(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Hala Wittwer Swearingen. Four children and a dog step out of Dick-and-Jane-land and into this celebration of an idealized country springtime. Pastel colors dominate the illustrations showing the smiling kiddies exploring stream, field, and barnyard. The rhyming text is uneven in places, and while the vocabulary is largely simple, new readers will stumble over hollyhocks and may not know that a kid is a baby goat.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Hala Wittwer. A dragon's egg rolls out of its nest, along the road, and through town. Villager after villager joins in the chase, until the egg cracks and out pops a baby dragon. Suddenly, the chase is reversed as baby flies home to Mama. A minimal text tells the simplistic story; the pastel-toned illustrations will speak to fairy-tale fans.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden