• The text in these Blue Level Books (fourth level) uses only decodable regular words that use the letter-sound knowledge taught so far: the 42 main letter sounds and the main alternative letter-sound spellings (‹y› as in happy, the ‘hop-over ‹e›’ spellings of the long vowel sounds, ‹ay› as in day, ‹ea› as in seat, ‹y› and ‹igh› as in fly and high, ‹ow› as in low and now, ‹ew› as in dew, ‹oy› as in joy, ‹ir› and ‹ur› as in bird and turn, and ‹al›, ‹au› and ‹aw› as in talk, pause and saw) and a small number of tricky words (frequently used words that are not fully decodable at this stage). • All new tricky words and alternative vowel spellings used are shown on the front inside cover. These can be used as a quick practice activity before starting the book. • Faint type is used for silent letters, like the ‹b› in lamb. • Comprehension questions and discussion topics are included at the end of the book. These ensure that children are not only able to read the text, but also get meaning from it.