Learning to read is one of the most significant milestones in a child’s education, and decodable texts play a crucial role in this journey. These specially designed books align with sequenced phonics instruction, allowing children to apply what they’ve learned about letters and sounds to real words and stories. This connection builds confidence, fluency, and comprehension skills that form the foundation for literacy.

Decodable texts are supported by decades of research. Studies show that systematic, explicit phonics instruction—paired with practice in decodable texts—is the most effective way to teach early reading skills. By giving children texts that match their phonics knowledge, we set them up for success and prevent the frustration that can come from encountering words beyond their skill level.

At Mossflower Press, we embrace this evidence-based approach. Our decodable books are thoughtfully designed to make learning to read both effective and delightful, ensuring that every child experiences the joy of turning letters into stories.

Moonlit Mountain Readers follow a systematic research-based phonics progression. Each book provides concentrated decoding practice with new phonics features, building skills step by step. For instance, when introducing a digraph like "ch," early texts focus on simple three-phoneme words such as chop and much before gradually incorporating more complex words like chunk or stench. This intentional approach ensures that readers gain confidence with new concepts while reinforcing previously learned skills. View the detailed Scope and Sequence.