Bob Books are the perfect phonics-based books for your family when your kid is ready to read. First created in 1976 by Bobby Lynn Maslen—hence the title—the Bob Books series is split into stages designed to tackle different reading levels. The goal is that after completing the levels, the young reader will be prepared to take on the future challenges that await during grade school and beyond. There are three formal stages, with an additional entry stage we’ll refer to as Stage 0.
The Four Stages
- Stage 0: Pre-Reading Skills
- The first level, “Reading Readiness,” is aimed at Pre-K and younger. My First Bob Books in this series provide read-aloud stories that are humorous and prepare your pre-reader with the concepts they’ll need to advance. Stage 0 is a precursor where kids can also learn the alphabet.
- Stage 1: Starting to Read
- Once they’ve reached Stage 1, they’ll be working with simple sentences with short words and short vowels. At this level, kids Pre-K to Kindergarten will establish a basic understanding of the structure of reading.
- Stage 2: Emerging Reader
- Here, we’ll see kindergarteners improve on the foundation of the previous stage, while being introduced to new reading skills. They’ll also be introduced to sight words for kindergarten and first grade.
- Stage 3: Developing Reader
- The third and final stage, bridges kindergarten and first grade. It teaches word families, complex worlds, and long vowels.
(There are also wipe-clean and traditional workbooks available.)
The Bob Website
The Bob Books website is intuitively designed and even offers “Quick Tips” videos by Lynn Maslen Kertell, daughter of Bobby Lynn. There is also a page with activities, like rhyming games and word searches, to help make words and reading more fun. There are also “Bob Books Stories,” which feature a young family as they visit a carnival, go hiking, get a new puppy, and more. These are an opportunity to improve reading skills while also learning about story.
Stellar Reviews
You can learn more about Bob Books and purchase the various bundles from their site or Amazon. At the time of publication, the bundles are currently on sale. They feature stellar reviews from teachers and parents, who praise how the books are a solid method for learning and improving reading skills.
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