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printWe are delighted to announce that PLD’s Foundation Decodable Reading Book Sets have been awarded the Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) 2025 Book of the Year Award in the Decodable Book Series category.
PLD’s Foundation Sets 1-7 cover the initial code and include 15–30 books per set – that’s a total of 170 books carefully structured for children learning to read through Structured Synthetic Phonics (SSP).
Authored by speech pathologists and grounded in the Science of Reading, these books are designed to make decoding practice engaging, purposeful, and effective.
From Speech Pathology Australia:
“The PLD Decodable Series – Initial Code is engineered for success in reading for young children. Its clear instructional focus, and strong scope and sequence provide a structured and effective pathway for literacy development. By emphasising high repetition of phoneme-grapheme correspondence and offering “clear instructions”, PLD makes decoding accessible and builds foundational reading skills. Coupled with engaging stories on “interesting topics for children” and “good vocabulary development and oral language instruction”, this series ensures that young readers are supported, motivated, and equipped for successful reading journeys.”
For more details on the 2025 Awards, visit Speech Pathology Australia’s website.
Key Features of PLD’s Award-Winning Books
1. Aligned to an SSP Program
Each set aligns with a clearly defined Foundation SSP teaching sequence and the Australian National Curriculum.
The back cover clearly displays the phonics focus and sequence position – giving educators confidence and structure. With up to 30 books per set, students have ample opportunity for decoding practice.
2. Authentic Australian Photography
The fictional stories revolve around a diverse range of fun, familiar and recurring characters alongside their families and friends as they learn, play and have adventures in stunning Australian settings. The backdrop to these beautifully illustrated characters are bespoke photographs taken at locations from every state and territory across Australia.
Books feature photography from:
- The National Arboretum (ACT)
- Kakadu National Park (NT)
- Bronte Beach (NSW)
- Rottnest Island (WA)
- Hobart (TAS)
- Fitzroy Gardens Melbourne (VIC)
- Mount Coot-tha (QLD)
- Glenelg (SA)
Plus many more! Turn to page 16 of each fiction book to see if you recognise an area near you!
3. Oral Language Engagement
While decodable books are primarily designed to facilitate decoding practice, the PLD range, being authored by speech pathologists, simultaneously facilitates oral language development. New vocabulary is embedded in text and is also explicitly taught at the back of each book.
Continue the Journey: PLD’s Year 1 Decodable Books
PLD’s Foundation Decodable Reading Books (Sets 1 – 7) were awarded the 2025 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year in the Decodable Book Series category. Our Year 1 Decodable Reading Books – with 90 titles across 4 sets – continue to support early readers in building strong, evidence-based reading skills.
PLD’s Year 1 Decodable Reading Books comprises Sets 7 – 10. Set 7 completes the initial code, with single sounds, blends and initial vowel and consonant digraphs. Sets 8, 9 & 10 then move into the extended code and include vowel and consonant digraphs.
