For young readers beginning their fantastic journey into the world of books, there’s no better way to start than the ReadZone reading path.
Designed by experts and reading specialists, the path introduces first readers to short stories not exceeding fifty words, brightly illustrated, covering a range of genres including humour, rhyme, fantasy, and drawing on a range of cultures.
As the journey progresses, the path introduces a higher frequency of words, richer language, and begins to break down stories into chapters, allowing learners to improve their reading at their own pace and eventually launching into mainstream books as fully-fledged readers.
Which is the right level?
Level 1: Robins
These short stories are perfect to read to young children or to encourage them to begin reading by themselves.
Titles include: Billy on the Ball, Cave-baby and the Mammoth, and the Not So Silly Sausage
Level 2: Redstarts
Written in consultation with reading specialists, Redstarts are fun rhyming stories for young children just beginning to read.
Titles include: The Cat in the Coat, Croc by the Rock and Pear Under the Stairs
“Pear Under the Stairs is currently my daughter’s favourite book. We read it together every night and the progress she’s making with her reading is remarkable.”
Lucy - teacher from Kent
Level 3: Magpies
Using a high frequency of words, repetition and rich language, magpies are ideal for children starting to enjoy reading.
Titles include: I Wish I Was an Alien, The Disappearing Cheese, and The Clumsy Cow
Level 4: Swifts
A series of short colourfully illustrated fiction for newly independent readers. Very new readers might tackle a chapter at a time, while more independent readers would be happy to read a complete story in one sitting.
Titles include: The Flamingo Who Forgot, The Grumpy Queen, and Space Cadets to the Rescue
Level 5: Skylarks
Skylarks is a series of fiction books divided into chapters which cover a wide range of genres from adventure humour and fairy tales to fantasy, mystery and science fiction. Each story comprises approximately 2,000 words broken in seven or eight chapters and illustrated in full cover with a range of artwork styles, with one or two images per spread.
Titles include: The Emperor’s New Clothes, Noah’s Shark, and Awkward Annie