BOB Books (Review and Giveaway!)

Winner of the BOB Books is Judy!


We have had our own set of BOB Books for quite some time, but these are books intended to help children learn to read, so I had set them aside so that my daughter would not memorize them.  I shared our initial experinence with BOB Books Set 1.  It was not an official review, just something that I wanted to share.  Since then, I have realized that reading one book a week is too much for my four year old; however, we have read the first four books in set 1!!  Just yesterday, she asked if she could read when the books were setting out.

Now I also have sets 2 and 3 for "official" review...and two sets to giveaway to a reader, too!!  Read on if you are interested in teaching your child to read (now or in the future) or if you would like to continue to support your child as an early reader through BOB Books.  My daughter is still working in Set 1, so the following review is based on my experience as a teacher and mother looking for a way to help my daughter learn to read.

BOB Books teach children to read using a phonics approach. New sounds are added very slowly so that children can review what they know and master it.  In Set 1 the short vowels of A, E, I, O, and U have are introduced, as well as some sight words.  (Sight words are words that cannot be sounded out, like was, the, to, saw, come.  In the BOB Books, long vowels that have not been introduced yet are also considered sight words.  Hi and go would be included in these long vowel words.)

BOB Books Set 2 is Advancing Beginners.  This set assumes that the child has successfully read Set 1 (or capable of reading set 1), and therefore can read words with short vowel sounds along with some sight words.  In Set 2 the sentences are getting longer, but there is still a lot of repitition.  Words with Z and I are introduced (X as an ending sound).  Set 2 uses three letter words and consistent vowel sounds with the slightly longer stories to reinforce what the child knows and to build confidence.  This set has 12 books.

BOB Books Set 3 is Word Families, but it isn't like the books rhyme.  This set is quite different than the first two sets, as it introduces consonant blends, word endings.  These stories are more complex, and yet they have a similar feel to the other BOB Books.  Eight story books are included in Set 3, plus two "activity" books for books 1-8.  These activity books act as workbooks, with the child drawing, writing, and coloring inside the book.

I recently realized that each of the BOB Books has on the back cover "Look for These Ideas:"  The ideas are suggestions for talking with the child about the story.  They give some nice tips and suggestions for the parent/teacher to ask the children.

There is a lot to like about BOB Books.  Here are some of my thoughts.

• This is the only book set that uses only books to teach children to read that I know of that is friendly for parents that are not educators.   It is certainly not the only resource for teaching children to read, but it is a good one!
• Phonics is taught in a systematic way (without the child knowing it).  The steps from one book to another are small, so a child is able to be successful.
• The illustrations are simple line drawings with minimal color.  Some might say too simple, but it allows the child to focus on the words instead of the pictures.  Yet theses simple drawings convey emotion, including humor!
• The font looks like handwriting which is very friendly for a child!  
• Each set is clearly numbered and even color coded.  (My daughter has read the first four books in Set 1, and they are all red.  She knows that she can read any of the red books, but not the other colors yet.)
• Each set has its own box.  What child doesn't like boxes?  It also helps a parent or teacher to keep the books and sets organized.   (I know this because my Set 1 books are used, and I do not have the box for them!)

A friend was looking at our BOB Books and was concerned about the covers not being sturdy enough, being paperback, for her daughter.  If your child is also hard on books you could take packaging tape and make the covers more durable.  It should also be noted that BOB Books are small.  They are similar in size to many of our board books.

My bottom line is that I definitely recommend BOB Books if you desire to teach your child to read at home in a casual way.  Of course, they are not necessary, but I do like the approach.  If your child attends school and is being taught to read there successfully, these may not be for you.  (If your child's school does not use a phonics approach, you might still be interested though.)  If you are interested, but not convinced, check your local library to see if they have BOB Books.  Keep in mind that they are not for reading to your child, but to give your child success in reading a book by himself or herself!  If your child is ready to begin reading, you probably already know, but there are some signs of reading readiness, too.  (For those of you who have an iPhone or similar product, you might be interested in the BOB Books app to try, too.)

Thanks to Scholastic and BOB Books, one reader will be able to choose two sets of BOB Books!
Giveaway is now closed.

To enter: Go to BOB Books and check out the sets available.  Come back and leave a comment about which two sets you would like if you win.  Please make sure I can contact you through your blog or leave an email address.  (You do not need a blog to enter.)  

Extra Entries:  Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

Follow Live, Learn, Love- 1 entry
Tell me what you are doing to help your child to read (even if your child is not ready). -1 entry
Tell me about other books that help the beginning reader to read successfully. -1 entry

Giveaway will be open from today and goes through Tuesday, January 25th.  I will contact the winner through email and also share the winner on this post.  The winner has 48 hours to get back to me or I will need to choose a different winner.

Thank you very much to Lynn Maslen Kertell from BOB Books for providing sets 2 and 3 for review purposes!