If you've ever watched your child learn their letter sounds and then wondered, "Okay... what do we do now?", you are not alone.

Knowing that m says /m/ and a says /a/ is one thing. Actually picking up a book and reading the words is another.

That in-between stage is exactly why I created Ram Has Jam Books.

I wanted simple books for children who are just beginning to sound out words. Books with short stories, familiar phonics patterns, and words that give children a chance to use what they've been learning instead of constantly running into words they aren't ready to read yet.

Because there is something pretty exciting about handing a child a book and having them realize they can actually read it.

What are Ram Has Jam Books?

Ram Has Jam is a series of decodable phonics books for beginning readers.

The books are designed to follow a gradual progression, starting with foundational letter sounds and simple CVC words and moving toward blends, digraphs, and longer vowel patterns.

The idea is simple: give children books that match the skills they are learning.

Instead of expecting a child who is just learning to blend sounds to read a typical children's story filled with spelling patterns they haven't learned yet, Ram Has Jam starts small.

Beginning readers don't need complicated plots. They need lots of opportunities to successfully read words.

Why I made Ram Has Jam

When I was teaching my own children to read, I kept coming back to the same problem, books that included far too advanced words even though they were marketed as level 1.I wanted books they could actually read instead of guessing. 

There are so many wonderful children's books available, but most are written for children who already have a fairly strong reading foundation. That's great for read-aloud time, but it can be frustrating when a child is just starting to decode.

A beginning reader might know a handful of letter sounds but still encounter words with silent e, vowel teams, blends, irregular spelling patterns, and other things they haven't been taught yet.

At that point, they have very few ways to figure the words out independently.

I wanted something different.

I wanted to make little books that felt like real books, but were simple enough that a beginning reader could work through them.

That became Ram Has Jam.

What makes a book decodable?

A decodable book is designed around the phonics patterns a child has been taught.

For example, a child who has learned short-vowel CVC words can use that knowledge to read words such as:

cat
map
sit
hop
sun

As children learn more phonics patterns, they can move into books that include those patterns too.

That's the progression behind Ram Has Jam.

The goal isn't to make every word in a book artificially simple forever. The goal is to start where the child is and gradually give them more to work with.

The Ram Has Jam reading progression

The current Ram Has Jam series has four levels, each designed for a different point in the beginning reading process.

Pre-Reader

The Pre-Reader set is the starting point for children who are working on letter sounds and beginning CVC words.

These books are especially simple and are meant to help children become comfortable connecting letters and sounds before they are expected to read longer stories.

It's a good place to start if your child is still building that basic foundation.

Level 1: CVC Words

This is where children begin reading their first short stories.

Level 1 focuses primarily on short-vowel CVC words, such as cat, jam, hen, fin, top, and pup.

The stories are short enough to feel manageable, but they are still stories.

At this stage, the goal isn't speed. It is helping children experience what it feels like to look at a word, work through the sounds, and figure it out.

Level 2: Blends and Digraphs

Once children are comfortable with simple CVC words, they are ready for more complicated sound patterns.

Level 2 introduces common blends and digraphs, including patterns such as sh, ch, th, wh, br, st, and cl.

The sentences and stories stay simple, and introduce new patterns gradually to give children plenty of opportunities to practice.

Level 3: Long Vowels and Silent E

Level 3 moves into long-vowel patterns and silent e, giving children another important piece of the phonics puzzle.

Words like make, bike, hope, and cube work differently from the simple CVC words children may have started with.

By this point, children have already built up quite a bit of decoding knowledge, so they have something to connect these new patterns to.

Why I care so much about keeping the books simple

A beginning reader needs to practice the skills they are learning.

If a book is so difficult that the child has to guess at most of the words, it becomes very hard for them to practice decoding independently.

I would much rather have a child proudly read a short, simple story from beginning to end than struggle through a book that is far beyond what they have been taught. That little moment of "I read it!" is worth a lot.

But aren't simple books boring?

Decodable books have a reputation for sometimes sounding unnatural because writers are working within a limited set of phonics patterns. There is a real challenge in telling an interesting story while keeping the words within a beginning reader's reach.

That's part of the fun of creating them. The stories don't need to be complicated, but they should still give children something to wonder about, laugh at, or want to read again.

And honestly, young children tend to be pretty forgiving about a silly story when they can read it themselves.

Who are Ram Has Jam Books for?

Ram Has Jam Books are designed for children who are in the early stages of learning to read, including children who are:

• learning letter sounds

• beginning to blend sounds together

• reading simple CVC words

• ready for their first decodable stories

• practicing short vowels

• learning blends and digraphs

• beginning to read words with silent e

• looking for books they can read independently

They can work well for families practicing reading at home, homeschool families, tutors, teachers, or anyone looking for simple phonics-based reading practice.

And because the books are small and short, they are easy to pull out for a few minutes of reading practice without making the whole experience feel like a formal lesson.

A simple way to practice reading at home

You don't need a complicated schedule, try setting aside about ten minutes a day.

Spend a few minutes reviewing the letter sounds or phonics pattern your child is working on. Then choose a Ram Has Jam book that matches those skills and let your child read it.

If they get stuck, give them a little time to look at the letters and try to work through the word. You can help when they need it, but whenever possible, give them the chance to figure out the word themselves.

Start where your child is

One of the biggest mistakes we can make with beginning reading is choosing books based on where we want a child to be instead of where they actually are.

If your child is still learning letter sounds, start there. If they are blending CVC words, give them CVC books. If they are ready for blends and digraphs, move up.

A strong reading foundation is built one skill at a time, with plenty of repetition along the way.

Ready to find the right set?

 

Beginning reading made simple.