“Can I really teach my child to read?”
Yes, you can! And you don’t need a teaching degree or hours of preparation. Simply open the book and begin. A Parent’s Guide walks you through each step, with an instruction sheet before every story. After several weeks of practice, your child will be sounding out his very first story and discovering the satisfaction of reading a whole “book”! By the time children finish Little Stories in first grade, they are reading a full year above grade level.
“I was very worried about my ability to teach my daughter to read. However, Little Stories for Little Folks made the process a JOY! Each book had a bite-size lesson which built on the lesson before. It was perfect. —Melissa, MN
“Can I really teach my child to read?”
Yes, you can! And you don’t need a teaching degree or hours of preparation. Simply open the book and begin. A Parent’s Guide walks you through each step, with an instruction sheet before every story. After several weeks of practice, your child will be sounding out his very first story and discovering the satisfaction of reading a whole “book”! By the time children finish Little Stories in first grade, they are reading a full year above grade level.
“I was very worried about my ability to teach my daughter to read. However, Little Stories for Little Folks made the process a JOY! Each book had a bite-size lesson which built on the lesson before. It was perfect. —Melissa, MN
Catholic stories your child will beg to read
The Catholic faith is integrated naturally into Little Stories, just as it is in your home. Your child reads about a family hoping to glimpse the pope on television and a cat who is sad he cannot go to Mass with everyone else. Other stories follow a child learning to do a good job cleaning his room or learning to obey. Reading and character grow together, story by story.
“After reading the booklet ‘Messy Room,’ he said to me, ‘Mom, I want to clean my room better too.’” —Jamie, RI
Catholic stories your child will beg to read
The Catholic faith is integrated naturally into Little Stories, just as it is in your home. Your child reads about a family hoping to glimpse the pope on television and a cat who is sad he cannot go to Mass with everyone else. Other stories follow a child learning to do a good job cleaning his room or learning to obey. Reading and character grow together, story by story.
“After reading the booklet ‘Messy Room,’ he said to me, ‘Mom, I want to clean my room better too.’” —Jamie, RI
Why families love Little Stories
- Your child reads a full year above grade level by the end of first grade.
- One book covers two full years, kindergarten through first grade.
- No prep time or special training is required!
- The faith is woven throughout the program in a natural way.
“I thought teaching reading had to be tedious and expensive to be effective. The content in Little Stories was much richer than the secular boxed set I tried.” —Dalia, PA
More than 10,000 families have taught their children to read with Little Stories for Little Folks. You can read some of their stories in the photos and reviews at the bottom of this page.
Why families love Little Stories
- Your child reads a full year above grade level by the end of first grade.
- One book covers two full years, kindergarten through first grade.
- No prep time or special training is required!
- The faith is woven throughout the program in a natural way.
“I thought teaching reading had to be tedious and expensive to be effective. The content in Little Stories was much richer than the secular boxed set I tried.” —Dalia, PA
More than 10,000 families have taught their children to read with Little Stories for Little Folks. You can read some of their stories in the photos and reviews at the bottom of this page.
What makes Little Stories different from other phonics programs?
Many programs begin with abstract phonics drill that a child must master before beginning to read. Little Stories shortens that runway. Your child builds a foundation of letters and sounds in the early weeks, then moves quickly into reading real stories. With the very first story, he discovers he can read a whole “book”! Each success makes the next one easier, and before long you have an eager reader with strong word-attack skills.
(To learn how Little Stories allows children to advance faster, read How is Little Stories for Little Folks Different from Other Phonics Programs?)
What makes Little Stories different from other phonics programs?
Many programs begin with abstract phonics drill that a child must master before beginning to read. Little Stories shortens that runway. Your child builds a foundation of letters and sounds in the early weeks, then moves quickly into reading real stories. With the very first story, he discovers he can read a whole “book”! Each success makes the next one easier, and before long you have an eager reader with strong word-attack skills.
(To learn how Little Stories allows children to advance faster, read How is Little Stories for Little Folks Different from Other Phonics Programs?)
For eager and reluctant readers alike
Little Stories was written for the ordinary child, the one who squirms through seatwork and wants to read a real story now, not next year. Nancy Nicholson designed it to fit children across a wide range of abilities, and it works as well for the reluctant reader as for the eager one.
Consider the very first child who ever used Little Stories. She had stalled with another phonics program, then took off the moment she switched to Little Stories. She went on to earn a perfect reading score on the SAT and a Ph.D. in literature. Today she leads CHC. (Listen to her tell the story in this interview.)
For eager and reluctant readers alike
Little Stories was written for the ordinary child, the one who squirms through seatwork and wants to read a real story now, not next year. Nancy Nicholson designed it to fit children across a wide range of abilities, and it works as well for the reluctant reader as for the eager one.
Consider the very first child who ever used Little Stories. She had stalled with another phonics program, then took off the moment she switched to Little Stories. She went on to earn a perfect reading score on the SAT and a Ph.D. in literature. Today she leads CHC. (Listen to her tell the story in this interview.)
What is included:
- A Parent’s Guide with step-by-step instructions and an instruction sheet for every story
- 45 fold-up story booklets and 25 worksheets
- Reading charts for all four levels, plus a Certificate of Completion
- Alphabet and sound-blend flashcards on cardstock
- Silly Willy Grammar Game tiles on cardstock
- All in one! Pages are perforated for easy removal of consumable components. 302 pgs.
The early lessons are short and sweet by design. You can see how CHC increases the difficulty level in the later grades on the CHC Journey.
What is included:
- A Parent’s Guide with step-by-step instructions and an instruction sheet for every story
- 45 fold-up story booklets and 25 worksheets
- Reading charts for all four levels, plus a Certificate of Completion
- Alphabet and sound-blend flashcards on cardstock
- Silly Willy Grammar Game tiles on cardstock
- All in one! Pages are perforated for easy removal of consumable components. 302 pgs.
The early lessons are short and sweet by design. You can see how CHC increases the difficulty level in the later grades on the CHC Journey.
Companion Books
While Little Stories stands on its own, three companion workbooks integrate the same phonics into handwriting and spelling. Children learn to read even faster when reading, penmanship, and spelling reinforce each other.
Kindergarten:
Catholic Heritage Handwriting K
Grade 1:
Catholic Heritage Handwriting 1
My Very First Catholic Speller
Companion Books
While Little Stories stands on its own, three companion workbooks integrate the same phonics into handwriting and spelling. Children learn to read even faster when reading, penmanship, and spelling reinforce each other.
Kindergarten:
Catholic Heritage Handwriting K
Grade 1:
Catholic Heritage Handwriting 1
My Very First Catholic Speller
Four basic steps, followed in sequence, lead to fluency in reading.
- Letter and Sound Recognition: First, the child masters the names and most common consonant and short vowel sounds of all the letters of the alphabet.
- Pre-Reading Blends: Next, the student learns to blend letter sounds to create and read short-vowel words.
- Ready to Read: The student begins reading short stories constructed with short-vowel words. As the student progresses through the four levels of stories, new vowel and consonant sounds and blends are gradually introduced, as shown in the chart below. When the student completes Level Four, he will be reading at a second- to third-grade level.
- Practice for Fluency: The final step, practice, leads to fluency.
Level 1
Short Vowel a
Short Vowel o
Practice: Short Vowels a and o
Short Vowel i
Short Vowel u
Sound of oo
Short Vowel e
Practice: All Short Vowels
Sound of Ending -le
Sound of sh
Sounds of th and all
Sounds of ir, er, ur; Ending –y as Long e
Practice: ir and er
Practice: All Sounds
Practice: Ending –y as Long e
Level 2
Long Vowel a with Signal e
Long a as ay, ai; Sound of –ck
Long Vowel i with Signal e
Long Vowel u with Signal e; Sound of ar
Long Vowel o with Signal e
Long o as oa; Sound of or
Sound of –old
Long e as ee, ea
Practice: Long e as ee, ea
More Sounds of oo
Level 3
Silent k; Sounds of ch and –ew
Suffix –ed
Sound of aw, au
Sound of oi, oy; Suffix –ing
Ending –y as Long i; Suffix –ies
Sound of ow, ou
Sound of c as s
Sounds of wh; Sound of ch as k
Sound of qu
Silent –gh; Long a as ei; Contractions
Level 4
Long i with Silent –gh; Long o as ow
Silent –gh with ou and au
Would, Could, Should
Sounds of –ion, –sion, –tion
Sound of f as ph; Sound of -sian
Suffix –ied
Sound of –tch
Sound of g as j in ge and -dge
Sound of squ-
Sound of f as gh
Product Code: LSLF-7
Format: Softcover
Binding: Perfect bound
Page Count: 302 pages (perforated)
Dimensions: 8.5″×11″
ISBN: 9781946207937
Returnable? Yes, view return policy.
Consumable? Yes, purchase one per student.
Answer key: None required.
Nancy Nicholson is one of the founding authors of Catholic Heritage Curricula. Equipped with an abundance of God-given talent, a major in Secondary Education–English, and years of experience homeschooling her own children, she has written over thirty educational titles, beginning with Little Stories for Little Folks. Her unique ability to develop programs and workbooks that “fit” both advanced and struggling students is due to her experience raising children of different ability levels and learning styles: two of her children are developmentally challenged, while another went on to graduate from Cornell and is now a college professor.
The illustrator, Andrea Helen Smith, is a self-taught writer, artist, and embroiderer. She grew up in Mississippi, where her parents homeschooled her. She devotes herself to creating products that are unique, beautiful, and enriching to the heart and soul.
Q: What is the difference between the 6th and 7th editions?
A: The 6th and 7th editions have identical content and page numbers. The 7th edition has new illustrations by Catholic artist Andrea Helen Smith and is perfect bound with perforated pages; the 6th edition is illustrated by the author and is gum-bound with tear-out pages. Either edition can be used with CHC Lesson Plans for Kindergarten and CHC Lesson Plans for First Grade.
Q: What reading level will my child be at once he has completed Little Stories?
A: When a student completes all four levels of stories in Little Stories for Little Folks, he is reading at a second- to third-grade level. The majority of children finish Little Stories in first grade, which means that they are reading a full year above grade level.
Q: Why teach phonics rather than sight reading/”whole language” reading? And how is Little Stories for Little Folks different from other phonics programs?
A: Good questions! You can learn about these important topics in the article “What Is Phonics?”.
Q: I am using CHC Lesson Plans for Kindergarten, which includes a daily schedule for Little Stories. Do I have to follow the schedule in the lesson plan, or can I go more slowly/quickly?
A: Please do proceed through the lessons at your child’s pace, whether that is slower or faster than the schedule laid out in the lesson plans. Children’s literacy skills develop at markedly different rates in the early years. Some children are still sounding out words until they are seven, but then reading suddenly “clicks,” and they rapidly advance to the level of their peers. The key is to proceed at the child’s own pace, rather than pushing a child to keep up with artificial standards or keeping a child from advancing when he is eager to learn more. Remember, in homeschooling there is no such thing as “ahead” or “behind”!
Q: My child has already started learning to read with another program. Where do we start in Little Stories for Little Folks?
A: If your child has begun with a different phonics program and is now switching to Little Stories for Little Folks, take a few days to review the concepts at the beginning of Little Stories for Little Folks, following the detailed directions in this article.
Photo submitted by Mary Rose, VA.
Photo submitted by Andrea, GA.
Photo submitted by Ashley, PA.
Photo submitted by Emily, TX.
Photo submitted by Melissa, WA.
“My daughter is really enjoying Little Stories for Little Folks. It all just clicks with her and she is zooming along!” —Kacey, CO
Photo submitted by Margaret, NY.
Photo submitted by Jennifer, KY.
Photo submitted by Pamela, TX.
Photo submitted by Kathryn, MI.
“My 5-year-old proudly reading ‘Little Ann’ (level 1 book 9) to his happy 3-year-old sister!” —Julianne, NY
Photo submitted by Jennifer, KY.
Photo submitted by Juli, IL.
Photo submitted by Joan Claire, OR.
“The Silly Willy Grammar Game makes them laugh out loud!” —Luzaideth, FL
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