Alan Plays Ball
An Adventure with the Vowel A
From the Series Vowel Adventures
“In Alan Plays Ball, beginning readers learn about the many sounds and functions of the vowel A in a fun decodable sports story. Watch as Alan tries all kinds of sports, including baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis, and hockey. Vibrant illustrations and carefully leveled text will engage young readers in a supportive educational fiction reading experience and will enhance language arts, decodables, and phonics concepts.
Supplementary back matter helps readers review the story, while a picture glossary reinforces new vocabulary. Alan Plays Ball also features reading tips for teachers and parents and a table of contents.
Grasshopper Books offers simple, fun fiction for emerging readers. Alan Plays Ball is part of Jump!’s Vowel Adventures series."
Reviews
Vowel Adventures - Reviewed by School Library Journal
This series presents short narratives highlighting different vowels and their uses. Each book follows a child doing an everyday activity, such as going to the zoo or grocery store, told with an emphasis on a particular vowel (“Ivan and Ivy pick up a pizza. It is big!”) By using vowels in an authentic and engaging way, these stories highlight their different applications and sounds in context. Vibrant illustrations depict a diverse group of children, and the pictures align with the text on the page to support comprehension. Before, during, and after reading tips are provided, along with a short activity reviewing several of the long and short versions of the vowel used in the text. These additional features would be most effective when used with a caregiver or teacher, though readers can also use these texts independently. VERDICT With short tales illustrating how different vowels are used, this series effectively delivers an active approach to phonics.
