Originally written to help her own children learn to read, Angela Banner's (1923-2014) Ant and Bee books are Britain's equivalent of Dick and Jane, albeit more entertaining and suffused with English quirkiness. Collecting three volumes of the 1950-72 series, this anthology—perfectly sized to fit in a prereader's hands—follows Ant and Bee as they make a home in a cup, travel to the hottest place in the world, meet the star fairy, discover a sparkling jewel, and fly away on a magic tree. In the text, key vocabulary words are highlighted in red, and then they are depicted in a separate drawing. An artistic maverick, Banner's off-kilter cartoon illustrations are bright and filled with a childlike cheerfulness.