A pleasant family fishing trip at the lake incorporates words with basic phonic sounds and introduces a word that begins with the rarely seen letter Q. Ken and his sister, Jen, both catch large redfish and Dad happily scoops them up with a large net. Similar phonic word sounds promote word recognition, and slightly longer sentences build reading skills in the advanced reader.

Bob, Dot, and their parents return (Rock Fishing) for another adventure by the sea, but first the family works as a team to get ready for their trip. Vibrant illustrations in this advanced early reader include a cute frog hopping onto each page and making youngsters smile. In addition to a superb combination of one-syllable and larger words that build on previous stories in the Sommer literacy program, this lovely book has tips on bicycle safety and following instructions on public signs.

Children easily relate to this lifelike shopping story and they get a few surprises as they read. The deep, rich colors and fine detail of the illustrations sharpen the story of Kim and Tim’s trip to find Kim a new hat. This appealing book introduces new ideas and words, including a rim on Kim’s hat, a hatpin to hold the hat in place, and a mirror to see what the hat looks like on Kim. The sentences creatively repeat new words to form a comfortable reading experience in this advanced easy reader.

Mom gives Dot and Bob jobs to do while she is shopping for their family in this true-to-life advanced early reader. The brother and sister decide to play first and then do their jobs, with Bob banging on the pot and Dot hopping around the kitchen with a mop. Before long, they are hot and tired and still have work to do, which leads to a valuable life lesson. Children are engaged in an entertaining story depicted through crisp illustrations and a pleasurable reading experience.