Round About

by Mabel O'Donnell, Florence Hoopes (Illustrator), Margaret Hoopes (Illustrator)

A collection of children's short stories used in elementary schools to encourage reading using the Alice and Jerry Book Basic Reading Program.

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1936

About the author

Miss O`Donnell, educator, was the author of two sets of elementary school textbooks, the Alice and Jerry series and the Janet and John series. Both were widely used in the United States and other English-speaking nations.

For many years, Miss O`Donnell, served as a teacher, primary grade supervisor and curriculum coordinator for Aurora's East Side elementary schools.

In 1946 she resigned her post as primary supervisor to become an editor for Row, Peterson & Co., an Evanston-based textbook publishing firm.

Reviews

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Round About (The Alice and Jerry Reading Program) by Mabel O’Donnell, illustrated by Florence and Margaret Hoopes (Harper & Row Publishers 1966) (372.4) (3709).

Many readers of a certain age (Boomers) were taught to read through the “Dick and Jane” beginning reader books. Several thousand books ago, I learned to read using the “Alice and Jerry” book series. Round About is the second in this series of “chapter books” for first grade readers from Mabel O’Donnell, and I bought myself a well-worn used HB copy on Amazon for Christmas for $10.27. My copy obviously spent many years in the hands of six year old pupils before it came to my house.

This little book is as sweet and gentle as I remembered the series to be. Alice and Jerry are siblings; Jerry is the big brother at about six years old. The world they inhabit is big and friendly. The beautiful watercolor illustrations by Florence and Margaret Hoopes which fill every page are the perfect complement to Mabel O’Donnell’s simple dialogue.

Reading this was a fun trip down memory lane. I’m delighted to now have one of the Alice and Jerry Books in my personal library.

My rating: 7.5/10, finished 12/28/22 (3709).

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprised that this held up pretty well as an early reader.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the first "books" I read. This an an old book that has been in the family for a while. I think it used to be my mom's when she was young.

[Jessica DeWitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book when I was a child. The copy I have was my mother's when she was a little girl.