Helping every child become a confident reader.
A four-level reading series by Devrani Barrios (BA English, M.Ed.), Principal of Focused Learning Institute, designed for beginning readers and children who find reading hard.
One step at a time, at each child's pace.
Each level builds on the last, and there is no age limit: older learners use the books too.
The first step: letter sounds, phonemic awareness and simple sight words.
Consonant blends, ending sounds and digraphs, with confidence-building paragraphs.
Syllabication, compound words, beginning comprehension and a wider vocabulary.
Longer words, 21st-century research skills, comprehension and video assignments.
Born from a mother's search for the right tools.
When Mrs. Barrios couldn't find reading resources that worked for her own two autistic sons, she began writing her own. The first draft was a simple spiral-bound notebook.
Friends and fellow teachers saw the progress and asked for copies. With their encouragement she self-published the series, and it is now used in FLI classrooms and by parents across Trinidad and Tobago.
Do not give up; take time to understand what each child needs.
Devrani Barrios, speaking to Newsday, April 2025
Get the books.
- Available on Amazon (search "Foundation Readers Devrani Barrios")
- In stock at local bookstores, including Scribbles & Quills
- Ask at Focused Learning Institute in Aranguez
Want help using the books? Our one-to-one remedial reading sessions use the series every day.