- True-to-life photographs help youngsters learn what animals and objects really look like.- Appealing, meaningful photographs help beginning readers and ELL students follow the text.- Nonfiction stories and high-interest topics appeal to beginning readers of any age.- People featured in the books are from multicultural backgrounds.- The 36 books are divided into 10 distinct levels of reading difficulty. Level 1 is for children who are just beginning to read. Level 10 corresponds to the reading competencies expected at the end of Grade 1.- The designation of Levels 1-10 is based on several of the latest literacy research findings.