Where to get phonetically decodable books? Reading quest?

[Pozzled]

I'm looking for some reading books for my reception child which support the synthetic phonics approach. We're using songbirds which I think are great, and a set of ORT which include both phonics based and more old fashioned ones. I've had a look on Google and similar books seem to be really expensive. Does anyone know of any cheap deals?

Or would you recommend Reading Quest as a good solution? I'm quite tempted by it but would love to hear from anyone who has used it.

I used Reading Chest with ds when he was in Year 1, on red level, and very despondent about reading - he wasn't getting anywhere on ORT. I could have used decodable books from my own school, but it was a big deal when the big envelope came through the door addressed to him! Within 6 months he had rocketed through about 5 book bands and it made all the difference.

I have a set of 60 paperback "Read Write Inc" phonics books - 10 books for each level, up to level 6. (Once dd could read those easily, she just went on to "normal" books. She is a very good reader now.) If you are interested, you can have the lot for £30 including P&P - just pm me.
Or else you could get them from Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/Read-Write-Inc-Phonics-Storybooks/dp/0198462530/ref=pd_sim_b_5

I have the same books as cavell. I really like them.

I find them a bit dry, actually - the good thing about Reading Chest is that you get a variety, so we read Floppy's Phonics, Project X phonics, Phonics Bug, etc.

Well, I guess all children are different. DD liked (most) of the Read Write Inc stuff, but hated Biff, Chip & Kipper (as did I).

Reading chest is fab!!!

Our local library has lots of phonics books too so worth looking there.

You can look at the Oxford owl website, I think it has a couple of RWI books you can try online first...

Thanks everyone. Some good ideas there. Our local library only have a handful of phonics book, but I grab them whenever I see them! Oxford Owl looks good and I'll have a look at those RWI books, cavell - thanks for the suggestion.

And of course I did mean Reading Chest, not quest. Not quite sure where I got the quest from!

I didn't do RC as I wanted to buy some books and keep for DD and although it looks good I didn't want to pay to borrow. We did the RWI books, yes they are a bit dry but they are a means to an ends and very thorough with the sounds, only did up to level 4 and a few level 5s. I also have a library of magic key stories, groan...

The RWI other series, simple phonics ones like in the bath went down well too.

We've had these - Dandelion readers - £20 for 10, but you get half or more of that back if you resell on ebay afterwards

and songbirds

and I'm contemplating these Mn phonics shoppy thing - £25 for 19 books, no idea what resale is like but prob not bad

Reading Chest is about £1 a book, isn't it?

Personally I'm not a fan of the RWI materials (although the programme does get results in many schools) there are much more interesting phonics books available

You can't buy them so cheap though?

£8.50 for about 10 books is quite good value . I might splash out on something else for DD though. School hand out the RWI..

The Book People periodically have the complete Songbirds collection for £15
www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&productId=218821

£15 for 36 books is better value though

Yeah, have songbirds, but other stuff to complement..?

The book people are doing the ort songbird series by Julia Donaldson for Gbp 15. Bargain.

Songbirds we did to level 3 but got a bit samey so good to swap....each to his iwn though...

Oh, you got there before me mrz.

Own....bloomin phone

MrsZ - thanks for the link - I have been after the Songbirds books as DD loves them.

I'm a recent convert to the Dandelion Readers mentioned earlier.

My school uses a variety of reading scheme books in KS1

Songbirds
Phonics Bugs
Comics for Phonics
Rapid Phonics
Project X Phonics
Big Cat Phonics
Alphablocks
Floppy's phonics
Rag Tag Rhymes

I've requested the Dandelion books and the Talisman scheme for older children as well as the Sounds-Write books to give even greater breadth of reading.

Thanks for the list mrz, and everyone for your suggestions. I have the Songbirds set, and didn't realise that there were extra sets as well, so I might look at some of those.

If only DD's school had some of these books, rather than ones which encourage her to use the initial sound and guess work. Grrr.

Get the PTA to buy some new ones. .

My favourites for cost, amount of practice, story content, and standard of research on effectiveness are BRI (Beginning Reading Instruction) from www.piperbooks.co.uk.
Children also like them!