Lad and his Pals develops the five short vowels across 14 stories, with stories introducing and practicing each short vowel and the digraphs ch, sh, and th. This book incorporates the best features of past decodable children's stories: strong story structure, inviting illustrations, and a growing set of correspondences allowing an ever richer pool of words. We have added a feature to our series pioneered in the Dick and Jane stories read by earlier generations of children: Our stories follow familiar children and animals through a series of adventures. However, unlike the bland characters in the Dick and Jane books, the characters in these stories are culturally diverse: African-American, European-American, Asian Indian, and East Asian. Some of the most important characters are highly accessible to all children because they are animals--a dog, two cats, a flock of angry geese, a mischievous snake, and a pet pig.