Photographs and simple text introduce homophones, words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings. - Large type; ample spacing between lines - Easy-to-follow layout; text appears at same place on every page - Print separated from photos - Simple sentences - Digraphs, consonant blends - Long and short vowel sounds - Introduces multisyllabic and compound words, simple adjectives, and inflectional endings - Common "picture words" list helps reader decode text - Word repetition reinforces learning - Photos assist reader with word recognition and reflect multicultural diversity