Customer Reviews

Dick and Jane Fun with Our Family

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great volume for home-schoolers or just nostaglia. This volume along with Fun Wherever We Are reprints the pre-primers from the 1960s edition of the Dick and Jane readers. Some stories are from the 1965 multi-ethnic version, while others are not. Still with a little careful sequencing one can follow the original sequence of stories to teach reading vocabulary. Antiquarian copies of the same books are expensive, some these reprints would be great for home-schoolers.

My daughter, who is 3, loves these Dick and Jane book reprints. The language is easy for her to understand, and the three- to five- page stories fit her attention span well - she can really get her mind around them.

That said, I would recommend the other books in this series - "Fun Wherever We Are", "We Play Outside" and "We Play and Pretend" ahead of this one, due to some sloppy editing.

In my edition, for example, page 78 appears out of order - it belongs to a completely different story - and the African-American characters, Mike and Pam and Penny, are switched out halfway through with new drawings that look entirely different, a bit like when they cast new actors in the same old roles on a sitcom.

"Why does Mike have a different face?" aske my blond, blue-eyed daughter, and she was right - Mike and his family had suddenly gone from very dark-skinned to very light-skinned, with new hairstyles to boot.

Don't let that turn you off the series as a whole, however, which is otherwise excellent.

The Dick and Jane books, published from the 1930's through the early '70s, are nostolgic, charming and sweetly illustrated. They're a great little piece of history both parents and children can enjoy.

However, it should be noted that the current publisher, Grosset & Dunlap, has publicly stated that these titles are offered for their entertainment value only and shouldn't be used as teaching tools.

The language used in the D & J series, with its oft-repeated, simple words, was part of the "whole-word" approach to teaching reading, which was pilloried in "Why Johnny Can't Read." And indeed, decades of research have shown that phonics is the approach that works. It is with good reason that California abandoned "whole-word" teaching methods early on and current federal standards specifically require a phonic-based curriculum.

So buy, read and enjoy, but when your child needs a leg-up with his/her reading, turn to phonics instead.

This book is great for your beginner readers. I purchased this book because I learned how to read off of the Dick & Jane books. To my surprise half of the book is filled with stories about two twin girls Pam & Penny who are African American. I was happy to see this. My six year old son loves reading these stories. I have had this book about 1 year now. My six year has learned his beginning words and now is excelling in much larger words. If you want your child to have confidence in reading, these books are great to have to start them off. Why oh why? did they take the Dick & Jane Books out of the schools.

After using this book for less than a month, my four year old is already reading. She is learning new sight words everyday from this book, reading the book, and street signs everywhere.

Length:: 0:42 Mins

My daughter is in first grade and I think she has done well with her reading - but she had no confidence. She felt very frustrated with other books. She loved to be read to, but hated to read out loud to us. I stumbled across these at a thrift store and have since purchased several others. SHE LOVES to read these. My husband and I have gone from reading to her, to her reading to us almost immediately. She struggles a little at the back of the books where there is almost full pages of text, but the way the book is laid out - starts with 'see spot' and 'run spot run' - really builds her confidence. The repetitiveness of the words, the large print, easy sentences, all help her get to the end of the book by building her vocabulary and pronunciation. They are amazing and I can't say enough good things about them. We've had these two or three weeks now and she is actually starting to read on her own, practise on her own, and read road signs, etc. These books made a world of difference in her cofidence and determination to suceed. I think because they helped her finaly realize that she can do it.

My daughter is in kindergarten and she loves this book. As a parent, I really enjoy watching her pick up the book and read " chapters" with confidence. We have previously struggled through other books geared for her age group but none have been something my daughter wants to read to herself. I would recommend this book to any parent whose child is beginning to read. A love of reading comes from success!

I purchased this book to help my granddaughters learn to read. I already had the condensed book of Sally, Dick and Jane stories. I didn't remember seeing this one when I was growing up. I appreciate the diversity of the book. This book is a 1965 edition and is in brand new or at least book shelf condition. Thank you for sending this book in such a timely manner.

When I first had these readers assigned to me in 1953 they were the most boring books I ever read or have read thereafter. "Mother" stays home and wears dresses. "Father' goes to work. In 1953 I don't remember many families like that, and for sure today's children are not being reared in that style. I cannot imagine how awful and strange these books must seem to children who now have instant information accessible to them via computers and the Internet. To compare then and now, nowadays children are often (not all school districts) expected to be able to read before they start kindergarten. Back then, when we started kindergarten we were taught to count from one to ten and learn "to say our ABC's". I was very disappointed to see these books are still around! Go, Go, Go, Run, Run, Run, Vomit, Vomit, Vomit! And to all of you who also gave them one star, Clap, Clap, Clap! You are wise people.