Ken and his sister, Jen, catch redfish on a happy family fishing trip to the lake. Pastel colors create a summer day mood for this friendly story. Similar beginning and ending word sounds teach word recognition, and slightly longer sentences enhance children’s reading skills.

Friends enjoy an exciting game of baseball and Jan proves she can hit a ball well. The simple words with similar sounds help children recognize beginning and ending sounds. Rich colors illuminate the outdoor scenes and encourage new readers to use the picture and context clues to read the story.

A classic game of cops and robbers keeps Bob, Dot, and Dan on the run as this busy story unfolds. Detailed, colorful pictures illustrate the children and their neighborhood as they enjoy their game. A bushy-tailed squirrel adds wonderful context clues to accompany the narrative and dialogue in a fun-filled reading experience.

In this heartfelt story, Jill and Nick’s dog, Sig, goes to the vet after an encounter with an annoyed goat. It’s a good learning experience for the children and Sig recovers, making them happy. Softly colored illustrations deliver the story in short sentences and words that are easy for children to master. This sweet story has good discussion points about pet injuries and protection.