My First Bob Books: Pre-Reading Skills

by Lynn Maslen Kertell

Expanding on the foundation sets that have made Bob Books such a success, My First Bob Books is a brand new series introducing Bob Books' proven teaching tools to children who aren't quite ready for Bob Books - Set 1.

My First Bob Books offer children and their parents simple and satisfying tools that build an important foundation for reading readiness. Sally the Circle and her friends introduce important skills that prepare your child for reading. Your youngsters will never know that they’re learning as they follow the adventures of Sally, Seth and Tanner – but you will.

My First Bob Books - Pre-Reading Skills introduces these important pre-literacy skills in a story format:
- Identifying basic shapes in preparation for letter recognition
- Sorting, classifying and symbol identification to build important problem-solving skills
- Recognizing simple patterns to create awareness of letter groups and sight words
- Sequencing to strengthen the ability to predict how stories flow

Inside this eBook you'll find:
- 12 books for you to read to your child, 12 pages each
- Four pre-reading skills
- Literacy games and teaching hints with each book

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

48 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Lynn Maslen Kertell became a Managing Partner at Bob Books Publications, LLC in 2007. She handles new product development, publisher liaison, and is the author of the two newest sets of Bob Books. Please contact her regarding new product ideas, marketing, permissions and donations.

Reviews

[Kate prefers books to people · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, they're ok, I guess?

If you're looking for the amazing Bob Books that magically click and help kids start reading, this isn't them. The art and formatting is the same, but these books are designed for the adult to read and work through the book with the child.

The books teach shapes and patterns. Beware, I had to make circles and squares lunches for my kids for days after the pinic story. I said I wouldn't check them out from the library again but this is our second or third time checking them out this year (I never put it in hold, but if it's shelved and the kids request it, I get it. I just don't think they're learning anything from these)

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This particular set of books contains twelve books that are divided into four parts of three books each, and each of the books in particular demonstrates certain patterns that makes them charming and humorous even for readers far more advanced than their target audience. If there is any particular skill that this set of books seeks to encourage and cultivate in its intended audience, it is a skill at pattern recognition when it comes to books. Our ability to read is greatly helped when we can recognize the patterns that a writer is using and playing with and then using our understanding of the writer's approach to anticipate where he or she is going and to appreciate the subtle twists that make for satisfying conclusions. These books all demonstrate consistent patterns that take advantage of visual clues and a certain degree of wit and humor to demonstrate increasingly complex patterns of narration that end up in a humorous and satisfying twist that encourages the reader to think about what is being read, and although these books are certainly basic, they are also very satisfying and worthwhile reads for the young pre-reader who is seeking to begin the rewarding way of literacy.

This particular box set of small books published by noted children's publisher Scholastic is divided as follows. The first three books introduce the simple shapes of the three main characters (I), all friends, where Sally is a circle, Seth is a square, and Tanner is a triangle. In the first book, the reader learns the shapes in a story about friendship (1). after that, the second story has the friends playing hide and seek so that the reader can find hidden shapes (2). After this the three friends have a picnic that encourages readers to match shapes (3). This is followed by three books that deal with sorting (II), including learning simple sorting in a mix-up (4), matching and sorting in a story involving fixing things (5), and sorting and classifying in a story about a parade (6). The third section of books deals with patterns (III), including learning simple patterns in a story about a block town (7), changing patterns in a story about three things in a row (8), and building complex patterns in a story about snow (9). The final three stories deal with the subject of sequencing (IV), with a story about getting ready providing the reader with the opportunity to learn simple sequences (10), using a guessing machine to predict sequences (11), and talking about the beach to build longer sequences (12). This book is one of a long series of books for pre-readers and early readers to both entertain and instruct.

[Cosette]

Hope this helps my reading literacy. Cause I'm about to call up some therapy session for Sally.

[Julia]

Stella loved these, as all other bob books. Memorized them and asked for her favorites, I think it really helped her with shapes and sizes.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

My almost 2 year old is obsessed with this book. I have to hide it occasionally because it drives me bananas.

[Cecile · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 my kindergartener thinks they are great; there are a lot of similarities to Learning Without Tears (TM). I wonder which came first.

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is pre-reading you ask? One of the first things that a person needs to learn in preparing to read is the fact that the objects or text on a page are saying something to you. A basic beginning skill is shapes. These My First Bob Books Pre-Reading Skills books use shapes in a fun and personable way to help prepare kiddos for letter recognition. Learning about Sally the Circle and Tanner the Triangle and even Seth the Square teaches sounds without the child realizing they are learning. There are patterns to see and sorting to happen. I love it when AppleBlossom is “reading” these with me and she’s all frustrated that the triangles are next to the circles when almost everything else is separate. :)

By now you probably know that I love the My First Bob Books – Alphabet and the new Bob Books Early Readers. It’s no surprise that I quite adore the Pre-Reading Skills as well. At first I was a little confused, because I was not quite certain what shapes had to do with reading. But then I realized it’s not all about a spelling and vocabulary lesson (although that is there two with the text about these circle, square and triangle characters as well as the pictures of the things they interact with). There is so much more to learning about what goes on a page and the things around us. The skills taught in these little books is provided in a fun manner, so that while your child just thinks you’re snuggling down to read in a cuddly small book they are actually getting spacial recognition, sight words, sequencing and more. These also provide for dialogue and discussion as you can interact with your child about what is going on with the characters.

So many ways to learn in such a small package!

*Thanks to Hopscotch Consulting, Bob Books and Scholastic for providing a copy for review.*

Scheduled: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2...

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Bob Books were recommended to me by someone whose children are attending a private school that recommends and uses these books. I hadn't heard of them, so sought them out. They seem to me to be an updated step-up from "Dick and Jane." Useful to some degree but only if, in the case of this set of books, augmented with some tactile shapes for kids to grab onto. For easy readers, I'd rather cruise the Easy Readers section of my local public library. Many excellent authors and illustrators have been writing for this age. For me, the goal is to engage and entice youngsters to read. I want them to love fiction and non-fiction. These books seemed more about vocabulary than story and illustration. They seem geared to the proverbial test rather than to developing a life-long hunger for reading and learning. That said, I haven't tried them out on my young charge and there seem to be many who enjoy these books. Personally, I endured and hated the teacher approved Dick and Janes. I loved Nancy Drews, which were universally disapproved of by my teachers. I met a teacher who hadn't read but disapproved of "Captain Underpants." When I showed her the copy I'd just bought she was amazed by the four excellent vocabulary words that showed up on the two randomly chosen pages in front of us. She said, "I'll have to rethink this." We've done a great job of making education boring when, in fact, it is intrinsically exciting to learn about how the world works. Getting youngsters excited about reading is the start to helping them become enthusiastic, independent, engaged, life-long learners.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The entire series of Bob books is a good way to help the pre and beginning reader. I like these books because I can toss several in a day pack, purse, or suitcase. Shot enough for the short attention span of a short person.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great set of BOB Books!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good way to introduce patterns and predicting what comes next in a story.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

These were fine, though we probably would have gotten more from them a year ago.