This timeless story about sports, winners, and losers incorporates one-syllable words with similar sounds and introduces words that begin with the letter z. The story is packed with excellent situations for discussing feelings when one loses or wins, situations most children have experienced. Using primary colors to illustrate the soccer game, coupled with the facial reactions of the team, it’s easy to see which team won and which one lost.

Everyone knows cats and chickens don’t get along, so when the cat runs after Ben and Jen’s red hen, she hurries to hide in her chicken coop. Ben comes to the rescue and removes the cat from the chicken coop while Jen calms the hen. The lively story unfolds in this easy reader with easy-to-pronounce words to build word recognition. It offers the opportunity to demonstrate how responsible the two children were.

Vibrant illustrations cover the pages of this family-friendly early reader, and an expressive frog leaps across the pages providing context clues. The family rides their bikes to the dock, and then encounter an exciting scene of exceptional tall fish. Words and sentences that build on previous stories in the motivational literacy program inspire young readers to success.

Ed and Jill hike in the mountains with their parents and are excited to see a large buck. Careful to follow their parent’s instructions when walking on the rocks in the water, the children enjoy a happy day in this tender early reader. The lush colors of the mountain scenes provide nice context clues as early readers master their new reading skills and slightly longer sentences.