Quill Booker's Letter Nest
Six free books that take a child from their very first letter sound to reading whole sentences on their own. Eighteen sounds, six animal friends, and not a single word they have to guess.
Six free books that take a child from their very first letter sound to reading whole sentences on their own. Eighteen sounds, six animal friends, and not a single word they have to guess.
Most picture books cannot actually be read by a child who is learning to read. They are written to be read aloud by an adult, so they are full of words a beginner has no way to work out. The child guesses from the pictures, gets it wrong, and quietly concludes that reading is something they are bad at.
Every Letter Nest story is decodable. That means every word in Book 1 can be sounded out using only the four sounds Book 1 teaches. The child reads it themselves, correctly, the first time. That is the whole point, and it changes how they see themselves as a reader.
Modelled on a twenty minute daily phonics routine. Predictable on purpose, because the routine is what builds the habit.
A warm welcome page that sets up the story. Vocabulary and enjoyment come before any letters.
An oral game: rhyming, clapping syllables, spotting first sounds. No print involved at all yet.
Each new letter with a mouth cue. What it looks like, and exactly how to make the sound.
Quill swaps letter tiles to show that changing one sound changes the whole word.
A short story using only letters already taught, plus one or two clearly flagged sight words.
A word list to celebrate what they can now read, and a note for you on what comes next.
Read them in order. Letters are strictly cumulative, so every story only ever uses sounds from the books before it.
Every book in the Nest is becoming a read-along video, where each word lights up as it is read, at a pace a beginner can actually follow.
Watch it together once, then close it and let them read the same book on their own. The video is the model. The book is the practice.
Rereading builds the fluency and confidence that make the next book easier. A book is not finished the first time through.
Before blending a word, point to each letter and say its sound first. Sounds apart, then sounds together, in that order.
Mixing up short e and short i, or needing several tries to blend, is normal and expected at this stage.
A cheerful fifteen minutes beats an hour that ends in frustration for either of you.
Go over old letters every time, even when a book introduces new ones. Old material should stay easier and more frequent than new.
Say "sss" rather than "ess". Letter names do not blend into words, and mixing them in makes blending harder to learn.
If your child finds one stage consistently difficult even with plenty of relaxed practice, it is always reasonable to mention it to their pediatrician, preschool teacher, or a speech and language specialist. Early support is easier and more effective than waiting.
Every book and every video is free to read, watch, and print. If Quill Booker helped someone you know learn to read, help us make the next set.