The DOG ON A LOG Book series helps kids, including kids with dyslexia, learn to read. They are sound out books that start with just a few phonics rules. Each following Step of books adds a few more phonics rules and sight words. This gradual progression lets kids learn to read without feeling so overwhelmed. The word list below will help you decide where in the series your child should start. For added practice, free printable game boards, flashcards, handwriting sheets, and more can be downloaded from the DOG ON A LOG Books website.
The (purple) Let's GO! books have less text for new or less confident readers. The (red) chapter books are longer for more reading practice. Kids enjoy these stories that get more complex and longer as more phonics are added throughout the series.
Books can be purchased individually or as collection volumes. This is an individual Step 4 Let’s GO! Book.
The “Look Inside” feature will help you see if this book is right for your child.
Additional information on using this series is available in the kindle book HOW TO USE DECODABLE BOOKS TO TEACH READING.
DOG ON A LOG Books follow a structured literacy/Orton Gillingham phonics progression.
DOG ON A LOG "What Step Should We Start With" Word List
Have your child read the following words. If they can’t read every word in a Step, that is probably the step they should start with. For some kids, you may want to start at an earlier Step so they can build confidence in their reading ability.
Step 1
fin, mash, sock, sub, cat, that, Dan’s
Step 2
less, bats, tell, mall, chips, whiff, falls
Step 3
bangs, dank, honk, pings, chunk, sink, gong, rungs
Step 4
silk, fluff, smash, krill, drop, slim, whisk
Step 5
hunch, crate, rake, tote, inch, mote, lime
Step 6
child, molts, fold, hind, jolt, post, colds
Step 7
strive, scrape, splint, twists, crunch, prints, blend
Step 8
finish, denim, within, bathtub, sunset, medic, habit
Step 9
hundred, goldfinch, free, wheat, inhale, play, Joe
Step 10
be, remake, spry, repeat, silo, sometime, pinwheel
Many early reader books or leveled books are written so they cannot be sounded out. Kids often struggle and grow frustrated when they can’t sound out the words. However, kids who have been taught the phonics in DOG ON A LOG Books can be proud when they are able to sound out and read almost every word.
Paper books have black and white images. The books are optimized for learners with dyslexia. They have cream colored paper and large Verdana font. Research has shown Verdana is one of the most dyslexia-friendly fonts.
More DOG ON A LOG Books:
DOG ON A LOG Pup Books
---Before the Squiggle Code (Pre-Reading Skills)
---The Squiggle Code (Learning Letters and Words)
---Kids’ Squiggles (First Stories)
DOG ON A LOG Parent and Teacher Guides
---Teaching a Struggling Reader: One Mom’s Experience with Dyslexia
---How to Use Decodable Books to Teach Reading
You can read the complete DOG ON A LOG Phonics Progression (Scope and Sequence) at the DOG ON A LOG Books website.
You can print a copy of the Quick Assessment Tool ("What Step Should We Start With" Word List) at the DOG ON A LOG Books website.
WATCH FOR MORE STEPS AND BOOKS COMING SOON
My child needed an ongoing supply of systematic phonics books that use an Orton-Gillingham approach. Finding such books proved to be a nearly impossible task so I decided to write them myself. I want to share our books with new readers and their families. I also want to make them affordable. All books are available in both digital and paper editions. The most cost-effective version is a digital collection of five same-step books. The paperback version of the five book collections is a bit more, but is still a lot less expensive than buying the individual paper books. Due to production costs, the individual paperbacks are the most expensive way to buy these books. However, these books give kids a chance to hold a book and say, "I read this WHOLE book." Since every family will have different needs and different budgets, I am making the books available in multiple formats. All the paperbacks have black and white pictures to keep prices down. The digital books all have color pictures. As our reading journey progresses I will continue to write books for my daughter and to share them with other families. I was not going to include artwork because that is not my talent. However, my daughter was adamant she wanted her books to include pictures. I may not be able to draw, but I can photoshop. I thoroughly enjoy adapting public domain images to each story. I am grateful to the artists who have made their images available for public domain uses. These sweet images give my daughter a break when the reading is challenging. I hope other new readers will be entertained by these stories as they practice, and master, each step of their reading journey.
