Look on the Bright Side

November 1, 2012

K-Gr 2-Full-page color photos of a diverse group of adorable kids are the most appealing element of this series, which helps early readers learn about building character and social skills. The books' word counts range from around 70 to a little over 250 words each, and the layouts (which typically have a sentence or two on the left and the photo on the right) are clean and easy to read. Some titles, such as Integrity and Honesty, define concepts and describe the associated behaviors. Others, such as Sharing and Friends, focus on suggestions for developing social skills. Dialogue bubbles voiced by cartoon creatures ask questions or suggest behaviors. The depicted social scenarios are age-appropriate. Most titles include activity pages with quizzes, exercises, or actions readers can practice. The content in this set is standard fare, but the titles are so attractive that they will draw an audience.

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.