"In Alan Plays Ball, beginning readers learn about the many sounds and functions of the vowel A in a fun decodable sports story. Watch as Alan tries all kinds of sports, including baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis, and hockey. Vibrant illustrations and carefully leveled text will engage young readers in a supportive educational fiction reading experience and will enhance language arts, decodables, and phonics concepts. Supplementary back matter helps readers review the story, while a picture glossary reinforces new vocabulary. Alan Plays Ball also features reading tips for teachers and parents and a table of contents. Grasshopper Books offers simple, fun fiction for emerging readers. Alan Plays Ball is part of Jump!'s Vowel Adventures series."