I was so excited when Erin told me that All About Learning Press was releasing a NEW COLOR EDITION of their All About Reading program! I have used AAR with three of my children, and it has been such a blessing to our family. This program has helped me gain both confidence and skills in teaching my children to read. I’ve written before about how we use AAR in our home, but today I want to share more about the new color editions—and why I have changed my mind about Level 4.

First Impressions: The Beauty of the New Color Editions

Customers have long asked All About Learning Press for color illustrations, and they listened! The new color editions are absolutely beautiful—colored pencil drawings that maintain all the charm of the original black-and-white illustrations while adding warmth and vibrancy.

My children (ages 6 and 8) were thrilled flipping through the new readers and both agreed they prefer them over the older versions. I think the biggest improvement is having full-color activity pages. They’re adorable! My daughter couldn’t wait to dive into the Eagles Learn to Fly activity.

My Review of Level 4

All About Learning Press sent me the Level 4 pack for free for my honest review. I was especially eager to explore this level because, until now, I had only used the Pre-Reading through Level 3 with my kids.

When my oldest daughter completed Level 3, she was reading so well that I didn’t feel the need to move on to Level 4. But I was curious—what skills does Level 4 teach? Would it be worth using for my two youngest? If you’re like me, having the curriculum in your hands makes all the difference in decision-making.

After reading through the Level 4 program, I can confidently say: I cannot wait to use it with my children. Even though they will already be great readers after completing Level 3, Level 4 teaches:

15 advanced phonograms
How to decode words with Greek, French, Spanish, and Italian influences
Advanced story analysis, including figurative language like alliteration, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, idioms, and personification

As always, the stories in AAR are engaging and perfectly matched to the decoding level. But because students are advanced readers by this point, the stories also feature more complex plots and deeper character development.

Why I’ve Changed My Mind About Skipping Level 4

Initially, I thought Level 4 might not be necessary for a fluent reader. But now I see how much these advanced phonics skills and literary concepts can enrich a child’s reading experience. It’s not just about reading words correctly—it’s about understanding, interpreting, and appreciating language at a higher level.

If your child is reading well after Level 3, you might be tempted to stop there, but I encourage you to at least explore Level 4. The additional instruction in language structure, vocabulary expansion, and reading comprehension will serve them for years to come.

Final Thoughts

I didn’t think it was possible to love All About Reading more, but these new color editions have truly exceeded my expectations. And if you’re still on the fence about using the last level of the program, I recommend trying it yourself.

All About Learning Press offers a 100% “Go Ahead and Use It” Guarantee on all their products. You can use any of their programs for a full year, and if it doesn’t meet your needs, simply return it for a full refund (excluding shipping).

You really can’t beat that—especially when it comes to investing in your child’s literacy journey.

To find more information about pros and cons to the program overall, along with pricing information, head to this original review.

This post written by Hayley! Learn more about her here!