I must admit, my kindergartener and I are great fans of the Step Into Reading series of books. Since my daughter had completed the Step 2 books in the Step Into Reading series of books, I decided to go ahead and purchase the Step 3 books. I was a bit hesitant because I noticed there is quite a big leap between the Step 2 and Step 3 books, especially in terms of vocabulary and sentence structure. The vocabulary is more advanced with higher order words, and the sentences are longer. I was also concerned that my daughter might not like the topics which seemed to be more 'academic' with history-based stories. My worries were unfounded. She loves the books and is reading them with very little help from me (and I enjoy listening to the stories!)
These books are excellent for building children's reading skills as well as increasing their confidence in reading. Once you've completed the Step 1 and Step 2 books (I would advise proceeding level by level), the Step 3 books are not as daunting as they might first appear. In "Christopher Columbus", young readers (intermediate level) will delight in the adventures of Columbus and his crew, enhanced by vivid, full color illustrations.
I can't recommend these books highly enough - they are great for building reading skills, and also educational. This book is a great introduction to Columbus for children ages 5 and up.