Smarty Sara (Step into Reading, Step 2)
Words and writing are an exciting part of the story in this Step into Reading book about Sara, who keeps a diary, writes a note, makes a list, draws a map, and chalks clues on the sidewalk as she plans a surprise for her friends. The surprise is for readers, too, as tension builds to the climax. “What is that key?” one kid asks. “Wait and see!” Sara answers. The casual, rhyming text has fun with the sound of words as well as their meaning, and the colorful, relaxed pictures, in thick line and watercolor, add to the celebration of reading and writing—not as a duty, but as play. Grades 1-2. --Hazel Rochman