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Chickadee Readers: My First Stories
Chickadee Readers: My First Stories
Chickadee Readers: My First Stories
Chickadee Readers: My First Stories
Chickadee Readers: My First Stories
Chickadee Readers: My First Stories

Chickadee Readers: My First Stories

Chickadee Readers: My First Stories

Regular price $96.00
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  • Bring your own phonics! Kids who know letter sounds can unlock the joys of reading
  • 40 fun saddle-stitched books with over 300 illustrations
  • 31 illustrated flashcards to reinforce letter-sounds
  • Map to Reading with stickers to mark reading progress
Perfect for early readers in pre-K up to 1st grade, Chickadee Readers captivate and educate kids with artful stories that even mischievous kids love. Stories start with basic short vowel words and build up to long vowels, consonant blends, and advanced stories.
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  • Enjoy 30 days of reading or your money back

Simple short vowels provide the perfect starting point for your young reader. This set begins with "Matt is a cat" and ends with "Mom will fix it".

🔍Look inside this set

  1. Cat, Bat, and Hat
  2. Dad and the Lads
  3. Bub and Tub
  4. Rus and Gus
  5. Six Kits Hid
  6. The Big Swim
  7. Tom Can Hop
  8. Oz the Odd Dog
  9. Big Red and Ted
  10. Go to Bed!

 

Long vowels expand your child's reading skills by building on sounds they already know. This set begins with "Jake is a snake" and ends with "I am glad Baby Sue came to my home last June".

🔍Look inside this set

  1. Jake and the Snake
  2. Ike, Pike, and the Bees
  3. Oz and the Bone
  4. Duke Duck
  5. I Can Not Eat Peas
  6. The Tale of the Big Snake
  7. Tom Likes Pizza Pie
  8. Mole, Toad, and Goat
  9. Three for Tea
  10. Baby Sue

New consonant blends combine with familiar vowels to unlock new words and more challenging stories. This set begins with "Bea sits in a seat up in a big pine tree" and ends with "What to trick Bo with next time".

🔍Look inside this set

  1. Sh, Do Not Make a Peep
  2. Buster Bob Dreams Big
  3. I Hear Snore, Snore
  4. Mother's Day
  5. The Smart Dragon
  6. A Train Ride
  7. Bub and Tub in the Tree Fort
  8. In the Deep, Deep Sea
  9. The Pet Store
  10. Oz Tries to Trick

Ten complex stories that give your child the chance to show off their reading skills. After completing this series, your child will be a new-fledged reader! This set begins with "The band will lead the march up the street" and ends with "Good night, sleep tight".

🔍Look inside this set

  1. Pet Parade
  2. The Hummingbird
  3. The Perfect Trip
  4. Ten Little Wood Ducklings
  5. In A Big Red Barn
  6. Willy the Wonder Dog
  7. Frogs in the Bathtub
  8. Six Kits Go to School
  9. The Porcupine and the Skunk
  10. Chickadee at the Window

Teaching Approach

What teaching philosophy does Chickadee use?
We assume your kids know their letter sounds and continue building strong reading foundations through phonics-based stories, starting with letter recognition and sounds, not guessing. There are a handful of sight-words to practice with review questions in the back, but we build on what children already know⁠⁠.

How does Chickadee make learning fun?
No joy in the teacher, no joy in the student. . Our books are fun. We tried to make the stories that would entertain a kindergartener. And we know what entertains kindergarteners because we taught them a lot and we know they like stories about naughty little kids, which is usually where they are themselves.

Getting Started

When should my child start using Chickadee Readers?
Many start around age 5/kindergarten after they learned their letters and their sounds, like short vowels and consonants. Don't wait for children to express interest—sometimes there's no sign they're ready, it's simply time to learn⁠

How should parents help with reading?
Stay present and attentive throughout. Don't read for them—let them sound out words while you listen. Have them read each book 5 times to someone⁠⁠. Then celebrate by placing a new sticker on the Map to Reading!

What are common mistakes to avoid?
Don't rush or stress the process—this creates mental blocks. If it's not fun and children don't feel successful, they'll remember the negative experience rather than the learning⁠⁠. Avoid teaching when children are tired or hungry, and ensure they have your undivided attention⁠⁠.

Best Practices

How long should reading sessions last?
Keep sessions to 15-20 minutes while your child is still enjoying it. Take breaks when needed⁠⁠.

What's the most important advice for parents?
Relax and celebrate progress. If you're stressed or bored, your child will be too. Make it an enjoyable experience⁠⁠. Sometimes all it takes is to change the setting—try reading outside⁠⁠.⁠

How do I know my child is ready to move forward?
Try the next book - if they can sound out the words and understand the story, they're ready. Each child progresses at their own pace⁠⁠.

What comes after basic reading?
Move on to books like Frog and Toad, Dr. Seuss—they'll be set up to mostly read solo. But continue to encourage your children by maintaining family reading time⁠⁠.

Print Details

  • Reading font: Sassoon Infant Standard of the D'Nealian Family, designed for children's reading and to ease handwriting from print to cursive
  • Reading difficulty (Lexiles/AR): 80-560L, designed to prepare your early reader go solo farther than the most popular brand
  • Word count: 5796 words
  • Binding: saddle-stitched
  • Slip case: solid, 6.5" x 5.25" x 6.5"
  • Map to Reading poster: 16"x20"

Designed by Teachers

Jan & Anita share 60+ years experience teaching kids to read

30 Day Money-back Guarantee

Love reading, or get your money back—no questions asked

Delightful Illustrations

A recurring cast across 321 pages hand-drawn by Mark Beauchamp

Here's what you get with Chickadee Readers

40 books in 4 boxes

  • 40 fun stories, hand-illustrated, saddle-stitched books, plus review questions
  • 4 velcro boxes designed for kids to read and clean up easy

Sturdy Slipcase

to contain the whole set so kids can easily tidy up, measuring 6.5"x 5.25" x 6.5".

40 unique stickers

to celebrate reading success through the Chickadee Map to Reading, usually after your kid reads a book five times on their own.

Chickadee Map to Reading

16"x20" poster to track your child’s progress to reading stories on their own.

Flashcards Teaching Phonics

Step one for kids who can't read. Great review for kids who can.

31 sturdy flashcards, illustrated to to teach short vowels, long vowels, and consonants

Why Jan and Anita wrote Chickadee.

How Chickadee Works

Classic Illustrations

Remember when kids books were well-drawn? Our kids deserve better than throw-away, black and white stick figures and lazy artwork. Each reader is beautifully illustrated by Mark Beauchamp.

Story Grip

Just because a story is for kids doesn't mean they have to be dumb. Chickadee set out to engage young kids with real stories with beginnings, middles, and ends.

Stair-step phonics

Every story and every book builds on the last. With lessons carefully crafted by highly experienced teachers, Chickadee sets a manageable pace of learning with decodable readers.

Real learning. Real fun.

Kids love Chickadee. So do parents!

★★★★★

"Chickadee Readers are effective at drawing kids into having fun while reading! Highly recommend for any young readers and parents looking to have light-hearted and enjoyable experiences as they learn to read."

Kandice H.
former Kindergarten teacher
★★★★★

" We want to teach kids a genuine love for reading but the truth is, the early stages are rarely enjoyable for kids or parents. Chickadee Readers offer a wonderful and much-needed tool to change this. The stories are captivating, funny, and full of truth. Nothing helps kids learn to read more than a love for stories. It is a joy to see them eagerly turning pages to find out what happens next."

Kalen Brockwalder
Logos School Principal
★★★★★

"Before reading the Chickadee readers our biggest challenge was finding books that looked interesting at his level. It was also hard to find readers that reinforced phonics principles. My son got story grip and really loved having a new book to look forward to. The Chickadee readers were far more interesting and funny than other early readers."

Laura L.
former 1st grade teacher

Customer Reviews

Based on 43 reviews
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L
Lynn C.
Beautiful books!

We are a book loving family to say the least and my kids and I have fallen in love with this book set. The stories are great and the illustrations are lovely.

Y
Yulia S.
Great books for kids!

The same day as I received the books, my daughter was obsessed with them. She keeps them in her bed and pretends that she reads them. She loves the cards too, that way we will learn alphabet way easier. This is great set of books and I would recommend them to all my friends:)

C
Crystal -.
Wonderful Readers!

We've been using these readers for about two weeks now in our homeschooling. My child is excited to read these. I haven't come across another easy reader set like this. The stories are engaging and fun to read and listen to!

F
Fernanda C.
Amazing Set for Beginning Readers!

We have been using this set during our homeschool lessons and we have enjoyed each story. My 5 year old has been trying to read the words as well and has been a great addition to our reading journey. We really love the phonic flashcards as well! Highly recommend this set!

E
Evelyn -.

Chickadee Readers: My First Stories

Created by two long-time teachers who wanted a better way to teach reading

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Still not sure if Chickadee Readers fit your kid's reading level?

Here are samples for a closer look 👉
They'll read

"Matt is a cat"

up to "Mom will fix it".
They'll read

"Jake is a snake"

up to "I am glad Baby Sue came to my home last June".
They'll read

"Bea sits in a seat up in a big pine tree"

up to "What to trick Bo with next time".
They'll read

"The band will lead the march up the street"

and end with "Good night, sleep tight".