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Bob Books Set 1: Beginning Readers
This is Bob Books bestselling first reader, introduced more than 35 years ago and used by millions of children. If your child knows the alphabet, Bob Books Set 1 is the book to start him or her on the path to reading.
Many early readers contain words that are too difficult for a child who has just learned the sounds of the alphabet. Not these books! Using only the letters M, A, T and S, children can read their first book. New letters are added gradually, until all letters of the alphabet have been introduced (except Q). Short vowels and three-letter words in simple sentences help kids build reading confidence. They love the stories and funny pictures, and can't wait to read them to everybody they know.
Many early readers contain words that are too difficult for a child who has just learned the sounds of the alphabet. Not these books! Using only the letters M, A, T and S, children can read their first book. New letters are added gradually, until all letters of the alphabet have been introduced (except Q). Short vowels and three-letter words in simple sentences help kids build reading confidence. They love the stories and funny pictures, and can't wait to read them to everybody they know.
135 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1976
372 people are currently reading
897 people want to read
About the author
Bobby Lynn Maslen
127 books20 followersBobby and John Maslen developed the Bob Books, while Bobby was a teacher of 3 to 5-year-olds at a private school in Portland, Oregon. After many years of self-publishing, Scholastic became Bob Books’ publisher in 1995.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
January 20, 2020
I am a homeschooler. My nine year old used these at 5 years old and excelled in them. Each book starts at book 1 and then slowly starts getting harder as you go through them. My 5 yr old is now using them and reading like an expert. He feels intelligent and wants to catch up to big brother. It is a joy for me to know "They read because I helped them!" This is what it must feel like to be a great public school teacher and see yourself in their progress.
I recommend these books for beginners and even non beginners because BOB Books have tougher sets. I mostly buy them at Costco, if interested.
I recommend these books for beginners and even non beginners because BOB Books have tougher sets. I mostly buy them at Costco, if interested.
November 9, 2017
These books are #QUALITY. Do you have a child who is starting to read? These books are a life saver. As a mother of two, my children are now advanced readers, thanks to these educational books. Their stories are not only educational, but the stories have so much detail and emotion to them. I absolutely love these books, even as a middle aged women. Who ever thought of these books is definitely smarter than Einstein.
December 2, 2019
These books taught me the wonderful skill of reading
December 1, 2008
These small, inexpensive phonics readers offer immediate success to the nascent reader.
The wonderful thing about the Bob Books series is the predictible format and the way new readers are immediately able to successfully read a whole book, cover to cover, right from the start. This
early success is encouraging and builds confidence, getting kids excited about more. They move at a fairly slow pace, introducing just a few new sounds with each book. The simple black and white pencil drawings are cute and child-like and each page has a very limited vocabulary in large print. Because they areso short and easy to read, they are also easy to memorize, so this is something to watch out for if you are looking for a purely phonics approach. Also, because they are so short, they are not
enough to be all the child reads. They are better as a starting point. The stories themselves are rather dull, but still cute, and the author does a good job of making them as interesting as
possible, given the limited vocabulary. Another drawback is the quality of the paper. These are notvery durable and won't make it through heavy use by numerous children.
The wonderful thing about the Bob Books series is the predictible format and the way new readers are immediately able to successfully read a whole book, cover to cover, right from the start. This
early success is encouraging and builds confidence, getting kids excited about more. They move at a fairly slow pace, introducing just a few new sounds with each book. The simple black and white pencil drawings are cute and child-like and each page has a very limited vocabulary in large print. Because they areso short and easy to read, they are also easy to memorize, so this is something to watch out for if you are looking for a purely phonics approach. Also, because they are so short, they are not
enough to be all the child reads. They are better as a starting point. The stories themselves are rather dull, but still cute, and the author does a good job of making them as interesting as
possible, given the limited vocabulary. Another drawback is the quality of the paper. These are notvery durable and won't make it through heavy use by numerous children.
August 10, 2008
I chose these as first attempts for E to read, because there's not much out there that I've found that's phonics-based and tells a story in very few words. Bob books are phonics based with an intro on the back to scaffold the reading of the text.
Pros: repetitious, small to hold, short, with word lists to review beforehand. For E, these really helped her get her phonics down cold, as the pictures are minimal, and there isn't any rhyme or highly detailed picture to help her "guess" the words she doesn't know from context clues.
Cons: not crazy about the drawings. They use only one color, so in the book about the "red" whatever, the thing is not actually red! We'll have to get out the crayons and fix that! I also sometimes lost whose name is whose as we meet a larger cast of characters with odd, purely phonetic names like "Mac".
Set 3 begins to add more sightwords and compounds.
Pros: repetitious, small to hold, short, with word lists to review beforehand. For E, these really helped her get her phonics down cold, as the pictures are minimal, and there isn't any rhyme or highly detailed picture to help her "guess" the words she doesn't know from context clues.
Cons: not crazy about the drawings. They use only one color, so in the book about the "red" whatever, the thing is not actually red! We'll have to get out the crayons and fix that! I also sometimes lost whose name is whose as we meet a larger cast of characters with odd, purely phonetic names like "Mac".
Set 3 begins to add more sightwords and compounds.
February 1, 2021
Great books for my child to learn to read on his own.
October 7, 2019
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2023
Actually my granddaughter read these to me. She did great!
July 11, 2025
Great read, would highly recommend!
January 2, 2009
These are THE books to start your child reading. These are the earliest of the early readers. They are very short, there are 12 of them in each box, they get gradually more difficult in a very sensible, methodical way and they build a young reader's confidence perfectly. The look of pride on my son's face when he finishes yet another Bob Book makes me so thankful that we found these. They are the perfect gift for a beginning reader (ages 4-6) who hasn't yet started to read any other kind of book. There are 5 sets in all.
I cannot recommend these highly enough!
I cannot recommend these highly enough!
March 23, 2015
My 3 1/2 year old read these and the beginning books that came with the Hooked on Phonics set and everything about these is just second rate. The HOP have better pictures and are more entertaining using the same words. A few days ago my son and I were going through his stuff and deciding what to get rid of and he pulled out these books and said to get rid of them… so it wasn't just me that noticed they aren't very good.
March 15, 2016
These are 'absolute' Beginning Readers for small children and are truly the first step towards reading, having learnt a few phonics sounds of letters, these books can be read by kindergarten-age children, independently. Giving a sense of accomplishment and much needed confidence boost. Highly Recommended!
May 22, 2015
I've been pre-reading books before my daughter comes home as she will need to learn English. This might be an awesome set of books. But the nonsensical stories make me want to poke my eyes with a fork. :)
December 21, 2014
Because of these books, my kindergartner believes he can read. Building confidence is so important at this age, and not only are all the words in these stories sound-out-able, they are also funny.
May 25, 2016
This series is honestly the best yet. There is so much depth to the characters and they RHYME! Like who knew that an entire book could rhyme? Crazy right?!
February 8, 2010
Harry loves these books! They gave him the confidence he needed to realize that he can read!
September 16, 2021
These books are amazing!! Parents, teachers, students studying education! Use these!
My mom first found these years ago for my brother who has autism and intellectual disabilities to learn how to read better at home in addition to what he was learning at school. They were amazing for him!
I then, years later in my junior year of college, needed to do a huge project for my class where I was going to present my research in front of the entire elementary school I was student teaching at. I decided to do research on systematic and explicit phonics instruction that I used on my 2nd graders. This project focused around struggling reading students who needed to a fast and effective strategy to get them on to or close to reading at grade level. I needed a resource to accompany my teachings and the Bob Books saved my life and basically became the star of my project. The kids were obsessed with them. My two ELL students flourished using these and my "I hate reading and never do it at home" student loved them so much and asked to read them every day I came. They increased my students reading dramatically and they all showed huge improvements on their end of the year PALS exam because of it. The whole second grade team at the school went crazy for my project and how well it worked on the students that had been struggling all year with them. I got lots of questions on the Bob Books and where I found them.
Be prepared for lots of repetition and rereads of these. As the teacher or parent, it can be hair-pulling boring. But it works wonders. Dont give up on them! These are a wonderful tool for struggling readers or ESL students and I use them all the time in my reading groups for those students. As a parent, this is a great tool for when your child is first starting to read or struggling to read and you want to grow their skills.
They are worth every penny and keep them on hand! My mom had thrown away her copies after we all grew up thinking we would never need them again, but turns out, I still did! You never know if someone you know may need them for their child or classroom :)
*these are for ages 4 and up and I would say are really only effective through the 2nd grade, but if the child is seriously struggling and behind, they may still be helpful. I did not research them beyond 2nd grade age, but my findings from college and teaching do prove a positive effect in children 2nd grade or younger.
My mom first found these years ago for my brother who has autism and intellectual disabilities to learn how to read better at home in addition to what he was learning at school. They were amazing for him!
I then, years later in my junior year of college, needed to do a huge project for my class where I was going to present my research in front of the entire elementary school I was student teaching at. I decided to do research on systematic and explicit phonics instruction that I used on my 2nd graders. This project focused around struggling reading students who needed to a fast and effective strategy to get them on to or close to reading at grade level. I needed a resource to accompany my teachings and the Bob Books saved my life and basically became the star of my project. The kids were obsessed with them. My two ELL students flourished using these and my "I hate reading and never do it at home" student loved them so much and asked to read them every day I came. They increased my students reading dramatically and they all showed huge improvements on their end of the year PALS exam because of it. The whole second grade team at the school went crazy for my project and how well it worked on the students that had been struggling all year with them. I got lots of questions on the Bob Books and where I found them.
Be prepared for lots of repetition and rereads of these. As the teacher or parent, it can be hair-pulling boring. But it works wonders. Dont give up on them! These are a wonderful tool for struggling readers or ESL students and I use them all the time in my reading groups for those students. As a parent, this is a great tool for when your child is first starting to read or struggling to read and you want to grow their skills.
They are worth every penny and keep them on hand! My mom had thrown away her copies after we all grew up thinking we would never need them again, but turns out, I still did! You never know if someone you know may need them for their child or classroom :)
*these are for ages 4 and up and I would say are really only effective through the 2nd grade, but if the child is seriously struggling and behind, they may still be helpful. I did not research them beyond 2nd grade age, but my findings from college and teaching do prove a positive effect in children 2nd grade or younger.
June 1, 2025
Tough read, here's some tips for studying abroad
1)Picked up this for a college assignment, but honestly, it hits deeper than expected. Bob Books might be marketed for ages 4+, but they opened up a powerful reflection on literacy as identity. Alvin Irby’s TED talk reminded me that reading isn’t just decoding, it's cultural empowerment. When kids read “Mat sat,” they’re not just learning language. They’re learning belonging, Mat sits where he feels that he can.
2) A quote I like is not from the book, “I created Barbershop Books to help Black boys identify as readers.” – Alvin Irby
That quote sticks with you. It made me realize that the simplicity of Bob Books isn’t a limitation—it’s an invitation to something more. A tiny bridge across a big gap.
3)Ting-Toomey’s Culture Shock chapter added a twist to this read. Just like a sojourner navigating a new land, beginner readers are crossing cultural and literary borders between oral language and written symbols, home expectations and school norms. A page like “Dot got a dog” seems easy enough to understand, but for a kid facing unfamiliar syntax or cultural expectations, it’s a moment of disorientation, as if its a miniature culture shock.
4)Who Should Read This?
Teachers, parents, ESL instructors, and anyone working on literacy equity. Also: international students or global nomads who want to understand culture shock through a new lens. If you’ve ever felt confused in a Starbucks ordering tea, you’ll get it(Tenzin.), it is important for all of us to read a bob book, go back to the basics as if we were trying to learn a new language or broaden our own.
5) Reading starts with tiny, strange words and turns into identity. Whether you're four and learning "dog" or twenty and learning "code-switching," the journey is emotional and quite difficult. Bob Books isn’t just “Peg” and “Ted", its also "Peg and Ted went.", maybe they were going abroad.
1)Picked up this for a college assignment, but honestly, it hits deeper than expected. Bob Books might be marketed for ages 4+, but they opened up a powerful reflection on literacy as identity. Alvin Irby’s TED talk reminded me that reading isn’t just decoding, it's cultural empowerment. When kids read “Mat sat,” they’re not just learning language. They’re learning belonging, Mat sits where he feels that he can.
2) A quote I like is not from the book, “I created Barbershop Books to help Black boys identify as readers.” – Alvin Irby
That quote sticks with you. It made me realize that the simplicity of Bob Books isn’t a limitation—it’s an invitation to something more. A tiny bridge across a big gap.
3)Ting-Toomey’s Culture Shock chapter added a twist to this read. Just like a sojourner navigating a new land, beginner readers are crossing cultural and literary borders between oral language and written symbols, home expectations and school norms. A page like “Dot got a dog” seems easy enough to understand, but for a kid facing unfamiliar syntax or cultural expectations, it’s a moment of disorientation, as if its a miniature culture shock.
4)Who Should Read This?
Teachers, parents, ESL instructors, and anyone working on literacy equity. Also: international students or global nomads who want to understand culture shock through a new lens. If you’ve ever felt confused in a Starbucks ordering tea, you’ll get it(Tenzin.), it is important for all of us to read a bob book, go back to the basics as if we were trying to learn a new language or broaden our own.
5) Reading starts with tiny, strange words and turns into identity. Whether you're four and learning "dog" or twenty and learning "code-switching," the journey is emotional and quite difficult. Bob Books isn’t just “Peg” and “Ted", its also "Peg and Ted went.", maybe they were going abroad.
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October 7, 2018Summary- The first book of series is about Mat and Sam and sitting. Mat, Sat and Sam are the main words that are repeated to help children learn those words. The next book focuses on a few other CVC words.
Evaluation- The size of the book is appropriate for the type of book it is. It is just a few pages with only one to four words per page. This is the perfect size for a child learning to read.
Teaching Point- This book is used to teach students how to read simple CVC words. I would keep the set of books to have for my kindergarteners who may not be reading yet or just starting off to practice at school. I would also suggested this series of books to parents who may need to work with students at home.
Evaluation- The size of the book is appropriate for the type of book it is. It is just a few pages with only one to four words per page. This is the perfect size for a child learning to read.
Teaching Point- This book is used to teach students how to read simple CVC words. I would keep the set of books to have for my kindergarteners who may not be reading yet or just starting off to practice at school. I would also suggested this series of books to parents who may need to work with students at home.
February 13, 2018
After reading the BOB Books Set 1 series first book, "Mat", I was impressed with the attraction to the characters that the story creates, as well as the likable and lighthearted feel it provided -- in my opinion. I thought that in a literary sense, the words were easy to follow and fit the reading level, I also liked how they rhymed. With regard to design elements, the limited color of the characters and lack of negative space really emphasized the illustrations and fit the feel of the elementary book. Overall this book is engaging and leads kids to want to read the rest of the BOB Books and also boost their confidence and early reading abilities.
December 24, 2023
These books are perfect! I have the deluxe reader's collection, which includes the continuing sets. Kiddo is still in the beginning, but I'm already so glad I found this.
Once a child knows all the sounds and can sound out a word, they're ready to read the first books on their own. The words are expertly chosen; each can be simply sounded out with no confusing sounds or spellings. The books slowly get more challenging, enabling them to build confidence and progess with minimal frustration.
Once a child knows all the sounds and can sound out a word, they're ready to read the first books on their own. The words are expertly chosen; each can be simply sounded out with no confusing sounds or spellings. The books slowly get more challenging, enabling them to build confidence and progess with minimal frustration.
September 13, 2024
These are great. The words were short and easy to read. But the illustrations weren't great at all and my grandson complained. It was hard getting him into them. They're not much for a plot either. So I ended up buying First Step Phonics products instead because they have cute colorful illustrations. Don't get me wrong -- Bob Books are very good, esp when there is so much trash out there for beginning readers. Brand new readers need 3-letter words and those are hard to find. I'm very grateful the Bob Books were there when we needed them!
May 5, 2019
These phonics based books have been great for teaching my daughter how to read. She knew most sounds of the alphabet before we began, and I think that helped her to fly through this first set. I haven’t found other books yet that are made up of primarily 2-3 letter words. I think her ability to master this set increased her confidence in reading and she loves to practice these books. We are working on set 2 now!
December 23, 2021
These will always hold a special place in my heart. I tried a few beginner readers with my kid and he liked them, but the repetition allowed him to guess rather than sound out the words. Bob Books were the first books he sounded out and actually read all by himself. He was so excited after reading his first book, that he immediately picked up the next. The words are extremely simple and the stories are short and gently humorous.
October 2, 2022
من أجمل مجموعات تعليم القراءة بالتهجئة!
منهج مدروس ومتكامل مصغر ومطروح من خلال قصص قصيرة مصورة، تأتي السلسة مرقمة ومتدرجة في الصعوبة، في بداية كل كتيب تعرض مجموعة من الأحرف يتعرف على صوتها، ثم نجد كلمات القصة مكونة منها وتبدأ المعرفة التراكمية عند الانتقال لقصة أخرى بحروف جديدة و تضم الأحرف السابقة.
أحببت بساطة المعنى. بساطة الصور وعدم تشتيت نظر الطفل عن الكلمة بالألوان والتفاصيل، إنها صفحات بيضاء مخطوطة بالأسود والأحمر، فكرتها الأساسية زيادة ثقة الطفل بقدرته على قراءة كتيب كامل بمفرده!
منهج مدروس ومتكامل مصغر ومطروح من خلال قصص قصيرة مصورة، تأتي السلسة مرقمة ومتدرجة في الصعوبة، في بداية كل كتيب تعرض مجموعة من الأحرف يتعرف على صوتها، ثم نجد كلمات القصة مكونة منها وتبدأ المعرفة التراكمية عند الانتقال لقصة أخرى بحروف جديدة و تضم الأحرف السابقة.
أحببت بساطة المعنى. بساطة الصور وعدم تشتيت نظر الطفل عن الكلمة بالألوان والتفاصيل، إنها صفحات بيضاء مخطوطة بالأسود والأحمر، فكرتها الأساسية زيادة ثقة الطفل بقدرته على قراءة كتيب كامل بمفرده!
January 16, 2019
We just finished the first box, and read them in order. One book each night. When my 5 year old started she struggled with mixing up "I" sounds with "t" sounds. She has mastered it! He reading is improving with each book. These are perfect for early readers and the stories are smart and not boring either. The pictures don't give the words away completely, which I appreciate!
April 30, 2019
So the cat...I really liked the cat because...the cat...I really liked the cat's owner. And the cat was so amazing because he was fat, fat and he waited for the owner of him to nap so I really liked that. I think people should do that and be patient. And I really liked that it was very, very, very, very, very nice for you guys to let me have it. And, um, I enjoyed reading it.
September 18, 2020
Highly Recommend by my 5 years old nephew.
Easy to read and keeps kids interested. My nephew was struggling with books that said was written for his age so when I bought this set for him, he read two of the books and felt so confident that he finished the whole set so fast! Would definitely buy all of the sets for my son when he gets older and for others as gifts.
Easy to read and keeps kids interested. My nephew was struggling with books that said was written for his age so when I bought this set for him, he read two of the books and felt so confident that he finished the whole set so fast! Would definitely buy all of the sets for my son when he gets older and for others as gifts.
October 16, 2020
My 3 year old is reading! Our pediatrician suggested them to us, and we’re so glad he did. As well as he’s reading them, he does try to memorize the pages and order, so I cover the pictures and only reveal them after he’s read the page. He feels so confident and wants to read 3 of them every night before bed!
March 2, 2021
Finally On Kindle
These books are a great way to teach phonics and sight words. They also help you see for yourself if your child is learning how to read or just memorizing the words from their classes. These books also work great in the EFL industry. Thank you for bringing this lovely series to Kindle. 🥰🥰🥰
These books are a great way to teach phonics and sight words. They also help you see for yourself if your child is learning how to read or just memorizing the words from their classes. These books also work great in the EFL industry. Thank you for bringing this lovely series to Kindle. 🥰🥰🥰
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