Decodable books for emergent readers are very popular, however, not all decodable books are created equal.

When you think of decodable books, Bob Books and Dick and Jane Books are probably the brands that comes to mind. They are reputable, credible and tend to dominate the decodable book market. The challenge with some of these books is that they are basic, boring and lack story line.

Once your emergent reader is ready for something more than these basic decodable books, the next level of books available are chapter books. Something your young reader may not be ready for.

We created our books to fit between the basic phonics books (Bob Books) and the advanced chapter books that are out on the market.

Check out these 8 reasons that make Learn to Read Books different to other decodable books.

1) Our decodable books target a main reading code.

All our books are focused on a specific reading code. This means, all your child needs to know is the reading code for that book series and the pronunciation for that reading code. Focusing on a reading code allows us to create these books with much more than basic one to two syllable words. As long as your child knows how to decode, they should get through most of the words by decoding. If not the first time, then definitely the more they practice.

Before your child begins reading our books, they should already know how to decode words. (if not check out our Free Basic Starter Kit).

2) Our decodable books have colorful vibrant graphics.

We know a picture is worth a thousand words, so it was important for us to make sure our graphics were clear, colorful and vibrant.

Many decodable books on the marketplace today lack color and graphics. We wanted the graphics we used to pull in young readers and keep them focused. As we watch some of our young readers work through the books, we can see their curious eyes looking at the graphics and piecing the story together. Many go back and forth between the pages to look at the graphics.

3) Our decodable books have meaningful stories.

We may not be able to control what our child consumes 24 hours of the day. However, what we can control is what our children are consuming while they are learning. That's why we've created each story a meaningful one. Whether it's about cleaning the planet, being respectful and inclusive - in each book there is some sort of lesson for our young reader to learn.

This type of story is missing in the basic decodable phonics books. Which is why it was important for us to include this important dimension in our books.

4) Our decodable books have memorable characters.

The byproduct of creating meaningful stories with colorful and vibrant photos made space for the young reader to connect with the characters in the book. This was something that we didn't expect as our focus wasn't on creating memorable characters.

Here is one of our young readers sharing who his favorite character is in the Dirk the Bird Series.

5) Our decodable books fill a gap in the market place.

Once we realized the missing link in learning to read was the reading codes we had a difficult time finding books focused on those reading codes. We created these books to fill the gap in the decodable book market place. They fit between Bob's Books and the chapter phonics books out in the marketplace.

6) Our decodable books have 5 levels per series.

Each reading code has 5 books per series, numbered from 1 to 5. Books 1 and 2 tend to be simple stories, repetitive and one line per page. Books 3, 4 and 5 have a little more words, less repetitive and a little more action.

Our goal for each book series is two fold. One, to reach emergent readers at whatever level they may be at currently. Two, encouraging growth as the emergent reader works through the series.

7) Our decodable books have 5 free book extensions.

Each book has 5 free downloadable extensions directly relating to the book. This means with a full 5 book series, your young reader would have 25 free extensions. The combination of reading the books and completing the extensions solidifies your child's learning the reading code.

Some of these extensions are comprehension questions, cut and sequence activities, memory, printing activities and much more. What ties it all together is the vocabulary that comes from the book they just read.

8) Our decodable books have additional resources.

If your child needs more than just the 25 extensions per book series, then we also offer additional activities in our store. These activities are focused on the general reading code. Games like Bingo, Flash Cards, Go Fish and Bingo. They are overall fun games for your young reader and they won't even realize they are educational!

These are the 8 things that make our books different. But, what probably makes them even more unique is the 5 Week Step by Step Guide available that ties it all together.

As one of our emergent reader's mother told us: "These are more than just books! It's the books, extensions and activities. They really do inspire learning!"

We certainly do want to inspire learning and the enjoyment of reading!

The Sister Duo (Lisa and Nicole)