Carefully implementing buildable phonics skills, the Stairway Decodables series gathers books into six "steps" with concepts of increasing complexity, from short vowels in Step One to diphthongs and vowel-r combinations in Step Six. Each preface includes word count, featured skills, "tricky words," and educator-guided activities emphasizing phonemic awareness and content comprehension, while back matter features reinforcement activities that encompass main-events recollection, story sequencing, and, in higher steps, writing prompts. Will and the Baby (Step 1), illuminates short vowels, spotlighting a young lizard adjusting to having a new baby sister. Sam Helps (Step 2) features a lively tractor and his vehicle friends, and the text (one short sentence per spread) emphasizes consonant blends. Pets Wash Up (Step 3) uses more words and characters while highlighting the digraph sh. Ezra Makes Magic (Step 4) is richer in story and uses more elaborate words, showcasing hard and soft consonant sounds. Consistent, engaging illustrations conveying joy and wit complement the progression of the series. The series, particularly the earlier Steps, is worth sampling in a school or public library, and some school libraries may find the full collection valuable for literacy instruction and reinforcement.

A note: art has been repurposed from now-out-of-print Stone Arch Readers and Read It! Readers series, but the text has been completely rewritten to improve decodability.