The books that help children learn to read that also come with helpful guidance for parents and carers

Bishop's Stortford College Prep School librarian Lizzie Hall writes about the magic of storytelling...

Dear Reader. If your child is at the stage of learning to read in lockdown, fear not, there are so many materials out there for early readers that also provide guidance to parents and carers.

Here are some reading schemes and resources suggestions to support your child as they acquire their reading wings and fly!

Read it Yourself with Ladybird

Read it Yourself with Ladybird is one of Ladybird's best-selling reading series. For over 35 years it has helped young children who are learning to read to develop and improve their reading skills.

Each Read it Yourself book is very carefully written to include many key, high-frequency words that are vital for learning to read, as well as a limited number of story words that are introduced and practised throughout. Simple sentences and frequently repeated words help to build the confidence of beginner readers. And the four different levels of books support children all the way from very first reading through to independent, fluent reading.

Each book has been carefully checked by educational consultants and can be read independently at home or used in a guided reading session at school. Further content includes comprehension puzzles, helpful notes for parents, carers and teachers and book band information for use in schools.

Read with Oxford

Read with Oxford offers an exciting range of carefully-levelled reading books to build your child's reading confidence. They feature fabulous characters like Biff and Chip, Winnie the Witch and Bob Bug. Favourite authors include Julia Donaldson, Steve Cole, Narinder Dhami, and Jeanne Willis.

The Read with Oxford stages have been developed by reading experts to help you choose which books to use at home to support your child, from their first steps in phonics all the way through to being independent readers.

Each of the six stages are colour coded and underpinned by a simple statement to help you choose, at a glance, the right stage for your child. Read with Oxford stages are also aligned with the Oxford levels and book bands used in schools so that you can match Read with Oxford books to those your child brings home from school.

You can find practical advice, free eBooks and fun activities to help your child progress at oxfordowl.co.uk.

Key Words with Peter and Jane by Ladybird

A flash card set accompanies this Key Words series from Ladybird. Containing the 100 key words that make up 50% of those we read, write and speak every day, it is suitable for building reading confidence and more.

Phonics Flashcards by Usborne

Each card shows a picture of a familiar word, its alphabetical spelling and breakdown of its phonetic components, with one card for each of the 44 basic phonemes in English.

Synthetic phonic learning is the process of reading by sounding the individual sounds of a word and then blending them together to read the word as a whole.

Usborne Very First Reading series

The new Usborne Very First Reading series is designed for younger children to introduce them to reading together with their parents. Parents and children take turns to read from the page - the text is clearly marked for who should be reading - and as the books progress in the series, the adults read less and the child more.

Jolly Phonics Workshop by Sue Lloyd and Sara Wernham

These 24-page workbooks are a fun way for children to put their skills into practice. The first books have simple letter recognition, while later books introduce joined-up (cursive) writing and the alternative spellings of the vowels.

Strategies for tricky spellings and challenging puzzles for developing phonic skills are also provided. Each book also contains a checklist which can be used to assess progress. Ages 4+.

Read Write Inc.: My Reading and Writing Kit by Oxford University Press

A specially developed kit to introduce your child to phonics and support their first steps in learning to read and write, based around Ruth Miskin's successful Read Write Inc. Phonics programme.

Easy Phonic Words by Mairi MacKinnon

This lively book helps young readers develop their phonics awareness, a vital early step to literacy.

Based on the principles of synthetic phonics, this title supports the Government's Letters and Sounds programme used in schools. Irresistible illustrations by Fred Blunt make each page a treat.