Rafka Readers have begun selling a cute new concept of reader written by E. Mary Christie and illustrated by Celeste McKervey Thompson. Each reader takes a word that has to do with the Christian Faith, and each letter of the word is used in a poem that comprises the book. For example, see this excerpt from Easter Begins with E: “E is for Easter, A happy, joyful dayWe praise Christ’s Resurrection, “Happy Easter,” we say!For each letter remaining in the word “Easter” a similar poem is written about the Easter. The reader does not simply use over-simplified language either, but includes more difficult words that are important for the child to learn. As you see in the above excerpt, “resurrection” is included. Such a long word would not be typical in your average beginning reader, though it is accepted and promoted to include “challenge words” to encourage reading advancement. We are pleased to see that the Rafka Readers seek to nudge the child forward by introducing such words. We would recommend these books for the beginning or emergent reader, and their sweet illustrations make them a welcome gift item in any child’s basket at Easter or Christmas.