SnackPack Studios iconSnackPack StudiosFree illustrated reader
Stage 2 phonics · Free

The Cat and the Rat

Every word is short A. A 8-page decodable story focusing on Short A · c e h r m d.

Stage 2DecodableRead together
Begin the story
Cover of The Cat and the Rat.
A cat sat in a hat.
Page 1 of 8

A cat sat in a hat.

A rat ran at the cat.
Page 2 of 8

A rat ran at the cat.

The cat can nap. The rat can tap.
Page 3 of 8

The cat can nap. The rat can tap.

Tap, tap, tap!
Page 4 of 8

Tap, tap, tap!

The cat is mad.
Page 5 of 8

The cat is mad.

The rat hid in a can.
Page 6 of 8

The rat hid in a can.

The cat sat and sat.
Page 7 of 8

The cat sat and sat.

The rat and the cat nap in the hat!
Page 8 of 8

The rat and the cat nap in the hat!

The end · Brilliant reading

For grown-ups

This book has no word endings and no letter blends at all: every word is a plain three-sound word your child can sound out, apart from a, is and the. It is the best book on the shelf for a first fully independent read. If your child stalls, cover the word and reveal it one letter at a time rather than saying it for them. Notice the story begins and ends in the same hat — ask what changed in between.

SnackPack ABC & Alphabet continues with letter activities, read-together stories and more early phonics practice.