I was approached by a very frustrated 2nd grade teacher. She lamented about kids who weren’t reading at a 2nd grade level, English as a second language kids, and kids who were struggling.  “Why,” she asked, “can’t you create a book for 2nd or 3rd graders with characters that age, but only use those 150 1st grade words?” Challenge accepted. 

It’s a fact that students are behind when it comes to reading. If a child doesn’t master those first 150 sight words in 1st grade, what are they going to read in 2nd and 3rd grades? Baby books? Imagine an advanced concept chapter-like book, with a 460 Lexile Level. 

Ben Wise and the Purple Dragon looks like a chapter book, but isn’t. It’s an 88 page, 675 word book, complete with illustrations on each page. It’s a book unlike any other, as it mainly uses those first 150 sight words, yet tells a story that older kids can relate to. 

This Early Reader, Guided Reading Level H, 460L Lexile Leveled book is MADE for those struggling readers. It’s different, new, and a way to get kids reading. 

Let’s get the conversation going on tools we can use to meet these struggling readers where they are, with books they can relate to. There’s nothing better than to have a struggling reader get to the end of a book and discover they’ve just read 675 words!