The Thing in the Deep

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.


It all began when Abigail and her brother Lee were at the pond … Abigail tells Lee a spooky tale about the Creep in the Deep, a monster that lives deep in the pond reeds. She finishes the tale when, much to the children's surprise, something emerges from the pond… looking exactly like the Creep! But it turns out to be something more familiar … their pet dog.


Blue/Band 4 books offer longer, repeated patterns with sequential events and integrated literary and natural language.


The focus sounds in this book are: /sh/ /th/ /ng/ /ai/ /ee/, and adjacent consonants.


Pages 22 and 23 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.