Read with Oxford Stage 1
Find books from Read with Oxford Stage 1, with tips to help your child with reading at home.
What is Read with Oxford Stage 1?
First steps – I am starting to use letter sounds to read simple words
Read with Oxford Stage 1 is for children who are ready to start learning to read. They will enjoy listening to stories and will be beginning to recognise letter sounds and read simple words.
Approximate age: 3–4
School: Early Years
Equivalent to: Oxford Levels 1, 1+ | Book Bands Lilac, Pink
Is Stage 1 right for my child?
Children at Read with Oxford Stage 1 can usually:
- Enjoy sharing and talking about books.
- Join in with songs and nursery rhymes.
- Recognise most of the letters of the alphabet and know one simple sound for each letter.
- Read a few simple words by sounding out and blending (for example, s-a-t, sat).
- Start to recognise a few common tricky words like ‘no’ and ‘the’.
- Talk about a story they have read or listened to.
- Relate books to experiences in their own lives.
- Concentrate for about 5–10 mins.
If you’re not sure which Stage is best for your child, try our simple test >
How can I help my child to read?
You’ll find lots of tips on helping your child learn to read in our Reading section, including:
- Learn to read with phonics: a parent guide
- Developing reading skills: Age 3–4 (Early years)
- Common reading issues
Visit our Reading section >
Sam’s Backpack and Other Stories
Join Sam on a camping trip with his special backpack, help Pip catch her dragon balloon, and find out what happens when Hen’s very big egg starts to crack!
Six captivating and engaging stories with clear phonics progression, ideal for children who are taking their first steps in reading.
Biff, Chip and Kipper: Silly Races and Other Stories
Play a game of ‘I Spy’ with Kipper, join in with the family’s silly races, and find out what happens on a trip to the seaside!
This collection contains two phonics books and three stories for wider reading. There are tips for parents and fun activities throughout the book for you and your child to enjoy together.
Biff, Chip and Kipper: Dad’s Birthday and Other Stories
Play a game of ‘I Spy’ with Biff, celebrate Dad’s birthday, and join the children as they dress up in funny costumes!
This collection contains two phonics books and three stories for wider reading. Tips for parents and fun activities throughout the book help you and your child enjoy reading together.
Biff, Chip and Kipper: Mum’s New Hat and Other Stories
Enjoy funny rhymes with Kipper, watch Biff and Chip’s magic show, and find out happens to Mum’s new hat on a windy day!
This collection of two phonics books and three stories is a fabulous introduction to phonics, and includes top tips and exciting activities to enjoy together.
Biff, Chip and Kipper: Picnic Fun and Other Stories
Play hide-and-seek with Kipper, make music with the family, and find out what happens when a picnic in the country doesn’t go to plan!
This collection contains two phonics books and three stories. Tips for parents and fun activities help you and your child to enjoy reading together.
Phonics: The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse and Other Tales
This beautifully illustrated Stage 1 book is filled with the traditional stories of ‘The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse’, ‘The Gingerbread Man’, ‘The Enormous Turnip’, and ‘Get the Rat’.
The tales have been re-written so that children can read for themselves and develop their phonics skills.
Julia Donaldson’s Songbirds: Bob Bug and Other Stories
Discover what life would be like being small with Bob Bug, find out if Top Cat becomes king of the garden, and learn how to make some tasty buns!
This collection of twelve fun stories by Julia Donaldson helps your child build phonics skills at home.
Non-fiction: Animals and Us
Find out more about the animals of the world, how they adapt to survive, and how they use tools just like us!
From dogs and lions to kingfishers and atlas moths, this collection is packed full of fascinating facts about both familiar and more unusual animals.
Non-fiction: Weather and Seasons
Find out more about the different seasons, how to be ready for all types of weather, and how the world around us changes from daytime to night-time!
This collection is packed full of incredible facts, with full-colour photos and artwork. The texts are phonics-based and have been specially written so that your child can read them for themselves. Tips for parents and fun after-reading activities help you to get the most out of the texts.
Helping your child to read
Helping Your Child to Read
This guide for parents provides the information and practical advice you need to support your child through each stage of their reading development, from their first steps in phonics all the way to reading independence.