Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers
by Bobby Lynn Maslen
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Book Reviews of Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers
Book Review: Well-loved by 3 kids
Summary: 5 Stars
My oldest child learned his letters at school, but was having trouble "putting it all together", so I purchased the Bob books. We have used set 1 and 2, and I really like the books. They don't include words that are too hard or that the kids don't know. They work on beginning sounds in the blue set (set 1), such as "mat", "fat", etc. Pretty quickly, my son could read a few of the books on his own, and he grew more confident in his reading. He stopped whining "I don't know how to read" and started sounding words out. I think the Bob books really helped.
Now my middle child is learning how to read, and the Bob books (same set -- they held up because we kept them in the box) are back. She can read the first one by herself and the second one with help. The little one (3 years old) likes to "read" along, and the predictable story line makes her feel like she can read.
True... the Bob books aren't really exciting. The plots seem to involve Mat and Sam and Cat sitting on each other. But I bought the Dora readers and my daughter couldn't read them at all. So,I think that a good first step is the blue Bob set. Your child can get confident, practice basic phonics, and you can read more exciting stories TO him/her for a while until he/she is ready for more.
Book Review: Great for Beginning readers
Summary: 5 Stars
- I am very thankful that we purchased these books for my 5 year old. We were trying to get her to read but were having difficulty finding skill appropriate books. My daughter has in a matter of a few weeks gone from not reading to reading the entire Set 1 of Bob Books. She loves being able to read a whole book.
- My daughter did know the whole alphabet and the sounds each letter made prior to these books. If your child does not know the alphabet and the sounds, the set prior to this one would be beneficial.
- As a little side note. Every time she reads a Bob book she puts a sticker on a "graph" sheet. What kid doesn't like stickers. We did this for a few reasons. One, this is a great way, especially in the beginning where reading is more difficult, to give them a little more motivation to read. Two, this is a fun way to watch their progress. Three, it allows her to see just how many books she has read (continued motivation). We try to read one to four books a day right now.
Overall this is a great series that we will continue to use. My only complaint is that the books themselves could be a little more durable. My two year old likes to "read" too and we have to remind him plenty to be gentle so they don't get destroyed.
Book Review: Only had them one day, but...
Summary: 5 Stars
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!
Book Review: The best books to start with a budding reader
Summary: 5 Stars
If your child can sound out letters and wants to learn to read, the Bob books are your best start. The words are short and easy to read; the pictures are fun but don't give away the meaning of the words; and the books are short and satisfying to read for a child. I can't imagine a better feeling than to see the proud look on my four-year-old when he finishes a new page of the book. It's one of the "aha" moments of being a parent for me: THIS is why people have children! Thanks, Bob books.
My son plowed through the first three sets of Bob books in about a week, so stock up. He read two or three books a night, but as he hit sets four and five, he slowed down to one a night, since they get a little harder and longer. Other early reading series (Starfall and Sight Word Readers) get hard too fast; the Bob book series get more challenging only imperceptibly. Your child will hardly notice that the sentences have ten words instead of three, that the words have three syllables instead of one, and silent "e"s & "gh"s instead of all letters you pronounce. He was reading whole words at a time, not collections of letters.
A wholehearted commendation for the Bob books.
Book Review: Basic reader with basic flaws
Summary: 2 Stars
The idea behind this type of book is good, but there are some fatal flaws with these books. These flaws are so egregious, it's almost as if the authors were playing a joke on the intended readers.
First, in some of the books, the spacing between words is not much greater than the spacing between letters. It was even hard for me to distinguish where words were to begin and end. Second the lettering, which was hand-written, was sometime hard to figure out. Third, the author suddenly started using long words that were difficult to sound out. As we read these books, we were trying to teach our kid to sound out words. Then we ran into words like polliwogs. I don't understand why they didn't use an easier word to sound out. Also, why not use a more common word.
Out of frustration, I eventually put the books down. I'm still looking for a good set of beginner books for my kids. The concept of Bob books was a good one but the flaws are foolish. With beginner readers you'd think the authors would space the words properly, use easy to read lettering and introduce words that kids could sound out.
I wouldn't recommend these books.