New Releases by Carl Sommer

This spirited story introduces the concept of teamwork, an important skill for children to learn. With similar sounding names, friends gather supplies to play soccer, divide into teams, and then play in the park. The colorful illustrations appeal to a child’s playfulness and encourage interest in word mastery and reading success. The emotional faces of the winners and losers foster discussions of teamwork and appropriate game behavior.

Our Amazing World introduces young children to fascinating nonfiction ideas about large land animals using simple, clear language. Remarkable close-up photos and fun concepts compare the size of a little boy to the weight of a polar bear and the height of a giraffe. Advanced early readers know many of the words in the main facts under each picture, making for a pleasant reading experience. This informative book stimulates wonderful conversations with children and is a reference they will use for years to come.

Friends enjoy an exciting game of baseball and Jan proves she can hit a ball well. The simple words with similar sounds help children recognize beginning and ending sounds. Rich colors illuminate the outdoor scenes and encourage new readers to use the picture and context clues to read the story. Companion Reader 3 is part of Phonics Adventure''s systematic, leveled reading program.

In this playful family adventure, Rick and Jan’s family drive to their mountain cabin where they enjoy biking and swimming. Crisp, bright illustrations with sparkling blue water, lush green forests, and colorful fish and ducks offer an enchanting look at their outing. A sprinkling of two syllable words and lively dialogue motivate early readers to expand their reading skill. Target Reader 17 is part of Phonics Adventure''s systematic, leveled reading program.

A family camping trip brings readers along for a fun-filled adventure in the mountains. From Our Amazing World, this irresistible early reader uses simple words plus a few word surprises like marshmallows to encourage young readers to discover our world. Introducing young children to the joys of nonfiction books that include pictures of other children leads to an interest in life-long learning.

An action-packed T-ball game leads Sam and his friends on a rollicking chase to catch a cute cat that runs away with Sam’s baseball cap. In this advanced early reader, children learn to recognize familiar words such as umpire on the brightly illustrated pages. The chase offers opportunities for parents to discuss positive ways to deal with an upset friend and to explain that pets usually aren’t misbehaving but think it’s a fun game when they grab something and run.

The mischievous monkey, Bell, returns with Nell and Ben and visit a circus. This high-spirited story told with dazzling illustrations and playful dialogue introduces new vocabulary words with similar phonic sounds. Advanced early readers will enjoy Bell’s hilarious pranks, and parents can use Bell’s antics as an opportunity to discuss actions and their consequences.

A warmhearted adventure, this family-oriented book includes life skills of respecting and helping others. An enjoyable early reader which promotes successful word recognition and skills in reading longer sentences. Picturesque woodland scenes animate the story and bring laughs when the cub helps itself to the family’s food without an invitation. Companion Reader 18 is part of Phonics Adventure''s systematic, leveled reading program.

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. Companion Reader 17 is part of Phonics Adventure''s systematic, leveled reading program.

The world’s rivers are home to incredible animals that grab our attention and surprise young children. Some eat insects, some eat fish, and others eat plants. Our Amazing World nonfiction shares fun facts about animals that live in rivers with exquisite close-up photographs. Early readers will enjoy this book about various river animals.

This spirited story introduces children to Matt and his misbehaving dog, Tad. Vibrant colors bring energy to the pages as Tad leads Matt and the man on a wild chase to retrieve the cleaning rag. Context clues guide young reader to experience the story as they master new words. The book offers opportunities for parents to discuss handling conflict in a positive way. Target Reader 4 is part of Phonics Adventure''s systematic, leveled reading program.

Early readers enjoy this fast-paced soccer game in the park among friends. In an energetic story that appeals to a child’s playful spirit, bold illustrations provide amusing context clues to encourage word mastery and reading skills. Companion Reader 8 is part of Phonics Adventure''s systematic, leveled reading program.

In a thought-provoking comparison of old and new farming techniques, Our Amazing World Series, Advanced, brings history and young children together in a beautiful book. Learning the history of the world around them is an important part of a child’s education and inspires critical thinking. The family-friendly photos arouse their curiosity to read the narrative and discover the fun facts appended to each.

Children will return to this beautiful book again and again to inquire about the big animals that live in the sea. In uncomplicated examples, children learn how to compare the size of the sea animals to people and other things they recognize. From whales to walruses, sea turtles to swordfish, each animal motivates children to learn more as they study the captivating pictures in this nonfiction book from Our Amazing World.

Bob, Dot, and their parents return (Rock Fishing) for another adventure by the sea, but first the family works as a team to get ready for their trip. Vibrant illustrations in this advanced early reader include a cute frog hopping onto each page and making youngsters smile. In addition to a superb combination of one-syllable and larger words that build on previous stories in the Sommer literacy program, this lovely book has tips on bicycle safety and following instructions on public signs.

A classic game of cops and robbers keeps a group of friends on the run in this advanced reader. Detailed, colorful pictures illustrate the children playing in their neighborhood. This motivational book tells the story with creative narrative and dialogue that make for a fun reading experience, and it includes a subtle reminder to finish a job before playing.

The beauty of delicate butterflies is a joy to behold as they flit from flower to flower, but how does a crawling caterpillar turn into a flying butterfly? Our Amazing World shares the life of monarch butterflies with young children through vivid, close-up photos and fun facts that introduce the wonder of nonfiction.

A warmhearted family adventure in picturesque woodlands brings laughs when a bear cub helps herself to the family’s food while they are outside watching the ducks in a pond. This adorable advanced easy reader promotes successful word recognition and includes life skills—respecting others, helping others, even counting others.

A family-fun early reader from Sommer’s irresistible motivational phonics program is always welcomed by children and parents. This cheerful book incorporates a fun-filled family outing complete with a picnic, swimming, and playing water tag with simple words and short sentences that promote literacy success. Companion Reader 19 is part of Phonics Adventure''s systematic, leveled reading program.

In this excellent introduction to the tantalizing world of history, young children become acquainted with old and new farming techniques. Our Amazing World inspires critical thinking as children begin to explore how the world changes. Teaching children the importance of farming for feeding the world is an integral part of a good education, and the clear photos will have them bursting with curiosity.

Nothing is more exciting than rockets and travel in space, and this book is an excellent entry into nonfiction for young children, stimulating reading literacy. This intriguing book from Our Amazing World Series, Advanced, features impressive photos from blastoff to space travel and working astronauts. The crisp photos are complemented by factual information blending history, nature, and science with the excitement of space. Advanced early readers recognize the basic words and find alluring new words to expand their vocabulary, such as astronaut and satellite.

When Bob, Dot, and Jan get their first big bikes, a sunny day is an invitation to take a bike ride and possibly forget to follow their parents’ safety instructions. The illustrations and creative dialogue remind children of experiences in their own lives. Bob’s excitement leads him to take risks on the steep hills littered with rocks. It’s not long before he falls and injures his knee, teaching him a valuable lesson. The story builds on previous reading skills and crafts educational opportunities for the early reader. This cautionary tale gives parents an opening to discuss safety rules and the ramifications of ignoring them.

Majestic settings provide the perfect backdrop for the vibrant photos of ranch life. This inviting book from Our Amazing World Series, Advanced, entices young children who are mesmerized by cowboys, cowgirls, and horses to visit the wide, wonderful world of nonfiction. Advanced early readers appreciate reading about life on the ranch using words they recognize in the fun facts and mastering some ranch words such as lasso, corral, and longhorn.

A pleasant family fishing trip at the lake incorporates words with basic phonic sounds and introduces a word that begins with the rarely seen letter Q. Ken and his sister, Jen, both catch large redfish and Dad happily scoops them up with a large net. Similar phonic word sounds promote word recognition, and slightly longer sentences build reading skills in the advanced reader.

This timeless story is about the joy of a family fishing trip and the frustration of sibling rivalry. A creative, fun early reader, it includes plenty of one-syllable words with similar sounds, making it an enjoyable experience for a child learning to read. The lush colors of the water scenes coupled with the facial expressions of the characters leave no doubt that Kim and her mother are enjoying the fishing trip more than Tim and his father. The story is a good opportunity for parents to discuss jealousy and trying your best without holding a grudge in competitions. Target Reader 12 is part of Phonics Adventure''s systematic, leveled reading program.

Magic tricks fascinate children. The cat, the dog, the rat, and their friend, the hen, return to watch the fox perform magic tricks in this amusing story. Brimming with similar sounding one and two-syllable words, this advanced early reader is the perfect book to begin mastering longer sentences and interesting dialogue. As the fox amazes the friends with his tricks on the brightly illustrated pages, early readers are excited to learn new words and turn the pages to read what happens next.

Familiar with teddy bears, young children get a different perspective when introduced to the wide and wonderful world of nonfiction. Combining clear language and dazzling photos of bears in their natural habitats, this book gives the joy of observing bears fishing, seeing a mother watch over her cubs, and spying on an adorable panda lounging to eat bamboo. The carefully presented facts allow advanced early readers to begin mastering the narrative in this book from the Our Amazing World series.

This exciting beginning reader shows Sam and his friends in a rollicking chase to catch a misbehaving cat. The words in the story teach children to recognize beginning and ending sounds, as they learn to recognize words with similar sounds. Brightly illustrated pages illuminate the narrative, encouraging children to use the picture and context clues to follow the story. The misbehaving cat offers opportunities for parents to discuss positive ways to deal with an upset friend. Target Reader 3 is part of Phonics Adventure''s systematic, leveled reading program.

Bob and Dot’s family return in this adventure of seeing boats. Bob gets his wish to ride his bike on the clear path, and again gets another wish when he takes an exciting motorboat ride. Detailed, colorful pictures illustrate the children using safety practices such as life jackets and locks for their bikes. Words and sentences that build on previous stories in the motivational phonics literature program create a fun-filled learning experience for the early reader. Target Reader 16 is part of Phonics Adventure''s systematic, leveled reading program.

Come along on a family camping trip to a national park in the mountains! From Our Amazing World Series, Advanced, this book features a camping trip with children as the narrators. They explain tent life, hiking, safety, fishing, and activities for a rainy day. This attention-grabbing advanced early reader exposes young readers to the joys of the outdoors.