Getting
Started
with
Bob Books
Everything you need to know
Why Bob Books?
Learn why parents and teachers keep coming back
Success Builds Confidence
Created by a teacher and based in the Science of Reading, Bob Books progresses in small steps, building skills gradually. This means kids are always successful! With their confidence ever growing, kids develop a love of books and reading.
Focus on Phonics
Bob Books focuses on phonics-based words that can be sounded out. When children realize they can decode new words themselves, they discover the magic of reading! Simple, two-color illustrations add fun without distracting from the text.
Stories from the Start
Other learn-to-read phonics programs introduce skills through activities or videos, then incorporate them into stories. Bob Books teach skills through stories right from the start. With fun characters and action on every page, kids love reading from day one!
Caregiver Support
We know that helping a child learn to read can be intimidating! All boxed sets include a parent card with tips for helping your child learn to read. Many parent cards also suggest games and activities to take your child’s learning beyond the page.
The Bob Books System
Explore the Products that Teach Early Reading Skills
Boxed Book Sets
The Core of the Bob Books System
Each Set Contains:
- 8-12 paperback books that build phonics skills.
- A parent card with tips for helping your child learn to read.
- In some sets, flashcards or activity books.
Sets are grouped into four stages to meet your child at exactly their level. Which stage is right for your child?
Jumbo Workbooks
Pair with Box Sets or Use Alone
Each Jumbo Workbook Contains:
- 224 pages of activities like matching games, writing activities, coloring pages and more.
- Certificates of achievement and reading checklists.
- 100+ stickers and more.
Each workbook coordinates with two or three box sets or can be used alone. Bundles are offered at a discount!
Wipe-Clean Workbooks
Practice, wipe clean, and use again!
Each Wipe-Clean Workbook:
- Pairs with one box set, or can used by used alone.
- Comes with a dry-erase marker.
- Has open-ended drawing activities for unlimited fun and creativity.
Find wipe-clean workbooks in the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Bundles for extra savings!
Bob Books Stories
Traditional 6'' x 9" early reader format
Each Book Contains:
- 32 pages of light-hearted story.
- Simple full-color illustrations.
- Longer stories to build reading endurance.
Bob Books Stories are at the same reading level as Stage 3 box sets.
Which Stage is Right for My Child?
Each Child is Unique so Bob Books Meets Them at Their Level
READING READINESS
Read these to your child before they're ready to learn to read themselves.
Reading Readiness Books:
- Teach shapes and patterns of shapes
- Introduce the alphabet letters
- Establish Pre-reading skills
Kids learn pre-reading skills as an adult reads to them. Skills include letter shapes and sounds, recognizing patterns, and more.
Hint: If your child already knows several letters of the alphabet, start at Stage 1!
GRADE LEVEL:
Usually Pre-K and Younger
GUIDED READING LEVELS:
n/a
STARTING TO READ
When your child recognizes several letters of the alphabet, this is the place to start.
Stage 1 Books:
- Use only short vowels
- Can be sounded out (decoded)
- Use mostly three-letter words in simple sentences
GRADE LEVEL:
Usually Pre-K to Kindergarten
GUIDED READING LEVELS:
A, B, C, D
EMERGING READER
When your child can sound out simple words and is ready for sight words.
Stage 2 Books:
- Reinforce skills learned in Stage 1
- Introduce key sight words
- Add new phonics skills (like consonant blends)
GRADE LEVEL:
Usually Kindergarten
GUIDED READING LEVELS:
B, C, D, E, F
READING READINESS
Your child has basic phonics down, more complex skills are gently introduced.
Stage 3 books:
- Add long vowels
- Include vowel combinations
- Use longer words and sentences
GRADE LEVEL:
Usually Kindergarten to First Grade
GUIDED READING LEVELS:
D, E, F, G, H, I
How to Use Bob Books
Watch:
Bob Books author, Lynn Maslen Kertell explains the concepts in each box set and how to use them to teach your child to read.
Alphabet
Lynn Maslen Kertell
Bob Books Author
Quick Tips
- This set teaches letter sounds
- Read these to your child
- Focus on letter sounds, not letter names
- Go at your child’s pace
Beginning Readers
Lynn Maslen Kertell
Bob Books Author
Quick Tips
- Phonics-based words can be sounded out
- Each book starts with new letter sounds to practice
- To sound out words say each letter’s sound one at a time, then together. (“mmm”, “ah”, “tuh” – “mmm-ah-tuh” – “mat”)
Rhyming Words
Lynn Maslen Kertell
Bob Books Author
Quick Tips
- For kids who know the alphabet and can sound out a few words
- Focus on word families e.g. “an” like “Dan”, “plan”, “can”
- Ensure child is looking at each word, not just reciting from memory
Advancing Beginners
Lynn Maslen Kertell
Bob Books Author
Quick Tips
- Books are longer and use more than one common vowel
- Kids may read known words fast and new words slowly. Go at their pace.
- Let kids attempt sight words (like “the” and “was”) but jump in when help is needed.
Sight Words
Kindergarten
Lynn Maslen Kertell
Bob Books Author
Quick Tips
- Sight words are common, but cannot always be sounded out.
- Three sight words taught per book, 30 total in the set.
- Let kids attempt new sight words using phonics clues or illustrations, but jump in with help when needed.
Sight Words
First Grade
Lynn Maslen Kertell
Bob Books Author
Quick Tips
- For kids that can sound out 3-5 letter words and know some sight words.
- Aim to read sight words at a glance to increase reading speed and comprehension.
- Practice new sight words inside the front cover before reading each book.
Origin of Bob Books
Discover the Story Behind Bob Books
Bob Books came about as a result of teacher Bobby Lynn Maslen’s careful attention to the specific needs of children learning to read for the very first time. As a teacher, Bobby’s work with 3 to 5 year-olds involved constant invention in art, math, physical growth activities and, of course, reading materials. When she didn’t find books that she felt were the right fit for her young students, she created Bob Books.
Bob Books came about as a result of teacher Bobby Lynn Maslen’s careful attention to the specific needs of children learning to read for the very first time. As a teacher, Bobby’s work with 3 to 5 year-olds involved constant invention in art, math, physical growth activities and, of course, reading materials. When she didn’t find books that she felt were the right fit for her young students, she created Bob Books.
Bob Books are named after their creator, teacher Bobby Lynn Maslen.
The first books were handmade, inspired by two small dolls that she 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.
Soon it became too cumbersome to make books for each student, so Maslen standardized the set and persuaded her school to print 300 copies. “In the beginning I just went to the grocery store and bought baggies – little sandwich baggies – and that’s how we packaged them,” Maslen says. “The whole thing from beginning to end was a trial-and-error process.”
Portland State University published the books for several years, and word began to spread, leading to self-publishing and a cottage industry. Bobby Maslen’s husband, John Maslen, a watercolor artist and former architect, drew new pictures. The couple’s growing children helped collate and staple.
Bob Books went on to become a Children’s Book-of-the-Month-Club selection, and the series was adopted by homeschoolers and Montessori teachers. Articles recommending Bob Books appeared in The Washington Post, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and regional newspapers and magazines around the country. In 1993, USA Today ran a story about Bob Books.
Over night, the Maslens were inundated with phone calls.
Today Bob Books are available to children all over the world.
Over night, the Maslens were inundated with phone calls. The books had entered the spotlight, and parents eager to help their children learn to read wanted Bob Books. “By that time we were going crazy,” Bobby Maslen says. “We knew the potential was much more than we could handle ourselves.” The Maslens turned to a major publisher of children’s books, Scholastic, Inc., for help. Today, all five sets of Bob Books written by Bobby Maslen are available to children all over the world, thanks to the partnership that was developed with Scholastic.
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 when she was in high school. Her mother’s sensitivity and approach to life remained impactful, and later in life 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. Her daughter now joins the millions of kids that happily exclaim, “I read the whole book!”®
