This friendship story is perfect for young readers who are all too familiar with accidents when they are playing. Warned by the other children not to run in the mud to avoid the sharp rocks, Ed ignores them and wades into the mud puddle. When he kicks the ball, he loses his balance and falls on a rock. Crisp illustrations with bright primary colors fill the pages of this lively early reader and offer a good opportunity for parents to discuss listening to others to stay safe.

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.

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.

Children are fascinated with large vehicles, and in this charming sibling story, Jill and Rick stop with their father to watch a big rig digging and get a big surprise. Big Jim offers to let them sit up high in the cab with him. Bold colors and nice detail illustrate this early reader adventure story. It’s a good choice for repetitive phonic sounds that enrich a child’s vocabulary and inspire a love of reading.