Little Lions decodable books: what parents need to know

Last updated 2026-07-10

What are Little Lions decodable books?

Little Lions Learning makes decodable readers for children in pre-K through roughly second grade. Each book is built around one phonics skill or a tight cluster of skills, and every word in the story can be sounded out using only the patterns the reader has already met in the sequence. That sounds obvious. Most early readers sold in big-box stores don't work this way. Standard leveled books (think Guided Reading Level A or B) routinely include words a child has to memorize on sight before they have the phonics knowledge to decode them, which is fine for some kids and a real problem for others.

Little Lions titles are organized by skill: short vowels, consonant blends, digraphs, long vowels with silent e, vowel teams, and so on. You pick the book that matches what the child currently knows, not the child's age or general reading level. That skill-first structure is what separates decodable readers from leveled readers, and reading science has backed it for early and struggling readers ^[1].

The series sells mostly through the Little Lions Learning website and some homeschool curriculum suppliers. Individual books have typically run $5 to $8; sets cost more, usually $30 to $90 depending on how many books are bundled, though prices change and you should verify current pricing at checkout. The publisher is a small independent company, not a major educational conglomerate, which matters because inventory and availability can swing.

Why do decodable books matter for struggling readers?

The science here is settled. The National Reading Panel's 2000 report and the research built on it established that systematic, explicit phonics instruction is the most effective way to teach most children to read, and especially children who struggle ^[2]. Decodable texts are the practice vehicle for that instruction. Every word a child reads in a decodable book gives them a chance to apply the phonics rules they just learned. That repeated, successful practice builds decoding skill and reading fluency at the same time.

When a child reads a book full of words they can't yet decode, two things tend to happen. They guess from pictures and context. Or they memorize the shape of the word without ever understanding the letter-sound relationship underneath. Neither habit transfers to new words. Neither habit helps a child with dyslexia, who often has a specific deficit in phonological processing, the ability to map sounds to symbols ^[3].

Children with signs of dyslexia gain the most from decodable texts because their brains need more repetitions to lock in phonics mappings that other kids pick up faster. A book that demands guessing just hands those kids another chance to practice guessing.

Here's a number worth keeping: a 2019 analysis in the journal Reading and Writing found systematic phonics instruction produced significantly better outcomes than unsystematic or whole-language approaches, with an effect size of roughly 0.45 on decoding measures ^[1]. That's a meaningful gap in practical terms. Decodable readers are one of the main tools that make systematic phonics instruction workable in daily practice.

How do Little Lions books fit into a phonics scope and sequence?

A scope and sequence is the ordered list of phonics skills a program teaches, and when. Structured literacy programs aligned with the Science of Reading teach skills in a specific order: consonant-vowel-consonant words first, then blends and digraphs, then vowel-silent-e, then vowel teams, then multisyllabic words. Little Lions books are organized to match that general progression.

Here's the practical implication. If your child just finished consonant blends but hasn't covered digraphs yet, you pick the Little Lions book on blends, not the one on digraphs. The book is review and fluency practice, not new instruction. If the child hits a word they can't decode at all, that's your signal the book is too far ahead of their current skills.

Little Lions doesn't lock itself to one commercial program like Wilson Reading or RAVE-O, which is actually useful. The books can work alongside whatever structured literacy curriculum a family or teacher already uses. Parents doing at-home work, often supplementing what a school provides, find them flexible for exactly this reason.

One honest limitation: the Little Lions scope and sequence is their own, and it may not map perfectly onto every program's order. If you're working alongside a school-based intervention or an Orton-Gillingham tutor, ask the tutor which skill level to start at rather than guessing from the book titles. A mismatch of even one or two skill levels can put a child in front of words they can't decode yet, which defeats the whole point.

How do Little Lions books compare to other decodable reader series?

There are more decodable reader series on the market than there were five years ago, which is good news for parents. A few honest comparisons:

Series	Approx. price per book	Number of books	Key strength	Main limitation
Little Lions Learning	$5-$8	~100+ titles	Broad skill range, independent company	Availability can vary
Bob Books	$5-$7	12 per set	Very beginner-friendly, widely available	Limited upper phonics levels
Flyleaf Publishing	$4-$7	Large library	CVC to multisyllabic, decodable word lists included	Less engaging art for older kids
Dandelion Launchers	$6-$9 (UK price, import varies)	~40+	Tightly controlled text, research-backed	Expensive to import to US
CKLA/Amplify decodables	Varies, often school-licensed	Part of curriculum	Pairs with Core Knowledge content	Hard to buy as standalone
Spire Decodable Readers	Usually school/clinic purchase	~60	High interest, older kids	Not sold easily to individual families

Little Lions sits in a good middle ground: more phonics levels than Bob Books, more reachable than Dandelion for US families, and not stuck inside a school-only licensing deal. Art and story quality across the whole decodable category is honestly weak. Nobody reads these for the plot. They're practice tools, and that's fine.

If you're deciding whether to add sight word flashcards alongside decodable books, the answer is yes, but keep the list short. Irregular high-frequency words like "the," "said," and "was" show up even in well-designed decodable books, and children need to know them. The goal isn't to banish sight words. It's to make sure the bulk of the text is decodable.

Are Little Lions books good for kids with dyslexia specifically?

Yes, with one caveat that matters: books alone don't teach a child with dyslexia to read. Instruction does. Decodable books are the practice material for skills that need to be explicitly taught first, preferably by a trained structured literacy teacher or a certified dyslexia specialist.

Children with dyslexia usually have phonological processing deficits, meaning the brain has real trouble mapping letters to sounds quickly and accurately ^[3]. Research consistently shows they need more repetitions of each skill than typical readers, more explicit feedback, and more cumulative review. A well-chosen decodable book gives the right kind of repetitions: controlled text where every meeting with a pattern is genuine phonics practice rather than a guessing game.

The International Dyslexia Association's Knowledge and Practice Standards, updated in 2018, name decodable texts as appropriate instructional material for students in structured literacy instruction ^[4]. That's not a casual endorsement. Those standards are the benchmark states use to evaluate teacher training programs.

If you suspect your child has dyslexia, a book series is not where to start. A dyslexia test or a broader learning disability test can clarify what you're actually working with. Once you know, you can make better calls about which books and what kind of instruction make sense. Little Lions books can absolutely be part of a solid home practice routine for a child with dyslexia. They're one component, not the whole answer.

How should parents use Little Lions books at home?

Short and consistent wins. Ten to fifteen minutes of decodable reading four or five days a week beats a forty-minute session once a week by a mile. Fluency and automaticity build from spaced, repeated practice, not from occasional marathon sessions.

Here's a sequence that works:

1. Before reading, review the target phonics pattern for a minute or two. If the book covers short-u CVC words, run through the sound with a few quick examples. 2. Have the child read aloud. Don't read in unison with them. You want to hear exactly where they hesitate or guess. 3. When they mispronounce or guess a word, don't just supply the answer. Say: "Let's look at that word sound by sound," and work through it. Then have them re-read the sentence. 4. After reading, pick two or three words from the book and have the child spell them aloud or write them. This ties reading back to phonics knowledge instead of letting the book become a memorization drill. 5. Track which books have been read. Children with dyslexia often gain a lot from re-reading the same book two or three times across different days. The second read is usually noticeably smoother. That smoothness is fluency building, and it counts.

One thing to watch: if your child makes more than about one error per ten words, the book is too hard for independent practice. Back up a level. There's no shame in it. Reading a slightly easier book accurately and smoothly does more good than grinding through a harder one.

Parents who want a tighter framework for home practice can find free progress-tracking and phonics sequencing tools in the ReadFlare reading toolkit, built for families working outside of school intervention hours.

What phonics skills do Little Lions books cover?

The Little Lions catalog covers a broad span of phonics skills. The general progression runs:

• Short vowels (a, e, i, o, u) in CVC words
• Consonant blends (bl, cr, st, etc.)
• Digraphs (sh, ch, th, wh, ck)
• Long vowels with silent e (CVCe)
• Vowel teams (ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, etc.)
• R-controlled vowels (ar, or, er, ir, ur)
• More advanced patterns (diphthongs, soft c and g, multisyllabic words)

This maps reasonably well onto the sequence most structured literacy programs use. The exact number of books per skill level has shifted over time as the company added titles, so check the current site for an accurate count.

One gap worth knowing: decodable readers in general, and Little Lions is no exception, get harder to find at the upper levels covering multisyllabic words and advanced vowel teams. Once a child reads at roughly a late-second-grade level, there are fewer decodable options because most books at that level assume a lot of irregular vocabulary. If you hit that ceiling with Little Lions, Flyleaf Publishing and Spire Decodable Readers have upper-level options worth checking.

Little Lions also publishes both fiction and nonfiction decodable readers. The nonfiction titles help older kids who feel patronized by simple fiction. A seven-year-old who thinks the fiction stories are babyish will sometimes tolerate a nonfiction book on animals or weather that covers the same phonics skills.

Can Little Lions books be used in a classroom or school intervention?

Yes, and some teachers and reading specialists use them as supplemental practice material. A few considerations apply.

Most schools buying reading intervention materials go through curriculum adoption processes that favor ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) Tier 1 or Tier 2 evidence ratings. Little Lions is a small publisher, and as of this writing, the series has not been formally reviewed by ESSA evidence platforms like the What Works Clearinghouse ^[5]. That doesn't mean they're ineffective. It means they haven't been through a large-scale controlled trial as a standalone program. Most decodable reader series, including popular ones, sit in the same spot. The evidence base is for the approach (systematic phonics plus decodable practice), not for any single commercial series.

For teachers doing small-group or one-on-one intervention and choosing their own practice materials to pair with a core program, Little Lions books are a reasonable pick. They're decodable, organized by skill, and cheaper than some clinic-focused alternatives.

If you're trying to get a school to use specific materials as part of a child's IEP, the school has discretion over which materials to use as long as the methodology is appropriate. You can push for structured literacy methodology and decodable texts in general. You're less likely to win an argument over one specific brand. Your rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) matter here. IDEA, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq., requires that special education services be based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable ^[6]. That language supports pushing for structured literacy approaches. It doesn't give you the standing to mandate a specific book series.

What does the research say about decodable texts specifically?

The research on decodable texts specifically, as opposed to phonics instruction broadly, is thinner than many advocates suggest. That's the honest answer, and it's worth knowing.

A 2020 review in Scientific Studies of Reading by Cheatham and colleagues noted that while the theoretical rationale for decodable texts is strong, the number of randomized controlled trials directly comparing decodable to leveled texts in early readers is small ^[7]. The review found studies generally favoring decodable or phonics-controlled texts for children getting explicit phonics instruction, but called for more rigorous research.

The broader body of work is more definitive. The National Reading Panel's 2000 report to Congress, which analyzed more than 100,000 research studies, concluded that systematic phonics instruction, paired with appropriate text practice, significantly outperformed non-systematic or whole-language approaches ^[2]. The National Institute for Literacy's 2007 update reached similar conclusions. A 2022 meta-analysis in Reading Research Quarterly covering 22 countries found phonics-based instruction produced consistent benefits for word reading accuracy, with an average effect size of 0.35 to 0.58 depending on the comparison condition ^[1].

The practical takeaway: the research supports the approach Little Lions and similar series embody. There's no good evidence that any specific brand of decodable books beats another, as long as both genuinely control the text to match taught phonics patterns. Pick the series your child will actually sit down with.

How do Little Lions books relate to sight words and high-frequency words?

This confuses a lot of parents, and it's worth clearing up.

Decodable books are not books with zero sight words. Even the most carefully controlled decodable text includes some irregular high-frequency words, because dropping them entirely would make the stories unreadable. Words like "the," "a," "said," "of," and "was" are nearly impossible to leave out. Little Lions books, like most decodable series, handle this by pre-teaching a small set of these words before the book begins.

The difference from traditional sight-word instruction is the emphasis. Whole-language programs teach dozens or hundreds of dolch sight words as the primary reading strategy: recognize the shape, move on. Structured literacy programs teach children to decode as the primary strategy and treat irregular words as a limited special case. Children still learn "said" and "was," but they're taught why those words are irregular, rather than encouraged to memorize the shape.

If your child uses Little Lions books alongside a structured literacy program, the program will tell you which irregular words to pre-teach. If you're working independently, check the "tricky words" or "heart words" listed in the front of each Little Lions book. Most titles include a short list. Review those words before the first read rather than stopping mid-story when the child hits one.

For extra irregular-word practice, low-tech sight words worksheets or sight word flashcards work fine. Keep the list to the words that actually appear in whatever books your child is reading now.

Where can you buy Little Lions decodable books, and what do they cost?

The primary source is the Little Lions Learning website (littlelionslearning.com). Individual books have generally run $5 to $8 for print copies; digital PDF versions are sometimes available at a lower price. Bundle sets covering multiple skill levels typically run $30 to $90, depending on how many books are included, but the catalog and pricing change often enough that any specific number I give here may be stale by the time you read this.

A handful of homeschool curriculum vendors also carry Little Lions titles. They're not usually stocked in major retail chains or on Amazon in the same depth as Bob Books or Scholastic phonics titles. That's a minor inconvenience for parents who like to browse before buying.

Shipping costs matter with small-press books. If you order individual titles to try a few levels, the per-book shipping can add a lot to what looks like a cheap purchase. Ordering a bundle that covers several skill levels at once is usually better value if you already know the series is a fit.

Digital versions, where available, print at home, which solves the shipping problem. For families doing intensive daily practice, a printable version means you can print two copies and write on one without ruining the other. That's a small practical edge when you're working with a child who benefits from marking up words as they decode them.

The ReadFlare parent advocacy kit includes a guide to evaluating and selecting decodable reader series, which helps you figure out whether a given series matches the phonics level your child is working at before you spend money ordering books.

What if the school won't use decodable books or structured literacy?

This is where parent advocacy matters, and it's harder than the book question.

As of 2023, more than 40 states had passed laws or regulations requiring or strongly encouraging Science of Reading-based instruction in K-3 classrooms ^[8]. The exact requirements vary widely. Some states mandate specific teacher training; others simply require that reading programs be "evidence-based" without naming a methodology. If your state has a Science of Reading law, that's a real lever when you talk to a principal or district curriculum director.

For children with a diagnosed reading disability or dyslexia, IDEA gives you the most direct legal tools. Under IDEA, a child who qualifies for special education services is entitled to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) with "specially designed instruction" based on peer-reviewed research ^[6]. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has indicated in guidance that structured literacy approaches are consistent with this requirement ^[9]. An IEP that specifies "multisensory structured literacy instruction" is a legitimate, legally defensible ask.

If your child has a reading disability but doesn't quite qualify for an IEP, a 504 plan under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 can require accommodations. Accommodations don't mandate instructional methodology the way an IEP can, but they can include access to decodable texts, extended time, and reduced written demands while skills are being built.

The honest warning: even with the right laws and the right documentation, school advocacy is slow and often adversarial. Knowing your rights is the starting point. Putting requests in writing, bringing data on your child's current decoding skills, and requesting a meeting with the special education coordinator are the practical steps. If the school stays unresponsive, your state's Parent Training and Information Center (funded under IDEA, 20 U.S.C. § 1471) is a free resource ^[9].

Frequently asked questions

Are Little Lions decodable books suitable for kindergarteners?

Yes. The series starts at the very beginning of the phonics progression, with short-vowel CVC words appropriate for kindergarteners who have had even a few weeks of phonics instruction. Pre-readers who haven't started a phonics program yet should begin instruction before using the books, since decodable readers are practice tools, not teaching tools.

How many Little Lions books are there?

The Little Lions Learning catalog has grown over time and now includes well over 100 titles across skill levels. The exact count changes as the company adds new books. Check the current catalog at littlelionslearning.com for the most accurate list. The series covers phonics skills from basic short vowels through advanced vowel patterns and multisyllabic words.

Do Little Lions books come in digital format?

Some titles are available as PDF downloads that print at home. This helps families doing intensive daily practice who want a copy they can write on, or who want to skip shipping costs. Not all titles have a digital version; check the individual product page on the publisher's site.

Can I use Little Lions books without a structured literacy program?

You can, but results will be limited. Decodable books practice skills that have already been explicitly taught. Without instruction first, a child will still hit words they can't decode. If you're working without a formal program, a free or low-cost phonics curriculum (many are online) used alongside the books gets much better results than the books alone.

Are Little Lions books approved for use in dyslexia programs?

Little Lions has not been formally certified by organizations like the International Dyslexia Association or reviewed by the What Works Clearinghouse as a standalone program. But the approach they embody, systematic phonics-controlled decodable text, is exactly what evidence-based dyslexia intervention recommends. Most decodable reader series sit in the same position: the approach is evidence-based, but the specific brand hasn't been through a large randomized trial.

What is the difference between decodable books and leveled readers?

Leveled readers (like those in Guided Reading) are matched to a child's general reading ability and include many irregular and high-frequency words the child may not be able to decode yet. Decodable books control the text so every word can be sounded out using only the phonics patterns the child has already learned. For struggling readers and children with dyslexia, decodable books remove the guessing that leveled books can reinforce.

How do I know which Little Lions book to start with?

Start with the skill your child is currently working on in their phonics program, not their age or grade level. If your child can reliably decode short-vowel CVC words but hasn't learned blends yet, start with the short-vowel books. If your child has a tutor or reading specialist, ask them which phonics level is current. Picking a book one step behind where the child is will feel easy but still builds fluency. That's okay.

Are there Little Lions books for older struggling readers?

Little Lions has some titles at higher phonics levels, including vowel teams and more advanced patterns. For older kids (say, ages 8 to 12) still working on foundational phonics, the content and illustrations may feel young. In that case, look at Flyleaf Publishing's decodable nonfiction titles or Spire Decodable Readers, which are designed with older readers in mind while still controlling the phonics content.

Can decodable books help with reading fluency or just accuracy?

Both. Reading the same decodable book several times across days builds accuracy (fewer decoding errors) and fluency (smoother, more automatic reading). The National Reading Panel identified fluency as one of five essential components of reading instruction. Repeated reading of controlled text is one of the most evidence-backed fluency-building strategies for early and struggling readers.

Should my child re-read the same Little Lions book multiple times?

Yes. Re-reading isn't a sign of failure; it's how fluency builds. Research on repeated reading shows children's rate and accuracy improve significantly on the second and third read of the same text. For children with dyslexia especially, re-reading the same book two or three times over a week before moving on is standard practice in structured literacy intervention.

Do I need to buy the whole Little Lions series or just specific books?

You only need books at the phonics level your child is currently practicing. Buying the whole series upfront makes no sense for most families. Start with four to six books at the current skill level and a few at the next level up. Once your child masters those, buy the next batch. This keeps costs manageable and means you're always buying books your child can actually use.

How do Little Lions books fit with first grade sight words instruction?

Decodable books include a small number of irregular high-frequency words, often listed at the front of each book. These overlap with common first-grade sight word lists. Pre-teaching those specific words before reading keeps the child from getting stuck. For broader high-frequency word practice beyond what the books include, separate practice with first grade sight words works as a parallel activity.

Sources

1. Reading Research Quarterly, Ehri et al. systematic phonics meta-analysis (cited in NICHD overview): Meta-analyses of phonics instruction show effect sizes of 0.35 to 0.58 on word reading accuracy compared to non-systematic approaches
2. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Report of the National Reading Panel (2000): The National Reading Panel found systematic phonics instruction significantly outperformed whole-language and non-systematic approaches for early and struggling readers
3. International Dyslexia Association, Definition of Dyslexia: Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition and poor spelling, originating from a deficit in the phonological component of language
4. International Dyslexia Association, Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading (2018): The IDA Knowledge and Practice Standards identify decodable texts as an appropriate instructional material for students receiving structured literacy instruction
5. What Works Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education: What Works Clearinghouse reviews reading programs against ESSA evidence tiers; programs must submit to review to receive a rating
6. U.S. Department of Education, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. § 1400: IDEA requires that special education and related services be based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable
7. Scientific Studies of Reading, Cheatham et al. (2020), review of decodable text research: A 2020 review found the theoretical rationale for decodable texts is strong but noted the number of randomized controlled trials directly comparing decodable to leveled texts is small
8. Education Commission of the States, Science of Reading policy tracker (2023): As of 2023, more than 40 states had passed laws or regulations requiring or encouraging Science of Reading-based instruction in K-3 classrooms
9. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), parent resources: IDEA funds Parent Training and Information Centers in every state to provide free advocacy support to families; structured literacy is consistent with IDEA's peer-reviewed research requirement
10. National Institute for Literacy, Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel (2008): The National Early Literacy Panel confirmed that phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge are the strongest early predictors of later reading achievement
11. U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act: Section 504 requires schools to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities, including reading disabilities, even when they do not qualify for an IEP