The Case of the Piltdown Man

Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds features exciting fiction and non-fiction decodable readers to enthuse and inspire children. The 7+ books are designed for children aged 7+ who need more practice to acquire phonics skills. They have age-appropriate content, more mature images, and are fully aligned to Letters and Sounds Phases 3–5.


In 1912, the supposed remains of the earliest human ever discovered were unearthed at Piltdown. The remains were subsequently found to be fake, although no-one knows for sure who devised the hoax. This fascinating non-fiction book is structured like a mystery, taking the reader through how the evidence gradually didn’t seem to add up …


Green/Band 5 books offer early readers patterned language and varied characters.


The focus sounds in this book are: /ai/ ay, a-e, ey, ei.


Pages 30 and 31 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall.


Reading notes within the book provide practical support for reading Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds with children, including a list of all the sounds and words that the book will cover.