Books in Puffin Easy-to-read, Level 3 series

What is it like to be a major league ball player? Cal Ripken, Jr. plays third base for the Baltimore Orioles. In this autobiography for beginning readers, he talks about growing up in a baseball family, and about his love for the game. He reveals his primary goal? to play well and play every day. And he tells how, in 1995, he broke the record for playing the most games in a row. Here is Cal's story, with over 30 action-packed photographs and illustrations. Short sentences, important visual clues, and a lively text encourage young sports fans to become excited about reading.

Using their cache of already published easy-to-read books, Puffin launched their Easy-to-Read program. Favorite stories by such beloved authors as James Marshall, Jean Van Leeuwen, and Harriet Ziefert are certain to attract readers to this series. Though the quality of stories in this series is uneven, some of them are superb. Like most other beginning-to-read series, Puffin Easy-to-Read is divided into reading levels. Level 1 uses sentences with clear and simple words and illustrations that help the reader understand the story line. Level 2 is the springboard for emerging readers: the stories use longer sentences, yet maintain a vocabulary easy enough for the child to feel comfortable on his or her own. Level 3 offers more challenging sentences and longer stories. Kindergarten - Grade 3.

Max, a Madagascar cockroach, is as big as a bite-sized candy bar and hisses like a snake when he is mad. Leo and his brother are fascinated. Out of all of the bugs in their mother's bug lab, Max is definitely the best. But now, Max is on the loose in the lab! To make matters worse, there's a party there today. Leo and his brother have to find Max before he makes people scream-or worse. "A book in which everything is just right." ("School Library Journal")