(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. In his latest easy reader, Rocket the dog befriends a butterfly, who soon flies into the forest. Rocket is afraid of the forest, but if the butterfly is brave enough to go inside, why can't Rocket be? Adorably rendered in Hills's soft colored-pencil and acrylic-paint illustrations, Rocket is a lovable example for this light-handed lesson on the importance of facing one's fears.

Reviewer: Jessica Costello

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Valerio Fabbretti. This easy-reader biography covers Eliza's wealthy childhood and upbringing; her marriage to Alexander Hamilton and their lives during the American Revolution; the tragic deaths by duel of her son and husband; and her later life devoted to charity and education. Solid, succinct explanations and cartoonlike illustrations provide a basic understanding of the woman's standing in American history.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Erika Meza. Bright, vividly colored illustrations pair with simple rhyming text as we follow a brown-skinned brother and sister through the joy and fun of a snow day. Just-beginning readers can interact with the story through reading the pictures, increasing phonemic awareness, and practicing vocabulary development. This book should do well in any easy-reader collection.

Reviewer: Monique Harris

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. The focus of this easy reader is the 1963 March on Washington. In addition--and putting that historical moment into context--Nelson introduces the civil rights movement's beginnings in the 1950s along with King's leadership of nonviolent protest. The vocabulary is clear and plain, and the textured illustrations thoughtfully expand the text.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. A choppy but accessible easy-reader text sings ponies' praises while introducing a smattering of basic facts ("Some ponies wear shoes. The shoes protect their hooves") and some relevant vocabulary (breed, foal, etc.). Well-placed photos, sometimes labeled or captioned, support decoding. Emerging readers who agree that "ponies are the best!" will be thrilled by the many pictures of ponies in action.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. A choppy easy-reader text follows the progress of a female penguin and her mate as they reproduce and raise chicks. The narrative successfully focalizes two penguins without personifying them. Sections of exposition disrupt narrative flow but introduce substantive facts and relevant vocabulary. Developing readers will appreciate the large font and leading, along with the inclusion of plenty of pertinent photos.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher. Emphasizing Seuss's lifelong passion for doodling and general playfulness, longtime Seuss publisher Klimo objectively highlights the author-illustrator's life-defining moments in this accessible easy-reader biography. Johnson and Fancher incorporate Seuss's original art into their soft-focus, nostalgic illustrations. This is a nice follow-up read to the illustrators' other, more childhood–focused Seuss biography, The Boy on Fairfield Street.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Aaron the alligator and assorted companions play with footballs, pumpkins, and apples. This is a reworking of material from Everything Happens to Aaron in Autumn, originally published in 1967. Short sentences, silly content, and controlled vocabulary make this a suitable if uninspired book for the very earliest readers.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Isidre Mones. Loosely following one fictional stingray, this text introduces newly independent readers to stingrays' hunting, birthing, and defense mechanisms, along with species variation, stingrays' (limited) threat to humans, and ongoing research. Photographs and drawings coexist uneasily, and a spread on petting stingrays at a particular aquarium feels out of place. Still, despite its awkward construction, the book is informative and accessible.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Designed for independent readers "ready for chapters," the leveled text introduces a selection of NBA legends including Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James; a "More Greats" section gives quick shout-outs to some additional stars. The cursory bios provide an accessible starting point for young scholars of the game. Color photographs and a stats sheet for each player are included.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Two of Lionni's classic fables are reissued for young readers. The illustrations are fundamentally unchanged, but the easy-reader format demands a new layout. The now-leveled text is arranged across the top of each narrow page with art shoehorned below. Kids who aren't familiar with the more-expansive picture books may enjoy discovering Lionni's strong stories and imaginative art. Review covers these Step into Reading titles: An Extraordinary Egg and Fish Is Fish.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: February, 1971

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Two of Lionni's classic fables are reissued for young readers. The illustrations are fundamentally unchanged, but the easy-reader format demands a new layout. The now-leveled text is arranged across the top of each narrow page with art shoehorned below. Kids who aren't familiar with the more-expansive picture books may enjoy discovering Lionni's strong stories and imaginative art. Review covers these Step into Reading titles: An Extraordinary Egg and Fish Is Fish.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Adapted by Kristen Depken. Illustrated by Sue DiCicco. The classic character from "the beloved Little Golden Book" is reincarnated for newly emergent readers. "Five little puppies. Dig, dig, dig!...Where is that poky little puppy?" The skeleton of Lowrey's story remains in the leveled-text adaptation, and it's appropriate for the intended audience. Computer-generated illustrations approximate Tenggren's original art. Overall, the work is nostalgic rather than distinctive.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Freckleface Strawberry and Windy Pants Patrick are best friends in these child-friendly easy readers. In Backpacks, both pack extra things for school and end up ruining their homework. In Lunch, Freckleface is not sure what the lunch room is serving and is hesitant to try it. Pham's entertaining cartoon drawings fill the pages with their bright colors and bold lines. Review covers these Step into Reading titles: Freckleface Strawberry: Backpacks! and Freckleface Strawberry: Lunch or What's That?

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Freckleface Strawberry and Windy Pants Patrick are best friends in these child-friendly easy readers. In Backpacks, both pack extra things for school and end up ruining their homework. In Lunch, Freckleface is not sure what the lunch room is serving and is hesitant to try it. Pham's entertaining cartoon drawings fill the pages with their bright colors and bold lines. Review covers these Step into Reading titles: Freckleface Strawberry: Backpacks! and Freckleface Strawberry: Lunch or What's That?

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Erika Meza. This sweet story follows an African American family as they go to the pumpkin patch to find pumpkins for carving jack-o'-lanterns: "Take a spoon. / Scoop out goo. / Make a face--yikes! / Looks like you!" A short and simple rhyming text pairs with warm illustrations in an autumnal palette to make this a fine seasonal pick for very new readers.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Close-up photographs pair with beginning-reader text to highlight stages of a caterpillar's (later butterfly's) life cycle. The interesting photographs capture infrequently seen moments such as a newly hatched caterpillar eating her eggshell. Unfortunately, oversimplifications and poor transitions rob the text of similar precision: e.g., one spread implies that spiders are insects ("Other insects join the feast... / Spiders spin webs to trap meals").

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Elephant Joe and Zebra Pete, firefighters extraordinaire, rescue a dragon stuck in a tree and put out the fire said dragon creates when blowing out birthday candles. The vocabulary is easy to read, the language natural, and bright comic-book panels mirror the action. However, lack of transition between the two episodes creates a potential point of confusion for beginning readers.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Norman Gorbaty. Sleepy Dog needs a lot of help. His mom helps him wake up and cleans up his spilled milk. Then he plays ball with Kitty Cat but winds up stuck under the chair. Simple-shaped, brightly colored illustrations on full spreads are a perfect match for the easy-to-read text with plenty of word repetition that will benefit beginning readers.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. "Silver fish. / Gold fish. / Black fish. / Old fish." Each line of this spare rhythmic text (originally published in 1954) is accompanied by a richly colored (mostly) full-page gouache and pencil illustration. Karas's pictures provide some context (if not a narrative); each features a kid engaged in a water activity (canoeing, wading in a stream, etc.). The paperback edition includes stickers.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges