(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Bari Weissman. These well-known tales are retold with beginning readers in mind. Miles tells both entirely in dialogue (e.g. "Ahh. This porridge is just right. Mmm!" and "I'm sleepy."), and the very simple texts include plenty of repetition, limited vocabulary, and expression in the declarative sentences. Cheerful, cartoony pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations and the folktales' familiarity make up for what the stories are missing in plot.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Rookie Reader series. Intrigued by Oscar's "secret code," Lucy descovers that her blind friend reads Braille books. After Oscar teaches Lucy how to read in Braille, the pair's classmates are eager to learn, too. Lively watercolor and ink illustrations complement the gentle message that human differences can generate new learning opportunities. Readers may be disappointed that the Braille in the art isn't printed as raised bumps for them to feel.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) K-3 Bank Street Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Bari Weissman. Pete cuddles up with his mom as she tells him a three-part bedtime story in which he stars. Lengthy sentences make the reader more difficult than its Level 1 rating suggests, and the textual shifts between each new story-within-a-story are rather abrupt, though the illustrations--showing Pete tucked under his covers again--help ease the transitions.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger