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Bob Books are simple readers that start with 3 letter words. They allow the child to complete an entire lesson by him or herself, thereby developing confidence. The books are sized to allow children to hold them comfortably as they read. Parent’s guidance is included within the text of the books themselves. The books come in sets for each level.
Website: Bob Books
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(19 Reviews)
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Contributor Reviews
Reviews are solely the opinions of the contributor.
Cons: It does not go beyond the 2nd grade level.
Grades Used: K - 1
I absolutely love these books and wish there were more in the series. I used these books with my oldest who is now 14 and I am using them now with my 7 year old. It makes reading fun and achievable. Both my sons love the feeling of success and empowerment these books create. I would recommend BOB Books to any one who has a child ages 3 to 8.
Take care and happy homeschooling!
Ilisha
Grades Used: pr-K thru 1st
I've struggled with teaching my daughter to read thanks to a catastrophic Kindergarten experience. We've been working to undo damage to her self-esteem and nothing has done that better than these books. They are simple, funny, and easy. She can work her way through and finish one in a matter of minutes and the look on her face as she completes an entire book could light up the New York City skyline.
Yet these books are simple enough that my four year old, who knows his letters and sounds, got the concept of putting those sounds together into simple words that tell simple stories immediately. I love the BoB books!
Cons: need more books to expand for independent readers
Grades Used: pre-K to first
This is my first year homeschooling to kids aged 3 and 5. I started with the Bob Books and bought the first 4 sets. We are now in set 4 and will need to get the next set. My son who is not easy to get to do anything, enjoys the Bob books. He has gone back to the first set to sit and read on his own and I see how proud he is of this ability. I am ready to purchase the new younger version for my youngest and I am looking foward to the new "story books" by Bob. This has been a great way to start reading. Love, Love, Love these books.
Grades Used: PreK-K
My daughter loves to read BOB books! We pick out a few each time we go to the library to add to her unit study books for the coming week. I agree with others that they helped boost my daughter's confidence in her reading ability. She progressed quickly through these books. She looks forward to reading them and showing off her skills to whichever grandparent/parent is around!
Cons: they are all paper- it would be nice to have a heavier paper stock for some children who aren't as good about putting the books away correctly.
Grades Used: pre-K
I would highly recomend these for any beginning reader.
Cons: none
Grades Used: PreK-1st
My boys love the Bob books and look forward to finding 1 or 2 in their workbox each day.
Grades Used: K
Great for beginner readers. My kids got a great sense of accomplishment after reading the short books.
Cons: none
Grades Used: PreK-1st
My son loves these books! Fun illustrations, progresses smoothly from one level to the next.
Grades Used: Pre-K and K
My first child flew through these books. My 2nd kept telling me she couldn't read when she could. She couldn't read as well as her brother so she didn't think she could. She was reluctant to even try. I used the BOB books and told her she could only read one at a time. After a couple of days of only one book... she was begging to read more. The BOB books helped her get past her issue with reading. And she gained so much confidence.
Grades Used: k and 1st
BOB books are wonderful as a supplication to our current program. We love to get them at the library for their cute, quirky stories and a change in our normal routine. My son looks forward to reading them and will sit and read 3-4 of them in one sitting without a single complaint. What a blessing.
Cons: Too easy to memorize
Grades Used: Pre-K
These were great when my kids wanted to "read" but weren't quite there yet, but because there are so few words per page, they memorized them based on the pictures on the page rather than actually looking at the words. Still were great "first readers" and well worth getting!
Grades Used: PreK - 1st
All my kids loved Bob books, and were sad the day the graduated from them! They were a great help in understanding phonemics!
Grades Used: Pre-k- 1
These books are easy to read and fun. I like that they have a case to keep them in.
We LOVE Bob books! We got the bigger ones when Costco had them on sale. My 5 years old loves them, and often gets them out to read on his own. My 3 year old loves the pre-reader series, and talks about the characters like they are his friends. Great short little stories, that are fun. I love that it's so easy to progress from one to the next.
Grades Used: my pre-schooler used these to boost her reading
I'd heard about these via the Sonlight forums, but didn't find out what they were until a couple years ago, when we stumbled across them at the library. Our library has at least a couple dozen. My daughter loved getting them each week while her older sisters picked out their books. She pretty much taught herself how to read & I think these were some great confidence boosters.
I've made similar books for my girls as each has learned how to read, and while it's nice to make a book tailored for your child it can also be time-consuming to make more than a couple. Was *very* nice having this resource at the library.
Grades Used: preK- 2nd
My kids all loved these stories and were so proud to have read a whole book, then another then another! the characters are adorable and the stories, though short feel like they have a definite beginning, middle and end.
Grades Used: preK-2nd
These are GREAT beginning readers! They do a lot to build confidence in reading. The only CON is rather humorous. My older daughter (in her twenties) just ITCHES to color in all those pictures. SO if she uses them for her children, she may just have to color them all first!
Cons: none
Grades Used: Pre K-1st
My daughter loved these books so much, they really helped her confidence. I love the fact they are small enough to bring with you anywhere ( think doctor office waits).
Cons: none
Grades Used: K-1st
This was the way I got my boys to learn to love reading! In addition to the curriculum I was using to teach reading, this was the "extra" that made them love reading. They looked forward to it everyday. I highly recommend these books!