We had a similar situation and there are a few things that have helped. 1. Reading selection: The Geronimo Stilton Series is in the same vein - color pictures and text/word art. Has been a great stepping stone for my DS who is very advanced in reading ability, but intimidated by the amount and format of text on books that are more on par with his reading level. It is "fluffy" to me, but I prefer the content of the STilton series b/c it is more wholesome (he is 7). http://www.scholastic.com/titles/geronimostilton/ He also LOVES Life of Fred. I bought them to supplement our math curriculum, but he uses them like readers having read the entire series (A-M) cover to cover and over again. Another all-time favorite is The Action Bible. This is his reading of choice and he has read it multiple times. It is in graphic novel format. He recently started The Time Warp Trio Series as part of our summer library club. It had more text (some pics) and he enjoyed it. There is a graphic novel section in the juvenile section of our library (separate from comics and anime). It has everything from bios to science and math books with information presented visually. He loves these - even when the topics are advanced. 2) I use my ipad/kindle and enlarge the font size. He had previously been intimidated by The Magic Treehouse books because of the amount and size of text. I enlarged the font and he read the entire book in one sitting. Now, he is reading things like "Burgess Animal Book" in this manner. This has pretty much bridged the gap for us and I will continue to give him more advanced reading (and literature vs fluff) that he finds appealing to encourage him.

We have used a lot of hands on (easy to set up and free) activities. My DS was 3 this past year while I worked with my oldest in K. Pinterest is a GREAT resource! I set up whole board called toddler-tainment for me to refer to for just these kinds of activities (pinterest.com/sbeaty/toddler-tainment/). He was much more hands-on and not a fan of workbook-style activities (at least for more than a few minutes). A few things that he enjoyed doing while I worked with my oldest: -sensory boxes -pipe cleaners activities (esp ones with cheerios threading and counting) -bingo dauber art pages -magnets and shapes -playing trains -montessori style trays -pegboards -geoboards with rubber bands -scrabble jr letters - he loved to play with and sort them -counting bears -online stories/read alouds -ipad alphabet and shape games

Just saw RS A and B used for sale for $175 along with lots of the manipulatives - not sure if in your budget but may help w your decision! http://www.vegsource.com/homeschool/fsp2/messages/866.html

We just completed Grade K using Sonlight (Core A) and RS Math A. We completed RS A and are a ways into B since DS was accelerated. Yes, we skipped to the starting point in B past A reviews, but the review is a VERY fast-paced and a condensed version of A. For a pre-K child I would be very hesitant to start with B. You may be able to overlap and combine (with some effort), but simply learning to use the abacus takes time, as do the basics which provide a foundation for the program. If you do decide to try to use B for ease, the levels of the two seem incongruous enough that it would be worth the effort to try to find a used version of A (at least as a backup) if you find you need help expanding on certain concepts/slowing down for your youngest. Good luck! It is a WONDERFUL program and worth the time it takes to teach it.