Collins Big Cat is a guided reading series for ages 4-11 edited by Cliff Moon. Top children's authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that your children will love to read, banded to help you choose the right book for every child. Practical ideas for guided reading are included at the back of each book. This unique persuasive text takes the form of a fictional holiday to Mars, presenting factual information about the red planet. The text draws comparisons between Earth and Mars, and considers aspects of space travel such as weightlessness and the lack of oxygen. A pictorial glossary is provided on pages 22 and 23 encouraging discussion and reinforcement of technical terms. This book is paired with a story on the same theme: Star Boy's Surprise by Jana Hunter. Purple (Band 8) books contain more complex sentences, grouped in paragraphs of up to five sentences. Vocabulary is more unusual and challenging, and some literary language is used.