Rory the Tea-Rex

Gr 1-3–Many different characters lead dramatic daily lives in this early reader series. Each story has a central problem and uses a phrase or action repeatedly. Stories include the fear of a “Tea-Rex” moving into the neighborhood, the hijinks of a Kung Fu goat who likes to chop everything, a lonely snake who keeps surprising everyone, and a bean that is running from being eaten. Each story is simple to follow, with text clearly standing out from the page and vocabulary that students will understand or will soon learn as a sight word. Some books have a lot of text on the page, and some use the text in character speech bubbles more than others, but overall the language is common and not too difficult. The pictures in each story greatly help out with context clues and comprehension by tying directly into the story and showing what is being said in the text. Students who struggle with words can easily look to the pictures for clues about emotions and actions. A brief five-question quiz at the back of each book tests comprehension. Overall, a series of interesting and educational reads.