Testimonials
Loving Through Literacy
Loving Through Literacy provides books and reading materials to communities in need. They distributed Bob Books at the San Carlos Apache reservation.
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I learned to read with Bob Books
I taught myself how to read with these books! They bring back so many memories and started my love for reading. I am now 16 years old and am still glad my parent's only help with teaching me to read, was buying these books.
Natalie, Arizona
Bob Books in the news
Check out this great interview of Metro Moms in Texas. They talk about teaching reading, and Bob Books!
CBS 11 TV (Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas)
Good for my students and for my son
I am a special education teacher and a parent of a 2 and 3 year old. I often use BOB books in my classroom (the letter set and set one (blue box), however recently my 3 year old and I were at the book store and he said he wanted to read. I knew he knew some letters from preschool and the letters in his name (Sam) but i was amazed at his ability to use your books and infer, predict, and READ really read, not just memorize, with your BOB books set 1. He read Mat, Sam and Dot before we left the store. He feels empathy too, when Mat sits on Sam and when the dog ruins Dots hat! I cannot wait for him to move on to other books. Your books have helped me look forward to the weekend again! As a teacher with toddlers at home, I never get a break, but your books have provided an outlet for my fiesty, energetic, SMART 3 year old. He will sit and simply look through your books for ages (well long eough for me to take a shower alone) which is GREAT! so Thanks! !
Elizabeth, Rocky Mount, NC
Improving Self Esteem
GOD bless!!!! My oldest son Malik has a reading problem, he is in the 4th grade and reads below grade average. I have a younger son who has just started to read, he is in kindergarten, his name is Donn Pierre....Donn would say, "mommy I can't read", Malik's self esteem was down, but I had Malik read to Donn Pierre the "Bob beginning set" and WOW WOW, both of my boys was happy. I couldn't get that 5 year old to stop reading he read 2 books in one day with the help of his brother, Malik. Malik self esteem went up so high and Donn well he was as happy as can be, he read his very 1st book!!!!! And I did not help, it was no need for me to because Malik could read the words...I have a secret shh don't tell Malik...lol but BOB the books is for him too :).
Homeschool rewards
I just wanted to send a quick e-mail to tell you how much we love your Bob books. My biggest problem teaching my three boys to read (I homeschool) is getting them to a point where there is a reward -- and the Bob books do that early on.
Now my 6-year-old is insisting that he can teach his brother, who just turned 5, to read the Bob books, and that I don't need to help him (yay!)
I never really understood how insanely difficult our language is until I tried to teach my kids to read. It is amazing to me how many so-called learn-to-read-books include words like "night" or "eight." ("Eight" is pronounced "ate"? Huh?) Your simple, phonetic words are so helpful and lead to a quick reward -- reading!
Thanks again,
Elisa
My daughter was so proud!
My daughter, who will be 4 at the end of June begged me to bring "Up, Pup" to school today. Before I left, she had read to an administrator and two of her former teachers. She's so proud of herself! Both of my kids were reading (using phonics) by 4 adn we used these books! (found them at Costco.)
-Jody
From a graduate
My preschool teacher introduced me to Bob Books and I loved every moment of it. I wouldn't look at the pictures and tried to use phonetics to sound out the words and read the story. More than a decade later, I look back and attribute your series to my current love of books! Thank you, and thank you Mrs. Bates! -- Aish.
My son is reading!
I wrote to you when my son was 2.5 that the bob books did wonders for him! Well, I thought I'd give a little update. He's now just over three and is independently reading chapter books. He reads as well as some of the Grade 2's in my school! He LOVES to read and a lot of his interest started with the Bob Books! I am hanging on to these books for my next little guy, so I can use it with him!! --Linda F.
Singing with Mat
How did singing the Bob books come about?
I am presently homeschooling my 6 year old and I also have a 3-year old. Because of my background as a music educator, my children are what I call "musical learners." I have noticed that my children grasp certain concepts more easily when set to music. In an effort to help my children and the children at a local private school where I teach music part-time, I began putting music to concepts that the children are learning. I have been writing songs that are entertaining as well as educational.
The school has a set of Bob Books and I have been writing melodies and singing them with some of the classes. The children love the songs. We also play games and act out the songs (music and movement).
My quest is to integrate the curriculum with the classroom teacher. In other words, if you are teaching the states and capitols in social studies class, in music class we are singing a song that uses the states and capitols as lyrics. If the math teacher is teaching skip counting, in music class we are singing a skip counting song. So, enjoy singing the Bob Books.
--F. S. Beresford
Link to animated song about Mat:
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From a Spanish Speaking Parent
I am a parent that speaks Spanish and I´m trying to teach English to my son. I am using your books
(I have the Listen & Read collection with CD) and I am very proud of the progress of my son. For parents who do not speak English as a mother tongue, it is easy to teach with the audio CD.
--Thanks, Juan L. (from Colombia, South America).
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My First Bob Books
I learned to love Bob Books years ago when my now senior in high school was learning to read. I am now using them with some of the children in my preschool class. I purchased the My First Bob Books, Pre-Reading Skills set and am reading it to them. I like that your program incorporates many of the same things we do at preschool—shapes, patterns and sequencing!
--Thanks! Alison L
Interest in Reading Changed
These books are the best. My 5 year old son did not want to read and I could see his frustration. I was using books that were to complicated for his age. After I found the Bob Books his interest in reading changed drastically. Now my 31/2 year son is reading the books too. Thank you for this wonderful idea. --Veronica, FL
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Worked for my 2.5 year old!
I wanted to let you know how wonderful the Bob books are!
I am a mom to of a 2.5 year-old boy! When he was 18 months, I taught him the letters of our alphabet and he knew the letters at random. At 23 months, we worked on the "sounds" of each letter and made simple three letter words -- bat, pat, mat etc.
I tried some easy reading books for beginners, and found that they all started off logically but then would have combination-type words (e.g. coat) that my son could not read. He was definitely not ready to read those types of words. A friend of mine recommended the Bob Books, and so I bought the first set!
My son read through the first set with not much difficulty. I was very impressed at the pace of the books. It progresses very logically and challenges the reader, without frustrating the reader.
I am proud to say that my 2.5 year-old boy reads with little to no help for the first 2 SETS of Bob Books! He sounds out each letter and says the word. He also infers what will happen next in the book. The best part is that when we are shopping, he picks up an item, and can sound out words on most items!
Being a teacher, I am extremely critical with books, but I find these books are totally wonderful for any reader!
--Many Thanks! Linda F., Ajax, Ontario
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International Bob Books
I just wanted to thank you for creating Bob Books. We live overseas, so I am teaching my little boy to read English at home. Your books have made it fun and painless. He is proud of himself and motivated to keep going. And now, with only three books left to go, in the last box, he is really reading.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We couldn't have done it without Bob Books.
--Beth T., A grateful mom in the Czech Republic.
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First Grade Teacher
I am a first grade teacher in North Carolina and I LOVE Bob Books. These books will put your child on the road to success with reading. They are the "fun" phonics readers. My students love Bob Books and so does my four year-old son. Thank you for these wonderful phonics readers!
--Angela Adams, National Board Certified Teacher
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Second Generation Reading with Bob Books
I learned to read by using Bob Books in the early/mid '80s. I sincerely cannot wait to introduce my daughter to this awesome series. They were a favorite of mine, and I'm hoping she will love them as much as I did.
--Thank you, Holly, Mililani, Hawaii
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20 years later
I felt compelled to email you about Bob books. First of all I was not sure they still existed!
My daughter was born 20 yrs. ago, in 1988. She was talking full sentences by the time she was 1 year old. When she was between 18 mo. and two yrs. she said to me "Mommy, I want to read." Books had always been a very important part of our lives. I read several books to her every night.
But when she asked to learn to read, I thought "Oh no, how do I teach a two year old how to read?" I found out about Bob Books from a teacher friend of mine. I bought a set and started using them. My daughter was reading at two years old! By the time she was four she was reading cereal boxes, newspapers, magazines, anything she could get her hands on.
When she started kindergarten she tested out of third grade reading level, her teacher said she didn't have testing materials high enough for her. Her teacher had my daughter, Ashley, reading to the class as a reward for not complaining about the simple work, LOL! Then the other teachers started having her come to their classrooms to read to their students, and this was in kindergarten! (I didn't mention that she was only 4 when she started kindergarten.) Well she graduated in 2006 with a 98 average and as Salutatorian.
And Bob Books started it all for us! Thank you so much!
~Wendy B.
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Little Miss: "I will read books to the baby when he’s born."
Dad: "Okay, but you have to learn your letter sounds to read books."
Little Miss: "Okay."
That innocent conversation took place four months ago when my daughter was 3-years-and-4-months-old. She completed her first book the very same month.
Her first book was called "Mat," the first in a series of 50 child-size 5.5"x4" Scholastic paperbacks collectively known as Bob Books.
Read more of this terrific blog entry at 
Listen to "Little Miss" reading Peg and Ted from Set 1. 6 minute recording
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Mom of Many Blessings
I just wanted to let you know that I have been using the Bob Books to teach my children to read for many years. So far, 12 of the 15 are readers now. We have successfully launched (graduated) 6 of our 15 children – and they all grew up with the Bob. Bob Books were and are the highlight of their Kindergarten year!
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Veronica Reading
Our family loves Bob Books! This video shows our four-year old daughter reading the first book, "Mat." As you can see, she has a real enthusiasm for the book, I think she enjoys this series so much because of the sense of fun and humor all Bob Books contain. We love seeing her self esteem and confidence blossom from that sense of accomplishment she gets when she reads the whole book all by herself. Watching her read has been one of the greatest joys Ive experienced so far as a parent and for that I thank you Bob Books! I would recommend these books to anyone who has a young child that has shown signs of reading readiness -- your child will amaze you with how quickly they can go from being a guided reader to reading all by themselves. Bob Books have been a fantastic starting point for our daughter as each book builds on the next developing her skill as a reader step by step. These are simple readers with great pictures and a funny storyline that really engages our daughter. Bob Books really do make learning to read seem easy and fun!
--Martha B, San Diego, CA
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