Dandi Daley Mackall and Crystal Bowman have applied their well-honed writing skills to eight new books in the "I Can Read!" line for children ages 4 to 7 from Zonderkidz. Four books in the "Ali Cat Series" and another four in the "Owl and Otter Series" debut this month from Zondervan’s children’s division.

Originally published by HarperCollins starting in 1957, the "I Can Read!" books ($3.99 each) have sold more than 60 million copies. When Zonderkidz took over the publication of the books in 2007, they hired writers who have been adding the faith element to each story, creating a dual-purpose book, one that fosters the skill of reading and also undergirds a child’s spiritual training.

‘Bibletime’ books telling ‘the same story as the Bible’ arrive in U.S. stores