Jane wanted to see the sunset from the high hilltop. She looked at her laptop to check the time. "The sun will go down soon," she said. She grabbed her big blue backpack to pack some treats for the trip. She went inside the kitchen to find a snack.
Jane put a sweet pink cupcake and a bag of salty popcorn into her backpack. She wanted to bring a hotdog too, but she did not have time to cook it. Instead, she took a cold bottle of water. She was ready for her walk, but she still needed her camp seat from the garden shed.
She ran outside and past the gray mailbox by the road. Her dog, Gus, ran after her. They walked past the sandbox where her little brother liked to play. Jane reached the old wooden shed. But when she tried to open the door, she saw a big padlock.
"Oh no," Jane whispered. She could not open the padlock because a thick cobweb was spun right over it. She did not want to brush the sticky web with her hands. She went back to get a red dustpan from the deck. She used the dustpan to sweep the cobweb away. Then she opened the padlock.
Jane grabbed her camp seat from the dim shed. She quickly locked the padlock again so the door would stay shut. With her heavy backpack on her back, she began her trek. The path was long, and she had to walk uphill. Gus wagged his tail and trotted right beside her.
Finally, they reached the very top of the grassy hilltop. The sky was filled with bright pink and yellow light. Jane set up her seat and sat down to watch the lovely sunset. She opened her backpack, ate her sweet cupcake, and gave some popcorn to Gus. It was a lovely trip.
“Jane's Sunset Hike” is a free printable decodable reader designed for 2nd students practicing compound words phonics patterns. This mini-book uses phonetically controlled vocabulary so beginning readers can successfully sound out nearly every word in the story, building confidence and reinforcing the specific phonics skills they're learning.
The 2-page PDF includes the reading passage on page one and a coloring page illustration on page two. Print both pages, staple together, and your child has an instant mini-book. The coloring activity reinforces story comprehension and makes reading practice feel like a fun activity rather than homework.
This reader is part of our collection of 50 free decodable readers organized by phonics skill and aligned with the Science of Reading. For additional practice with compound words patterns, try our compound words phonics worksheets which include word sorts, phrasing practice cards, and rapid naming charts.