s, t, a, p, n, i | Tap, Tap, Tap |
| 2 | m, d, g, o, c, f | Dot Got the Cap |
| 3 | k, e, r, u | Dot in the Mud |
| 4 | b, h, l | The Hot Bun |
| 5 | j, w, v | To the Vet |
| 6 | y, z | Yum! A Jam Bun |
| 7 | x, qu | Fix the Big Box |
| 8 | ck, th, wh | That Red Sock |
| 9 | ll, ss, ff, zz | Up the Hill |
| 10 | ch, sh, ng | The Big Shell |
| 11 | Two consonants at the start (crab) | The Little Crab |
| 12 | Two consonants at the end (tent) | Camp in the Tent |
| 13 | Consonants at both ends (frogs) | Frogs in the Pond |
| 14 | tch, ve, nk, le; double letters; -ing, -ed, -es | The Big Catch |
| 15 | ai, ee, igh, oa, oo | The Zoo Train |
| 16 | ar, or, ur, ow, oi | Storm in the Dark |
| 17 | ear, air, er | Fun at the Fair |
| 18 | a–e, i–e, o–e, u–e, e–e | Make a Kite |
| 19 | ay, ea, ie, ou, oy | The Toy Boat |
| 20 | ir, ue, ew, aw, ph | The New Blue Bird |
Sets 1 to 13 follow the order of sounds in Victoria’s Phonics Plus for Prep: ten sets of letters and letter teams, then three sets that build longer word shapes. Sets 14 to 20 are KidStudy’s own Year 1 extension. They are not the official Year 1 order, so the sounds your child meets at school in Year 1 may come in a different sequence. Use the table to find a book with sounds your child has been taught.
The tricky words in each book are KidStudy’s choices too, not an official list. Our post on heart words lists them set by set.
How to read a decodable book with your child
- Warm up the sounds. Before you open the book, look at two or three words from it and sound them out together.
- Let your child read first. Point under each word if it helps, then wait. Give them time to sound out and blend before you step in.
- Help with sounds, not guesses. If they’re stuck, say “What’s the first sound? Now the next one?” rather than “Look at the picture.” In KidStudy’s books, one tap on a word says it, and a second tap says it slowly, sound by sound, with its sound buttons: a dot under each single sound, a bar under letter teams like sh.
- Read it again. The second reading is smoother, and the third often sounds like real reading. That is fluency growing.
- Talk about the story. Ask what happened, or what they liked. Decodable books are still stories.
Decodable books and other books
Decodable books are for practising reading. They aren’t meant to be the only books in your house. Keep reading aloud picture books, library books and anything your child loves, so they hear rich language and new words. Our post on reading levels and how to read with your Prep child explains levelled books, the other kind your child may bring home.
If your child finds sounding out hard, start with what to try when a child can’t blend sounds yet, and the Set 1 sound cards on KidStudy’s Sounds page.
Other free decodable books in Australia
- Your child’s school. Many schools now send decodable books home. Ask which set the class is on and whether you can borrow more.
- Your local library. Some libraries hold decodable series. Ask the children’s librarian.
- Spelfabet’s directory. This Australian literacy site keeps a list of decodable book series, a good place to compare what is out there.
Questions parents ask
Where can I get free decodable books in Australia?
KidStudy has 20 free decodable books online in Phonics Plus order, with no login or ads. Your child’s school and your local library are also worth asking.
Which decodable book should my Prep child read first?
Start with the set your child is learning at school, or the one before it. If you don’t know, try Set 1 (“Tap, Tap, Tap”). If it feels easy, move up a set.
Can my child read the same decodable book again and again?
Yes. Re-reading builds fluency and confidence. Once a book is easy, add the next set, but old favourites are always welcome.
Are decodable books better than levelled readers?
They do different jobs. Decodable books let children practise the sounds they have been taught. Picture books and library books, read together, build vocabulary and a love of stories. Most children benefit from both.
What is in Phonics Plus Set 1?
Set 1 is s, t, a, p, n and i. With just those six sounds children can read words like sat, tap, pin and nap.
Does my child’s school have to use Phonics Plus?
No. Victorian government schools must teach systematic synthetic phonics every day in Prep to Year 2, but the Phonics Plus lesson plans are optional. Ask your school which program it uses.
Sources
- Victorian Lesson Plans guidance, Department of Education, Policy and Advisory Library
- Curriculum programs: policy, Department of Education, Policy and Advisory Library
- New Phonics Plus program, Premier of Victoria, October 2024
- English Version 2.0 curriculum, VCAA
- Phonics: a guide for parents and carers, Victorian Government
