Random House didn't have the field to itself for long. In 1957, HarperCollins (formerly Harper and Row) created the "I Can Read!" program, which published Else Homelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak's Little Bear (1957), Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad books, and many of Syd Hoff's books, including Danny and the Dinosaur (1958) and Sammy the Seal (1959).

Other publishers followed suit. Their common goal was to create eye-catching, kid-pleasing books that also fostered early-literacy skills. In order to learn to read, a child must develop several skills—recognizing letters, appreciating the range of sounds they make, and remembering to identify specific words and letter combinations that seem to contradict their cues (the gh in "though" vs. gh in "ghost," for example). Many early readers encouraged children's interest in mastering these skills by conjuring humorous characters (like cranky Toad and his long-suffering companion, Frog, seen here) and situations (like Sammy the Seal's attempts to pass as a child in school). They also offered brightly colored, expressive illustrations. In other words, they contained everything a budding reader could want.

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