Max the cat

K-Gr 2--This series focuses on short vowels and features compelling stories with visuals that both support the text and help move the story forward. Each book offers fantastic, varied, and targeted suggestions for before, during, and after reading, including word sorting activities, multiple decoding strategies, comprehension questions, phonemic awareness exercises, information about morphology, cross-curricular connections, and much more. With approximately 20 pages of text per title, these books also help young readers build stamina. One standout title, Pets, highlights children around the world and the different kinds of pets they have. Paired with a nostalgic illustration style, this book is highly engaging and offers lots of opportunities for discussion and connection. VERDICT Teachers and parents alike will be excited to support emergent readers using this thoughtfully designed and easy-to-integrate series.