New Ready to Read Phonics Plus books out now
14 July 2025
A set of six new Ready to Read Phonics Plus books are out now, adding to the resources that are already available to help you bring structured literacy approaches into the classroom.
We’ve sent physical copies of the books straight to primary schools and kura using The New Zealand Curriculum, and you can find the digital versions here:
- The Pin Tin – Kākano 1
- Wish Wish Wish – Kākano 3
- Boss of the Hill – Tupu 1
- On the Ridge – Tupu 1
- A Theme Tune – Tupu 2
- Drawing in the Forest – Rākau
You can refer to the updated Book Phase Overviews on Tāhūrangi to find out where the new books fit in the suggested teaching order.
New Big Book version of At the Marae
At the Marae has been re-sized to better support phonics sequencing and decoding. It contains a higher number of complex kupu Māori not covered in the English decodable series at that stage, making it challenging for early readers, especially those with dyslexia or other literacy needs. In the Ready to Read Phonics Plus series, English words are carefully selected to match taught letter-sound patterns, with only a few non-decodable words introduced explicitly. Because At the Marae includes many non-decodable words, it’s best suited for shared reading, where adults can guide and support understanding. No other titles in the series have been affected by this change.
At the Marae remains available for classroom use and has been re-formatted into a large ‘big book’ edition, ideal for shared reading sessions. Please be assured that At the Marae remains available for classroom use and has been re-formatted into a large ‘big book’ edition, ideal for shared reading sessions. The teaching notes in the back of At the Marae have been updated so that teachers can confidently use the new big book format to support structured approaches to literacy. We’ve sent physical copies of the new big book straight to primary schools and kura using The New Zealand Curriculum, and you can find the digital version here:
Supporting resource: Ready to Read Phonics Plus Te Reo Māori Kete cards
At the Marae provides opportunities to explore tikanga, or protocols, when visiting a marae, and promotes the use of te reo Māori in the classroom. Use the Ready to Read Phonics Plus Te Reo Māori Kete cards (sent to schools in 2023) to introduce new kupu Māori and explore the whakapapa of terms in the book. A sequencing activity using the cards is included in the updated teaching notes. Replacement copies of the Ready to Read Phonics Plus Te Reo Māori Kete cards may be ordered from the Down the Back of the Chair website.