This light-hearted easy reader features a rhyming story about space cows! What are space cows? Just cows in space suits. They fly through the sky, dance, make funny sounds, and otherwise have fun in space.

There's not much storyline to this easy reader, but that's fine. It's a low-level reader, for kids who know a few words and can sound out more (yes, I am an unapologetic phonics proponent). The rhyming text "Space cows are big. Space cows are tiny./Most of them are happy...but this cow is whiny." will help kids decipher some of the more complex words. The font is bold, black on white or white on black backgrounds.

Lightly sketched pictures show oblong cows, mostly traditional black and white, with a few outliers in blue and green, floating around in orange, blue, and gray space suits. Space is mostly black sky and a sprinkling of stars with a few imaginary planets scattered around.

In Party Pigs, an equally boisterous group of animals, porcine rather than bovine, come on the scene. After waking up and eating a pancake breakfast, a family of pigs loads up their "big pig van" and sets out for a party. Pigs travel by boat and car and the party gets started! There's a slip 'n' slide, boating, and, of course, lots of tasty treats! Of course, being pigs, there's not just games and fun but also burping and napping. Finally, they jump so high on the trampoline they meet the space cows! Then it's time to clean up and say goodbye.

The main color scheme here is pink, naturally, but there's also a nice spread of green grass and blue water. The pigs are enthusiastic and clearly having fun, with amusing small details like the littlest pig in sunglasses and a pacifier, riding in the boat.

Verdict: Two solid choices to fill in your lower-level easy reader section.

Space cows
ISBN: 9781534428768; Published 2018 by Simon Spotlight; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Pig party
ISBN: 9781534428799; Published January 2019 by Simon Spotlight; Borrowed from another library in my consortium