Chu, Katherine. Bees Help Gardens Grow. Pull Ahead Readers Nonfiction: In the Garden. Lerner, 01/2025. 16pp. Reader. PLB $27.99. 979-8765647738. Paper $8.99. 979-8765661956. GRADES Preschool–1. ADDITIONAL.
SERIES REVIEW: The Pull Ahead Readers series consists of sets of paired titles. Half of the titles are designated as fiction, with color digital illustrations, while the others are nominally nonfiction with color photographs. Designed as pairings on the same topic, each title is straightforward, with very limited text, content, and length, which works well for early readers. This fourteen-book subseries focuses on gardens, showing various plants, animals, and aspects of a healthy garden. The color photographs in the nonfiction titles engage readers with the natural beauty of the garden (insects, worms, plants). Meanwhile, the digital illustrations in the fiction titles provide a very short storyline mirroring the activity shown in its companion nonfiction title. The illustrations or photographs depict a range of garden-related activities that children may have seen or heard about. These simple readers can be read on their own, in pairs, or as a complete set.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library