Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers Reviews

• My original review has changed...

  
  By A27VE8S9PEXAZ4 on 2007-08-13
  I have to admit, when I first got the Bob Books for my son, I was very excited about them. I thought the gradual pace of vowel and consonant introduction would make reading easier and give a natural progression. My 4-year old son read the first 3 or 4 books in the series, we were both excited, and all was well. I was thinking 4 or 5 stars.
  
  Then within a week, my son refused to read the books. I knew that he could - he was certainly capable - but anytime I mentioned them, he would whine, complain and tell me that he didn't want to. This from the boy who is a book nut and would have me read to him 24-7 if possible! He would sit with me so I could read other books to him, and even try to read them himself, but wanted nothing to do with the Bob Books. This went on for months with the same response.
  
  It wasn't until I started doing a bunch of literacy reading and research for my job that I realized the probable reason why the Bob Books are gathering dust on our shelves when all of the other books are well loved. They are dull. They are boring and can hardly be qualified as stories. Does anyone really talk like that? "Mat sat. Cat sat. Mat and cat sat." No wonder he would rather I read him books like "The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales" by Heather Amery or "Frederick" by Leo Lionni or classic tales like "The Gingerbread Man" or "The Fox and the Crow."
  
  In my research, I came across two books that I highly recommend to anyone who wants their child to learn to read. These are "The Read Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease and "Reading Magic" by Mem Fox. Trelease talks about the pleasure aspect of reading - humans want to do things that give them pleasure and shy away from things that don't, it's just human nature. When we make reading more of a chore for a child or give them boring books to read, we are taking away that aspect of pleasure that will make them want to read.
  
  A national committee called the Commission on Reading (funded by the US Dept of Education) did a 2-year study of thousand of research projects related to reading. Their report had two primary findings. The first is that the single most important activity to build success in reading is to read aloud to your children. The second is to continue reading aloud to them throughout the grades. (Yep, that means through high school, not just until they can read themselves.)
  
  So choose books and stories for your children that they will enjoy - and that you will enjoy! Build their library and read to them as often as you can - in the morning, before bed, while they are eating lunch, while they play in the tub, use books on CD in the car, etc. If you don't know where to start, "The Read Aloud Handbook" has a list of over 1000 suggested titles in various categories to read to children. My son was reading at just over 4 years old and, other than the Bob Books failure, all I ever did was read to him. And read and read.
  
  

• Great way to get reading fast!

  
  By A3BHD5FUUU0AZ1 on 2006-08-13
  To see more reviews, check out the item in its previous packaging (the content has not changed) by looking up ISBN 0439145449.
  
  Bob Books come in 5 sets on 3 levels, and they cover the fundamentals of reading through about half of the Kindergarten level, which is lower than either of the other programs. Each set contains 8-12 books for the child to read, with a line or two of text per page.
  
  Unlike many programs, there is little to no direction for the parent. However, they are carefully crafted to introduce the sounds in a systematic and maximally rewarding way, as well as carefully choosing sight words. The very first book requires that the child know the sounds of only four letters (M, A, S, T) and one sight word (on). The rest of the first set of 12 books (12 pages each) introduces the rest of the alphabet and short-vowel sounds, carefully reviewing everything learned, as well as a handful of high-utility sight words. The second set of 12 books (12 pages each) reinforces what was learned in the first set with more text per page, more plurals, more sight words, and a few blends. The second level begins with the third set, which has 10 books (16 pages each) and introduces more text, more blends, and some compound words, while the fourth set (4 with 16 pages and 4 with 24 pages) has more blends, more sight words, and long compound words. The final set, in the third level (4 with 16 pages and 4 with 24 pages), has longer stories and introduces long vowels.
  
  The thing my son likes most is that I'm not telling him what to do most of the time, and he doesn't have to repeat books!
  Some parents find that the level of progression slows after the first set, but we're going to do them all. It helps my son acquire speed and fluency painlessly.
  
  This isn't sufficient to bring a child to the end of the Kindergarten level, but it gets them reading basic books very fast! Many people like the later part of Nora Gaydos' series to follow up. I will use an out-of-print series that I got from my aunt for free :-) called Scholastic Phonics Ready Readers (ISBN 0439325099 and others) starting with books 37. Afterwards, there are many classic early reader books that he can read, like Little Bear and Frog and Toad.
  
  The only bad points: The words are handwritten, which means that despite the excellent handwriting, there is some inconsistency in spacing and letter shapes that will give some readers problems. Also, if your child likes to gaze for a l-o-n-g time at every picture, painless swifty becomes agaonizing. For that case, I recommend McGuffey's Eclectic Readers
  
  

• Great books - - - that I didn't think I would need.

  
  By A3H0ZQ74ITU83J on 2006-08-17
  I saw these books a few years ago and figured they were too easy, but I was running into a problem. I could not get my (then 5 year old) little girl to read books. She was reading all of her lessons with little if any trouble, but when I would try to get her to read the same words in a book she wanted nothing to do with it. I set these books in front of her and she read all 12. They didn't help her to learn to read, but they were a great help in getting her to read and to enjoy reading.
  
  I am now teaching my second child to read. I LOVE THESE BOOKS!!!! They are really helping her figure out how to read.
  
  
  

• Simple is Better

  
  By AMOCY23KKOYNH on 2007-04-05
  I am an educator. I could probably write books like these and illustrate them as well after seeing them over and over, BUT THEY WORK. For the money -you can't ask for better. IN CONJUNCTION with all the other tools one can use, these are one of the great helps in jumpstarting reading for your young one. My 4 year old son is already reading at a first grade level after using these books. The reason for his success with them is 1) I sit with him, helping him sound out the letters 2)Small rewards are given for each book read, and Big rewards for each Set completed 3) The books are QUICK reads(10 pages or so) making a kid feel successful right away. 4) The drawings give contextual clues, without showing other distracting elements as you find in other books -it shows only what NEEDS to be shown 5) The plots are silly -but enjoyable by little kids especially if you laugh with them. "Mat Sat on on the Cat" ha ha! Also recommended would be the Leapster L-Max and the game "Letters on the Loose" -BEFORE reading begins, children need to really know their letters and the sounds they make or they will be quite frustrated with the process.
  
  

• Disappointing

  
  By A3W2Y6LM8863HV on 2007-06-05
  I bought these books together with "Teaching your Child to Read in a 100 Easy Lesson" and was disappointed. The print, though neat, was like hand writing and was confusing. My son thought the pictures looked like "Humpty Dumpty" not Sam and it teaches so many names, Dot, Sam, Mat, are these needed? My son never picks these books up on his own, they were a disappointment to us.
  
  
• Better than Seuss for Beginners
  By A11S4QBZKYG9Y9 on 2006-07-03
  My son is about to start Kindergarden. My Son LOVES< LOVES> LOVES these books. It was a gift from his great aunt who is a teacher. The box says kids will want (and be able)to read the books to you and everybody else they know. Boy is that right! Anyone who comes to the house, and a few people we go visit, have to hear my son read - and he really reads them himself! What a great confidence booster for his first year of school. Very highly recommended. Actually, the reason I came to Amazon.com today was to buy the other sets!
  
  
• Fantastic
  By A34FZ7U72ZGYRB on 2006-08-03
  These are the best "learning to read" books that I have found. They have totally boosted my son's confidence. They were recommended by his kindergarten teacher.
  
  
• Not impressed.
  By A11ED8O95W2103 on 2007-04-01
  I'm currently working through these books with my children, one of whome is in Kindergarten. They made me long for the days of the "Tip and Mitten" and "Dick and Jane" readers.
  
  The drawings are of poor quality. I could draw better myself. And, more frusterating to me, there is no attempt at any kind of story. What there is consists of random sentence fragments concentrated around certain phonetics. The sentence fragments get longer as one progresses through the book.
  
  What does work in these books is the progression of usage of words from very simple to slightly more complex by the end of the book, and the series concept allows the child to slowly build competence in reading as s/he works through the books.
  
  So, they're not all bad and I am working with them, but do yourself a favor and unless your local school system has you roped into using them at home in conjunction with the child's schooling, look around and see what your other options are.
  
  
• Quick help for special needs children!
  By A40NUCHM5TZVS on 2007-06-10
  My son is 3 and in the autism spectrum--so he memorizes...EVERYTHING. He doesn't use his brain to figure anything out: it's either pulled from memory, or he tunes out.
  
  When he started memorizing the shapes of letters and the words they equate to (essentially sight-reading), I panicked. I understand the value in sight-reading, but for us it was another "domain" added to the vicious memorization issue. I felt like I needed to teach him phonetic reading--and fast.
  
  Enter the "Bob books". HALLELUJAH! My son had known the sounds associated with letters for over a year. The Bob books were SO SIMPLE that he was able to master them quickly and shot through the first set so fast that I had to express order sets 2 and 3. Two months later, he read the word "restaurant" and "bakery" to me. He is regularly using his brain to figure out new words... it's WONDERFUL!
  
  Two weeks ago, I became foster mom to a selective mute 8yo girl who was fooling people about her reading ability--partially because she didn't speak, so nobody could truly judge it. Well, she can't read. She has limited sight words if anything at all. I had to start her on book 1 of set 1 of the Bob books and she's just barely getting by--but the accomplishment has her on the edge of her seat looking for the next book. She's gaining confidence by the day as we work through them.
  
  I love these books. I tell everyone I know about them! The progression is wonderful. The length of the books is perfect for beginning readers or struggling readers or children with attention problems--who need small steps and some sense of accomplishment to move forward. These books are worth every dime I paid for them.
  
  
• They aren't for everyone
  By AUJYOJ2LOK9MU on 2007-11-15
  I am in a family of artists. These books are terrible. I don't know why I expected them to be more interesting because Amazon shows what they look like, but they are line drawings with basic words. I read my children poetry with beautiful prints or we sing and follow along or we draw to go along with poetry. I showed the first book to my two year old and she started crying.
  
  Back to the coffee table drawing books!
  
  
• Great learning to read series
  By A2K57F22UJYODJ on 2006-07-20
  I bought this series on a recommendation from my daughter's pre-school teacher. I could tell my daugher was starting to recognize words, could eaily memorize and had some sound and word recognition. This series has been great. She likes to read the books on her own...because very quickly she can. This is a great beginning to read series...
  
  
• The Aha moment!
  By A3CCC6XE2NK4P on 2007-01-11
  We had tried everything to teach my son to read. He knew all the letters and their sounds, but he could not put them together. We had tried several different sets of readers, and it wasn't until he picked up his first Bob book that he finally had an Aha moment. He is now more than half way through the first box of Bob books and his whole confidence level has been restored and strengthened. He can "read." What an amazing feeling to watch your child find success in reading and know that you have just changed their life through the gift of a book!
  
  
• Bob Books - Set 1
  By AUTIUYGG3N8A9 on 2007-07-09
  These books are very good for beginning readers. They are phonics based. The books get progressively harder, but stay at a beginning level. As a first grade teacher I use them in August to review the short vowel sounds the children learned in Kindergarten. The only thing that could be improved are the illustrations.
  
  
• now I'm reading...
  By AC4XV78EJG1QB on 2008-03-23
  I had heard about the Bob books for several years. And my four year old is just starting to read. We tried them. I thought they would be great! But, I also found two sets of Level 1 Readers from the Now I'm Reading series. They're the same size and length, but my daughter loves the Now I'm Reading Readers. In contrast to the Bob Books, which are black and white, the Now I'm Reading readers are colorful and humorous. Before you buy the bob books, check out the Now I'm Reading books.
  
  
• The best books to help your child start to read!
  By A2CCKZ690NG5IY on 2006-08-31
  I borrowed these books from the library for my daughter who's only 3 years old (soon to be 4). She loved them so much that I bought them for her when I had to return the library's copies. She can read the first 3 books on her own and asks to read them almost every night. She's very proud of herself when she's read through each book.
  
  
• Great set for beginners
  By A3AQ6MKP2XDB3I on 2007-05-17
  I bought this set of books for [..], who recently started asking me to teach her how to read. I've worked with her off and on to sound out words and I felt like she was ready to tackle some short, simple sentences. When the BOB books arrived in the mail, she picked up the first book and read the whole thing by herself. The pride I saw in her eyes was priceless. Yes, the pictures are simple but they're cute and easy on the eyes. Each page has a simple three word sentence with words that have three or four letters. Each book has an interesting story that I discuss with my daughter after she reads it. These books provide a low- pressure reading lesson and give the child some confidence that they can actually do it.
  
  
• bob books
  By A2CBARXLXB6MQT on 2006-09-24
  These books are wonderful. My son LOVES to read them and they helped build his confidence. I would highly recommend them to anyone who is trying to help their child to learn to read on their own. Worth every penny I paid for them and then some!!!!
  
  
• Good phonics approach
  By A2G2NY4W4P0ZE5 on 2006-10-29
  My daughter loves these books. The pictures seem to amuse her, and the words are easy for her to decode. I like how the books are sequenced to build on the previous vowel and consonant sounds learned.
  
  
• Great consistency for early readers
  By A388C7DD1OMRZY on 2006-11-10
  We borrowed the former packaging of these from the library a few times and decided they were excellent. My son, a kindergartener who knows many site words, is over 1/2 way through this set with very little problem. These are some of the first books he's "read". These books help him work through any problems he encounters because they are so consistent with the sounds presented in each book. They also stick to simple words, which is an area where many other early reading books fail. They always seem to stick a more difficult word in the story because they can't figure out one that'll fit. We never have that problem with the Bob books. We also like these because they have many of his sight words he's learning at school. We reinforce those words while introducing more easy words. Once he masters this set, we will move on to the 2nd set, which we've already purchased. And he really loves these because he can read to mom & dad and then we read more complex stories to him.
  
  I also showed these to my neighbor and she immediately purchased a set for her grand-neice, who is also in kindergarten.
  
  
• Good Stepping Stone for Early Reading
  By A2AEYIA2N6TK34 on 2006-12-08
  I purchased the Bob Books for my two and a half year old daughter and within two weeks she was reading her very first book on her own. Since my daughter already recognizes the letters of the alphabet, I wanted her to learn letter and sound recognition. These books have been incredibly helpful in early reading skills.
  
  
• Perfect readers
  By A2LN72Q0EQAFQN on 2006-12-28
  These are great for kids that are starting to read. The ones in the beginning are really simple and build the self confidence they need to keep trying to read. My son is so excited to read them and he was getting frustrated before we purchased these.
  
  
• They Were Recommended By a Teacher; Now I Know Why
  By A1CWW0M397LISU on 2007-01-17
  Great little books! Perfect for kids just learning to read. Each book has one or two words or simple phrases that tell a story in the end. Children sound-out the words with the help of an experienced reader. Because they are so short, my child felt a real sense of achievement each time she read one..."Mom, I read a book!" She got excited about reading each book in a color sequence. Soon she had read the entire box of little books. She pulls them out now when friends come over so that she can show them she can read! Great concept. Great purchase.
  
  
• Good and reliable begining ESL begining reader
  By A2WHYWA9DI3SZV on 2007-04-10
  
  It is really very good collection. As a teacher in Kindergarten classroom who is using phonetic system by Montessori approach, I feel this collection really supportive for beginning reading for ESL students. Each of the book consist of pink level words (what we called for beginning reader level in Montessori) and children will be able to expand their reading capacity, vocabulary and definite practicing their comprehension skill. For us, who is ESL teacher also helps a lot and it is really hard to find suitable book for young children in our country. Appreciate if somebody can recommend me with other similar product like this.
  
  
  
• Awesome
  By A30OWJWZS4DE6E on 2007-07-13
  This book was perfect for my daughter who is turning 5 years old at the end of the summer. The books starts at a very basic & simple level and then builds upon that. She loved the pictures, which she identified with because it looks like a child drew them and it gave her clues to the words she was reading. Also, the clues to sound out your letters at the start of the book helped her know what was coming up. The books are short and allowed her to have little successes along the way. Each time we read the "Bob" books, she would want to do at least 4 of them. Hint - read these books with your child regularly and help then discover how to sound out words. I highly recommend this to all for beginning readers.
  
  
• Words First...A Sound Start
  By A2IGQTQGWVL230 on 2007-10-21
  With numerous early reader tools available today the Bob Books series truly starts at the beginning. Arriving in a sturdy, compact, brightly colored blue box are twelve books, perfect for little hands just learning the art of holding a book and turning pages independently. Each book is comprised of 12 pages, containing three letter words. Because young readers are easily distracted by glossy, high color images, utilizing simple, black and white drawings help children remain focused on the words first and the pictures second. The gradual addition of new sounds, improves and expands the vocabulary of very young readers. Thus instilling confidence and nuturing the natural desire to learn new things.
  
  It's important to remember that every child is different - parents have to decide (independently) what is best for his or her child and at what stage you feel it is appropriate to introduce educational/learning tools. Keeping in mind that it's never too soon to start fostering an education based environment, you know your child better than anyone, if these books are too simple for your child, move on to a more advanced set or something different all together. The whole purpose behind Bob Book's is to start with the absolute basic first step.
  
  I recommend Bob Books to all parents, care givers and teachers... it would be wonderful to see these colorful little boxes on shelves everywhere. The best way to encourage a new generation of readers is to start early! I will share Bob Books with my grandkids...someday!
  
  Happy Reading!
  RJ
  
  
  
  
• Just okay - the words run together
  By AX872P2FZQRW8 on 2007-10-31
  I was excited to get these books for my son. But they're marginal. My main problem with them is that everything is handprinted, and poorly. The words run together - the spaces between words are often the same as the spaces between letters in words. So it's hard to distinguish separate words. Not good for beginning readers.
  
  
• Only had them one day, but...
  By A19T8HSA2LUXW2 on 2008-01-15
  I'm delighted! The negative reviews had me full of doubts, and I see what some are getting at, but in terms of making reading accessible and fun to start, these have already been effective and I've only had them 24 hours. My little one is enjoying "reading" them already, remembered what he learned yesterday, and was at least interested enough in them to puzzle out what he wasn't sure of.
  
  Some reviewers have complained these are boring. I'm sure if you used them as a "text" for "reading lessons," or for anyone over, say, three or four, they'd bore everyone to tears. As a fun way to get your child easily and almost unwittingly to look at the words s/he's reading, these are great. Even if my child never looked at them again, in one day I've gotten my money's worth. And I'm sure he'll enjoy them over and over as part of learning to read.
  
  FWIW our house is filled to the brim with books for all ages, on all topics, and every member of the household is constantly reading. These books, "boring" or not, will serve their purpose well. Children love simple repetition, and it is an essential part of the learning process- if it's dull, there's something lacking in the presentation, not the material! We are reading "Mat sat on Sam" with great joy!
  
  
• So far, so good! :)
  By A1H13LLOOMLASS on 2008-02-13
  I was worried, when my kindergartener wasn't "getting" the concept of letter sounds creating words. He could recognize his letters, and even knew the sounds they made, thanks to all things leapfrog, but putting it all together was a problem. There was nothing but frustration coming from him, and that made him "shut down". He wanted nothing to do with reading, at all. I was at a loss, because all of the things which worked with our oldest son, just didn't click with him.
  Then came our Bob Books. I must say this--I didn't have high expectations. They seemed silly. BUT--They've worked for us! We do 1 or 2, sometimes 4 mini books a night, and it has all come together!
  WE HAVE JUST BOUGHT OUR 3RD SET OF BOB BOOKS!!! THESE REALLY WORKED FOR US!!!
  Confidence in my little boy was built, and he is now at or above grade level, in reading. God Bless the authors--they've helped a parent who didn't know how to help her child.
  
  
• One of the BEST tools for beginning readers!
  By A1CJF1TMC8V212 on 2006-10-22
  These books are excellent for beginning readers because they can be used for learning sight words AND for beginning phonics. I HIGHLY recommend using Bob Books with a lesson book such as The Reading Lesson by Levin, et al. My children have had a clear advantage in ALL areas of their education, I believe due to learning to read (using these methods) before Kindergarten.
  
  
• Mom in Columbia, MD
  By A3N626TFHYEQYA on 2006-11-20
  When my daughter's teacher told me that she was reading below average, I needed to take matters into my own hands. I researched alot of "learn to read" books online and decided that the Bob Books were the best option available. Boy was that an understatement! These books are great! They are great for many reasons...
  1. The words are very easy for children to learn and remember (usually rhyming words).
  2. The books are short -- so success comes very quickly.
  3. The book are fun -- "Mat sat. Sam sat. Mat sat on Sam."
  My daughter enjoys reading her Bob Books and loves sharing them with her sister and her Dad.
  
  Highly recommended for any child just learning to read.
  
  

• Bob Books Set 2-Advancing Beginners
• Bob Books Set 3- Word Families
• Bob Books Set 4- Compound Words
• Bob Books Set 5- Long Vowels
• Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons