Every preschooler needs a box of BOB!

If you have a beginning reader in your house, chances are you’ve come across the BOB Book Series. written by Bobby Lynn Maslen–that boxed set of simply drawn first readers the children seem to love.

As a teacher, I am well acquainted with the BOB books, and I have to say, they own a unique space on the learning to read spectrum. When a child is beginning to read, confidence and comfort are just as important as decoding skills. Often, a child is capable of decoding a word, but because it is unfamiliar or there are too many words on a page, he hesitates or says, “I can’t.” BOB books are often the books the child begins to read on his own, and after reading several, he begins to say, “I can read!”

The very first series of BOB books rely on simple, three letter, phonetic words–the first type of words a child truly learns how to read. Once there is success in the first book, children are eager to read the following books–they KNOW they are able read because of their earlier success. The books each follow a repetitive pattern, with different characters doing the same actions, so the sentences are very predictable. This is another aspect that builds comfort and confidence.

Currently in my classroom, I have several children reading BOB books. They are all right around five years old, and they are having fun practicing with these books. They are old enough to understand the order of these books–and take great pride when they can fluently read one and are able to move on to another.

This new edition of BOB books features the classic simply drawn figures, with little splashes of color to brighten up the black and white illustrations. They still come in the handy 3×5 size, perfect for little hands. Each set comes in a compact little box, making reading an activity that can be done on the go or at home.

BOB books can be found on Amazon.com, and are a great way to help your young reader become more comfortable and confident in reading.