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Bob Books - Set 1: Beginning Readers Box Set | Phonics, Ages 4 and up, Kindergarten (Stage 1: Starting to Read) Paperback – Box set, May 1, 2006

by Bobby Lynn Maslen (Author), John R. Maslen (Illustrator)
#1 Best Seller in Early Learning Beginner Readers
See all formats and editions
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The Bob Books boxed set that started it all! This iconic phonics-based learn-to-read set has sold millions of copies, allowing children around the world to say with pride, “I read the whole book!”®

Many early reader books contain words that are too difficult for a child who has just learned the sounds of the alphabet. Not these books! With only four letter sounds in the first story (M, A, T, and S), children can read a whole book and their confidence grows. Kids love the stories and funny pictures, and can’t wait to read these books to everyone they know!

Inside the box you’ll find:

  • 12 easy-to-read, hilarious small books; 12 pages each; 7-20 unique words per book
  • Two- and three-letter words with short vowels that can be decoded or "sounded out" (on, sat, can, ran)
  • Very simple sentences (Sam sat.)
  • Very limited sight words
  • New letter sounds added gradually across the books, until young readers have read books with all letters of the alphabet (except Q)
  • Friendly, two-color illustrations that add fun and do not distract from the words
  • A parent card with tips for helping your child learn to read

Guided Reading Levels: A, B, C | Lexile® Measure: BR – 290L | Bob Books Level: Stage 1

Ages: 4-6 | Grade Levels: PreK, Kindergarten

Created by a teacher and grounded in the Science of Reading, Bob Books has been helping children learn to read through simple phonics; playful text and illustrations; and an emphasis on building young readers' confidence, success, and love of reading for more than forty years. Your child will soon join the millions of happy kids who say, "I read the whole book!"®

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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    3 - 6 years, from customers
  2. Book 1 of 5
    BOB BOOKS
  3. Print length
    108 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    Preschool - 1
  6. Dimensions
    1 x 1 x 1 inches
  7. Publisher
    Scholastic
  8. Publication date
    May 1, 2006
  9. ISBN-10
    0439845009
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0439845007
  11. See all details
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Bob Books - First Stories Box Set | Phonics, Ages 4 and up, Kindergarten (Stage 1: Starting to Read)
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From the Publisher

Bob Books Workbook Hello Crabby Bob Books The New Puppy Five Minute Phonics Peppa Pig
Bob Books Beginning Reader Workbook Hello Crabby! The New Puppy Five Minute Phonics: Peppa Pig
Customer Reviews
4.8 out of 5 stars
1,401
4.7 out of 5 stars
314
4.8 out of 5 stars
17
4.5 out of 5 stars
30
Price $9.09 $2.49 $4.99 $8.49
More great early phonics readers Children can now extend their reading journey into these jumbo workbooks, which feature custom content built around each Bob Books storybook. Complete with full-color art and two sheets of stickers. Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early reader line, Acorn, aimed at children who are learning to read. With easy-to-read text, a short-story format, plenty of humor. Experience the delight―and hard work―of adopting a pet in this Scholastic Level 1 Reader from the creators of the beloved Bob Books learn-to-read phonics box sets. The Science of Reading research proves that systematic phonics instruction is the most effective way to teach kids to read. Now caregivers can support these essential phonics skills with simple, engaging stories featuring Peppa, George, and friends.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Forget Dick and Jane. Your beginning reader needs Bob Books® to succeed."
 --cpamomva.blogspot.com

"Tiny enough to sneak in a very full diaper bag, we are enjoying them here, there, and everywhere." -- needsnewbatteries.blogspot.com

"They are a wonderful addition to a home library, school library, or a homeschool library. I love the smiles on my daughters' faces when they have succeeded in reading a book--that's priceless!" -- ourgaggleofgirls.com

"Bob Books® made our children into avid readers. Best investment I ever made."
-- The Lewiston Tribune

From the Author

You've prepared your child for reading - refrigerator magnets down low and easy to reach; letter sounds taught. Your child can proudly spell his or her name. Perhaps he can identify the "stop" and "open" signs as you drive in your car. He or she is ready for the next step into reading.

Inside the colorful box, the bright red cover beckons. On the first page, the letters:
M - a - t. Your child says the sounds: mmmmm, aaa, ttt. Then, faster: "Mat." Your youngster has read his first word! "Sam", "sat" and "on" complete the vocabulary, and suddenly your child can say, "I read the whole book!"® That is the magic of Bob Books®.

After 13 years of teaching 3, 4 and 5-year-olds, watching a child make that giant first step into reading still thrills me. The pride in their eyes, their triumphant grasp of a difficult concept, and opening their world to the excitement of books and reading, has brought me many years of satisfaction.

Bob Books® were specifically designed to facilitate that ah-ha moment, when letters first turn into words. By slowly introducing new letter sounds, using consistency and repetition, and stories that fit short attention spans, your child will quickly find his or her own ah-ha moment.
We wish your young learner much success and happiness as he or she enters the great adventure of reading.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scholastic; Box Pck edition (May 1, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 108 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0439845009
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0439845007
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 3 - 6 years, from customers
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 1
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 0.96 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1 x 1 x 1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

About the authors

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  1. Bobby Lynn Maslen

    Bobby Lynn Maslen

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Founded in Portland, Oregon, Bob Books started when teacher Bobby Lynn Maslen was looking for reading material suitable for children taking their very first steps into reading. When she couldn’t find books interesting enough for her young students, she created the Bob Books. Bobby’s 13 years of teaching experience, and hands-on field testing of Bob Books, means they truly suit the needs of youngsters starting the great adventure of reading. Each new Bob Books reader will soon be able to happily say, “I read the whole book!”®

    The first books were handmade, inspired by two small dolls that Bobby bought at a craft fair. She named the dolls Mat and Sam and spun stories about them, illustrated with line drawings that the children could copy and color.

    Articles recommending Bob Books appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, and regional newspapers and magazines around the country. The books had entered the spotlight, and parents wanted Bob Books.

    The Maslens turned to a major publisher of children’s books, Scholastic, Inc., for help publishing Bob Books. With Scholastic, Bob Books have grown to sixteen titles: five sets of books written by Bobby, five sets by her daughter Lynn Maslen Kertell, and six leveled early reader books. Bob Books have sold millions of copies.

    Bobby is retired, and lives with original Bob Books illustrator and husband John, in Portland, Oregon.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Lynn Maslen Kertell

    Lynn Maslen Kertell

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Lynn Maslen Kertell has been involved with Bob Books right from the beginning, starting with the first edition in the 1970s. Lynn pasted-up and hand-lettered the original Bob Books, created by her parents, Bobby and John Maslen, when she was in high school.

    As Lynn’s own daughter was beginning to learn to read, returning to the family business was a natural step. Her experience tackling the fun, bonding and sometimes complex task of helping her child learn to read, showed her that Bob Books really work. There are many skills a child needs to become literate. Bob Books' measured approach respects the steps that turn a child into a reader, and entertains them with real stories that kids can relate to.

    Lynn brings the Maslen sense of humor, warmth and gentle encouragement to her writing, as she creates the next generation of Bob Books. She continues Bobby's phonics-based approach to teaching reading, and is proud to contribute to the millions of children who can say with pride, "I read the whole book!"®

    Lynn lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband and daughter.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
21,972 global ratings
Amazing books
5 Stars
Amazing books
Recommended by a teacher I have helped my three children Learn to read with this set. The books are short easy to catch on sounds for beginners. I really noticed how it helped my young reader gain confidence! Highly recommend.
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Top reviews from the United States

Lila McGuire
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Early Readers I Have Seen
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2020
Verified Purchase
These books are an incredible tool for teaching kids to read. I LOVE how they just introduce a few new letter sounds in each book, so kids don't have to master every letter sound in order to read the first book. Pure genius. It truly makes the whole process less overwhelming, and I'll always teach early reading this way in the future.

I wish I had had them when teaching my first child to read. I am currently teaching my niece to read. Since this is my second time around, and since I've discovered these books, I feel like I have a pretty great system down.

I am using this first set of Bob Books, a pack of index cards, a magnetic dry-erase board, and a set of magnetic letters. Because children can very easily memorize these books, without fully understanding how to sound out the words, I don't feel like using the books alone, with no other exercises, is sufficient to truly teach them to read (for example, my 3-year-old likes to memorize the books and pretend he is "reading").

So for my niece (age 6), we are moving through the books systematically, learning the letter sounds and words in each book. For each book, I make a set of customized flashcards, using words found in that book, plus other 3-letter, consonant-vowel-consonant words that are not found in the book, but use letter sounds found in the books that she has read already. We practice the books and flashcards separately, to make sure she is truly learning to sound out those words (and she is!).

We also use a magnetic dry-erase board and a magnetic letter set to do different exercises. In one exercise we make a word with the magnetic letters, using letter sounds she has already mastered. She reads it, and then she can switch out various letters to make new words to read. Sometimes it's a real word, and sometimes a "nonsense word", which makes it fun for her. She also enjoys moving the magnetic letters around, so this makes reading more fun for her. This is a great way to reinforce, for example, that not every word that starts with "ca" is "cat". Switch out the "t" for an "n", and you have "can". It really helps her focus on how the individual letter sounds come together to make a whole word.

I guess my point to all this is; these are great, wonderful books, and are perfect for what they are. But I don't consider them a complete system for teaching a child to read (and I don't think they claim to be that either). But they can form a huge part of a complete system, at least at the early stages. I don't have the other sets (set 2 and beyond), so I can't say yet if these would be sufficient for teaching more complex words, but I am, of course, prepared to supplement and adjust when we get to that point. I can say that, for these earliest stages, they were worth every penny I paid for them, and more.
16 people found this helpful
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Anastasia K
5.0 out of 5 stars Great product for learning to read
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2024
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I bought this for my granddaughter who is three and is just starting to read and this series of books, make it fun and achievable. She enjoys the books and is progressing nicely highly recommended.
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Taylor Thornock
5.0 out of 5 stars Truly for beginners
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2024
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Bought for my four year old. She has learned her letters and is learning how to sound out words. She has felt so confident reading these! It is challenging enough that she doesn’t get bored but easy enough that she stays confident.
One person found this helpful
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Laura J McAlevy
5.0 out of 5 stars Simplicity at its best
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2024
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My granddaughters are enjoying these books and learning to read. The illustrations are simple and don’t distract from the whole purpose of these books which is the words and learning to read them.
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Tish026
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing books
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2024
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Recommended by a teacher I have helped my three children Learn to read with this set. The books are short easy to catch on sounds for beginners. I really noticed how it helped my young reader gain confidence! Highly recommend.
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Tish026
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing books
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2024
Recommended by a teacher I have helped my three children Learn to read with this set. The books are short easy to catch on sounds for beginners. I really noticed how it helped my young reader gain confidence! Highly recommend.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Good for reading practice
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2024
Verified Purchase
My kid's teacher advised us to give more reading time to him as he needed help in reading independently. That's why we bought this set and it has been a hit since then :)
My Son loves them and is eager to read whenever he sees them. Words are very basic which encourages kids to keep on going and finish the book and he cherished that milestone. He mentions this to his friends too and has been a great confidence booster. He has build bigger vocab of sight words now. We are buying the other sets now to keep his habit going.
Only wish I has that books had few more pages or more lines to expose more content but that has nothing to do with quality of content. It's spot on.
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FLAWLESS03
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
I used these books to help my daughter learn how to read when she was 4 years old. Now, at the age of 8, she is a part of a gifted reading group that she attends once a week. I was so impressed with the results that I ordered more books for my 4-year-old son so he can get a head start on reading as well. I love the way these books are designed to make learning fun and engaging for children. Each book starts with one to two words per page and gradually increases the word count, which helps children remember how to string the words along. The books are repetitive and move slowly, ensuring that children grasp the meaning and sound of each word. Additionally, there is an illustration on each page that helps children visualize what is happening. With these books, you can teach any child how to read.
10 people found this helpful
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Anne T
5.0 out of 5 stars Great support for early readers or struggling readers.
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
I used these books to teach my kids to read early and now I am doing the same with my grandkids. The order of the letters, sounds and words are so easy for kids and parents to share together. The stories are cute and humorous. The stories can be kept and read over and over. This is my go to read together books that teach our youngest readers the basics of beginning reading.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Taryn
5.0 out of 5 stars These are amazing
Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
My kids in SR kindergarden and isnt interested in reading. We tried some pokemon phonics books and they were way too hard and he got really discouraged. His teacher recomended the Bob books anf wow have they made a difference! We've been through this set twice and his reading has vastly improved, and while he's still not really interested in reading I can see his confidence in his ability is rising and I think its making a difference. The price is good for the amount of books and how well they work, so ill be ordering the other sets.
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Roberto Flores
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy satisfecho.
Reviewed in Mexico on December 2, 2020
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A mi hijo y a mi esposa le encantaron. estoy muy satisfecho con mi compra
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Dovar Moultrie
5.0 out of 5 stars A must purchase!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
I purchased this set back in December for my 4 year old. He’s in reception and absolutely hated reading the books he got from school , it was very dreadful and stressful seeing him frustrated and myself. At that point he was only beginning to learn his phonics . My soon to be 5 year old has now completed the 18 books, mind you I we were not that consistent but manage to finish them. He knows his phonics and has to my knowledge perfect blending of 3-5 letter words with no assistance. His confidence is so much better. If I ask him rather he prefers to write or read a book he chooses to read instead (a good and bad sign I guess) since we now have to spend extra time in the writing dept. My son is also speech delay up to a year and learning to read has also improve in this area , he is not very interested in schooling so it’s tough and the fact that he now knows how to read basic books is a light at the end of the tunnel. I will def be getting all the other advance stages. By the way his teacher has also commented on his great reading progress, he now reads the school books with so much ease.
3 people found this helpful
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Verónica
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy recomendable
Reviewed in Spain on December 10, 2021
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Nos los recomendó la profesora del cole que es escocesa para empezar a leer en casa en inglés. Son geniales!
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Mavis
5.0 out of 5 stars Unglaublich!
Reviewed in Germany on October 6, 2020
Verified Purchase
Mein Sohn hat einfach nicht gelesen. Er bekommt Geräusche, er bekommt, dass einige Buchstaben einen Ton zusammen haben, aber er versteht nicht, wie man alle Geräusche zusammenfügt und Wörter macht.

Ich habe diese Bücher letztes Jahr gesehen und dachte, die Zeichnungen seien so schlecht, dass ich mich nicht darum kümmern wollte, und es gab nur ungefähr 10 Rezensionen. Dieses Jahr suchte ich verzweifelt nach etwas, das mir helfen könnte - alles und inzwischen dort drüben 1.000 Bewertungen und die große Mehrheit von ihnen sagte dasselbe, also dachte ich, ich werde es versuchen und jetzt fühle ich mich in der Tat wie eine sehr dumme Mama!

Wir haben heute die Bücher bekommen und mein Sohn hat eines wie in gelesen, er hat es aufgehoben und es geschafft herauszufinden, dass Mat ganz alleine steht und danach war er einfach nicht mehr aufzuhalten! Er las über Sam und wer wo und auf wem saß. Sicher, ich musste ihn dazu bringen, Dinge auszuloten und sich an Worte zu erinnern, aber die Tatsache, dass er es sogar tat, war ein Wunder.

Ich habe negative Kritiken gelesen, von denen die meisten sagen, dass eine der Figuren wie ein Klansman aussieht (wirklich? Sagt mehr über dich als das Buch!) Und andere, dass die Wortreihenfolge keinen Sinn ergab und die Geschichten zu kurz waren. Meine Ansichten zu all dem sind:

Es ist gut, die Wortsyntax zu verwechseln, da dies das Kind dazu ermutigt, WIRKLICH zu lesen, was da ist. Viele Kinder lernen nur Blockphrasen, zum Beispiel "Die Katze saß auf der Matte", anstatt tatsächlich lesen zu lernen, wenn Sie "Die Sat-Matte auf" schreiben die Katze "sie würden es nicht verstehen oder sie würden lesen" die Katze saß auf der Matte. Die seltsame Syntax hilft bei der Identifizierung von Problemen.

Es ist besser, die Geschichten wirklich kurz zu halten. Neue Leser können es stressig finden, sogar 5 Minuten lang zu lesen. Diese sind besonders für Kleinkinder großartig und weniger ist mehr! Kurze Bücher eignen sich hervorragend für vielbeschäftigte Mütter und Väter, die sich Zeit zum Lesen mit ihrem Kind nehmen möchten, aber nicht viel Zeit haben, um längere Geschichten zu lesen. Selbst Peter- und Jane-Bücher können für gute Leser gut 15 Minuten dauern durch. Wir sind auch nicht alle Patienten, es kann frustrierend sein, Ihr Kind zum Lesen zu bringen. Ein kurzes Buch bedeutet weniger Ärger für Eltern und Kind. Auch das Gefühl des Stolzes für einen erstmaligen Leser, ein ganzes Buch selbst zu lesen, ist so ermutigend und hilft ihnen, dabei zu bleiben.

Was den Inhalt der Geschichte angeht, sollten wir wirklich nicht zu viel darüber lesen, es ist ein Kinderbuch und es macht tatsächlich das, was es verspricht, es ermöglicht einem Kind das Lesen, es konzentriert sich auf ein oder zwei Geräusche pro Buch, um viel Wiederholung zu ermöglichen, was ideal zum Lernen ist.

Wenn Sie also so zynisch sind wie ich und denken, sollte ich mich vielleicht nicht darum kümmern, dass es einen Grund gibt, warum die Bücher schwärmen. Ich freue mich darauf, mit meinem Sohn den nächsten zu lesen. Ich bin so froh, dass er endlich versteht, wie man liest, was bedeutet, dass all die unzähligen anderen Bücher, die ich gekauft habe, um ihm beim Lesen zu helfen, endlich auch ausgestrahlt werden! hahaha!

unbelievable!

My son just didn't get reading. He gets sounds, he gets that some letters have a sound together but he doesn't get how to put all the sounds together and make words.

I saw these books last year and thought the drawings were so poor that I didn't want to bother with them plus there were only about 10 or so reviews, this year I was desperately looking for something to help -anything and by now there over 1,000 reviews and the vast majority of them saying the same thing so I thought, I'll give it a try and now I feel like a very silly mummy indeed!

We got the books today and my son read one as in, he picked it up and managed to work out that it said Mat all by himself and after that there was just no stopping him! He read about Sam and who sat where and on whom. Sure I needed to get him to sound things out and remember words but the fact he was even doing it was a miracle.

I read negative reviews, most of which say that one of the characters looks like a klansman (really? says more about you than the book!) and others that the word order made no sense and the stories were too short. My views on all of this are:

It's good to mix up the word syntax because this encourages the child to ACTUALLY read what's there, many kids just learn block phrases for example "the cat sat on the mat" rather than actually learning to read so if you wrote "The sat mat on the cat" they wouldn't understand or they'd read "the cat sat on the mat." The weird syntax helps identify problems.

It's better to keep the stories really short, new readers can find it stressful to read for even 5 minutes. These are great especially for toddlers and less is more! Short books are great for busy mums and dads who want to make time for reading with their child but don't have a lot of time to dedicate to reading longer stories, even Peter and Jane books can take new readers a good 15 minutes to get through. Also we aren't all the patient type, it can be frustrating getting your child to read, a short book means less annoyance for parent and child. Also the feeling of pride for a first time reader that they read a whole book by themselves is so encouraging and helps them want to stick with it.

As for the story content, we really shouldn't read too much into any of it, it's a kid's book and it actually does what it says on the tin, it enables a child to get reading, it focuses on one or two sounds per book to enable a lot of repitition which is great for learning.

So if you're cynical like I was and thinking, maybe I shouldn't bother I say, there's a reason the books are being raved about. I am actually looking forward to reading the next one with my son. I am so happy he's finally understanding how to read meaning that all the myriad other books I bought to help him with reading, will finally get an airing too! hahaha!
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