My First Bob Books are not only intended for you to read to your child (whereas the foundation sets are intended for your child to read to you) but they are full of fun learning games that you can play with your emerging reader. For example, in “Fix It” (book 5) kids are asked to identify certain shapes that will enable the broken toys to get fixed. The illustrations contain additional shapes (triangles on the curtain, a smiley face on the flag), which I asked Wilson to identify and count. In “Get Ready” (book 10) the illustrations are spaced on the page as to give kids clues to what happens next. I turned it into a game by asking Wilson which toys he would play with first, second and last. Wilson loves blocks so we had a lot of fun with “Block Town” (book 7), which introduces simple patterns. I had him repeat all of the shapes in the pattern (“square, rectangle, rectangle, square”) and then we got down on the floor and created our own pattern – using the Bob Books!

My emerging reader has an extremely short attention span so our reading sessions progress at their own pace. Once he gets wiggly or starts throwing books on the floor, it’s time to move onto something else. Still, I can definitely tell that each time we pick up the books, he’s putting into action the concepts that we learned in previous reading sessions. Which is pretty exciting.

Do you have a reading success story or guest blog you’d like to share? Let us know.

At that time, I had never heard of Bob Books or anything like it. We trudged along with phonics lessons on flashcards and in songs, and I did my best to wrap up each lesson with a story in a picture book that children could love. I was convinced even then that love was the foundation of true learning.

How I wish I had had Bob Books back then! I firmly believe my students would have thrived on them the way my own children do now.

Children, once they gain a bit of knowledge, like to flex their new mental muscles. Bob Books are the perfect outlet. Children learn just a handful of sounds–a, m, o, s, and t–and suddenly they can read a whole book! I see their little chests puff out with triumph; they are so happy to read a real book, all by themselves.

Just this past weekend, my five-year-old (who is my current reading student), got out her Set 1 books (she is working on Set 2 these days). She read through each book with a smile on her face, because she could read them all. I think we often underestimate the power of that feeling of victory, that moment when we have grasped a new concept and hold it fast with satisfaction and joy, turning it over in our minds. This is what Bob Books offer to little ones.

Oh, sure, they outgrow them in time. But I can say from experience that even an 8-year-old can remember them fondly. “My first books!” he says…and he smiles.

- Brandy Vencel is a mother of 4 and is blogging at Teaching with Bob Books.

It is only when you begin teaching a youngster to read that you realize what a complicated process this actually is.

There are many skills that you absorbed as a kid that prepared you for your first step into reading. You may remember, or you may have experienced with your own children, many different reading preparation games:

- beginning sounds games
- rhyming games
- matching games
- sorting
- shapes
- listening to and telling stories

One of the most important skills is called phonemic awareness.

Phonemic awareness is the ability of the ear (and brain) to separate a word into its individual sounds. You’d be surprised what a challenge it can be to learn the individual letters in a word if you do not have good phonemic awareness.

To illustrate the number of skills needed before you read your first word, here is a breakdown of the cognitive development process:

- You can see the black squiggles on a page
- You understand that those black squiggles on a page represent sounds (the same ah-ha type moment Helen Keller had with her teacher Anne Sullivan)
- You know the sound the letter makes
- you can individuate the sounds in a word that you hear
- you can read the letters in order
- you can understand the sounds they represent
- you can remember them long enough to sound out an entire word
- you can blend individual sounds into a word
- you understand what the words means
- you can remember the word long enough to read all the words are in a sentence
- Eventually, you can read and remember several sentences and paragraphs and understand the meaning in a story.

Our ease of reading can be taken for granted if we don’t understand the skills we’ve mastered when we were just beginning. As we guide our children through learning to read, it helps that we understand the process. We can do this by supporting them through all the steps and helping them identify, hear and understand sounds in sequence. This is our gift to our children as they embark on the adventure of learning to read.

The Collections series features the original stories and illustrations from the Bob Books Sets 1-5, plus the My First Bob Books series, repackaged in a beautiful, oversized, 8 x 8 inch format. Our customers are enthusiastic about this large format for small hands, and they love the terrific price that is available only at Costco.

Collection 1 has 18 books, including all the stories from Set 1, and half of Set 2
Collection 2 has 16 books, including stories from half of Set 2, and all of Set 3.
Collection 3 has 16 books, and includes all the stories from Sets 4 and 5.
The My First Bob Books Collection has 24 books, including all stories from My First Bob Books: Alphabet and My First Bob Books: Pre-Reading Skills

Plus, all boxes includes bonus stickers, book mark and door hanger.

The Collections retail for $9.99 and are only available at Costco. They are available while supply last, so if you pick up one set and really like it, be sure to head back and purchase the rest before they’re gone! Costco carries the Bob Books Collections for just a few weeks each year. You can find traditional Bob Books at Barnes & Noble, Amazon or your favorite bookstore every day.

Happy shopping!

Twenty years ago, Bob Books were self-published by Bobby and John Maslen. When you sent in your Bob Books order, my parents personally packaged up the mail and often included a personal note or drawing. There was quite a bit of correspondence between those early Bob Books purchasers and the authors. In fact, letters from readers are still treasured by the Maslens and Bob Books.

Early on, Bobby and John received a letter and photo of a little boy who loved his Bob Books so much, he had fallen asleep in bed with them. This inspired the cover of an early brochure (illustrated by family friend and children’s illustrator Fredrika Spillman).

Now, 20 years later, we received another letter – with a very similar story:

I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for a great product. I ordered the first collection of Bob Books for my five year-old son. He loves reading them. It is such a nice thing for him to have so many books that he can read by himself.

I am attaching a picture of him asleep, clutching his books. That’s how much he loves them. Thank you! Sincerely, Sarah E.

It tickles my heart that Bob Books still means so much to kids as they start their journey into reading.

Do you have a Bob Books story you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you!

I currently offer an author reading presentation in the Seattle area where I live. In the presentation, the class and I write a book together. Just as with Bob Books, the kids have fun while learning. They have no idea they are practicing reading, writing and listening skills while creating a silly new book that has never been written before.

Mrs. Massoth’s class at Hamlin Robinson School in Seattle wrote this quirky story:

Cat and The Hat
Cat and hat ran to Mars.
On Mars, Cat and hat drink a fat drink.
The drink was cold and good.
Cat and hat see a pal.
Cat and pal do yoga.
The End

If you would like to find out more about scheduling a Bob Books author reading for your school, please contact me at Lynn@BobBooks.com.

Wilson, age 3, our reader-in-training, is doing pretty well with alphabet recognition (give or take 3 or 4… or 8 letters, depending on when I ask him) so I thought I’d spend some time this week focusing on specific pre-reading skills. The My First Bob Books sets are wonderful in that they build upon simple concepts (i.e. shape identification) and then progress to more advanced skills (such as matching and sorting and sequencing.) The sizing and color-coding of the books is really helpful too, especially when you’re dealing with a short attention span and a child who likes to dump all of his books out on the floor.

We started with the red color-coded books, the first books in the My First Bob Books: Pre Reading Skills set that focus on shape recognition and matching. We breezed through those; I could tell that Wilson really understands his shapes. But then he grabbed one of the yellow books, the “Guessing Machine,” which helps kids understand the concept of sequencing. It’s book number 11 out of 12 in the set so I knew that by following Bob Books’ numbered progression, this would be a relatively advanced concept. And it was. Sequencing – the ability to predict or guess what happens next in a story – was a completely foreign concept for him. So now I know what he doesn’t know. This was a really important realization for me as a parent. And, truth be told, I’m not sure I really understood what the term sequencing meant exactly –and why it was important — until I started going through the My First Bob Books with Wilson. Now I get it. I can talk about sequencing concepts in our every day conversations (“What happens next?” You put on your shoes and then we’ll walk to the park…”) to help him grasp the step-by-step pre -reading and literacy skills that build a good foundation for reading.

Do you have any pre-reading skill development tips you’d like to share? Let us know.

Identifying shapes and letters
Learning to identify and name shapes is an important pre-reading skill. Pay attention to how Paul’s dad helps him find the circle and identify the triangle. First he asks a question, then he waits for Paul. This gives Paul a chance to figure it out for himself, and also communicates to Paul that his answer is important. It is essential that children are given time to try before you step in.

Talking about the sounds that letters make
When reading with your child, be respectful and accurate. If the child does not use the correct letter or word, do not dwell on it, but calmly give him accurate information. Do not let silliness sidetrack you into accepting a wrong answer. This will not help with learning. Praise immediately when he answers correctly.

Talking about the story
To develop a love of reading, children need to fall in love with the story. Take time to talk about the characters, actions and emotions in a book. Encourage your child to engage with the illustrations as well as the writing. Ask your child what is happening in the story. The entire early reading experience, including your attention, a fun story, and early reading success, can build a love a books that will last a lifetime.

Giving praise
Giving praise instructs and encourages your child to read accurately. It’s important to notice achievements large and small, when a child is learning to read. Your calm consistency and gentle approval make your child’s first steps into reading a successful and happy experience.

And finally…
Enjoy yourselves!
With a few simple techniques, a warm couch, some snuggly quiet time, and the right book, learning to read can be fun and satisfying for you and your child, every step of the way.

Do you have any reading tips or video blogs you’d like to share? Let us know.

–Rachel M. is a mom to three preschoolers blogging at Quirky Momma.
http://quirkymomma.com
@Quirkymommasite

The Catlin Gabel School in Portland is an important part of the story so we decided to film on location. The sun is not assured in early spring in Oregon, but when it appears it is absolutely lovely. On the day we decided to shoot, the sun was shining coolly in the pale blue sky, the cherry trees were blooming; the grass was lush and damp. The Catlin Gabel campus is particularly beautiful with handsome wood buildings sprinkled among the trees and pastures. The Beginning School (also known as the “Beehive”) where Bobby taught, has grown and been remodeled, but retains its wonderful warm and intimate nature combined with the latest educational methods.

Allen Schauffler, who had been a new teacher in the Beehive when Bobby was writing the Bob Books, still teaches at Catlin. She coordinated our use of the Beehive and also had several comments to add to the interview.

The videographer (John Waller of Uncage the Soul Productions) selected the location, set up the lights and cameras and prepared to film. I had planned questions to keep the pace moving… but a nice surprise occurred. Their years of radio and print exposure became apparent as Bobby and John both launched into fully formed interview stories about the beginnings of Bob Books. Our videographer had been hoping to end with 20 minutes of usable footage – I think he got two hours!

The second half of the day was spent chez Maslen, photographing newspaper and magazine articles, various packaging styles used for Bob Books over the years, and B-roll film. Bobby was pleased when her young grandsons stopped by to demonstrate—on camera—their skills at reading Bob Books.

The hard part for us is finished! We captured some terrific footage. Now we must be patient while our talented editor John Waller builds a wonderful legacy video for us.

It’s very satisfying to know that the history of Bob Books is captured for posterity.

Do you have a historical Bob Books story you’d like to share? Let us know.