No name

Blue Willow

Book cover: 'Blue Willow'
Author(s): 
Doris Gates
Number of pages: 
154 pages
Copyright: 
1940
Publisher: 
Scholastic
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Blue Willow is the sweet story of ten-year-old Janey Larkin, whose family is struggling to make ends meet in California's Central Valley during the Great Depression. Janey and her family have a few treasured possessions which they've dragged along with them from place to place because of the difficulties in finding work. Janey's beautiful blue willow plate is her greatest treasure, but when tough times get worse, she decides to offer it as payment for her family's rent...

This is a beautiful story of family life in difficult times which also offers a portrait of the Great Depression and some lesser-known parts of "old" California. The story will probably be best appreciated (possibly as a read-aloud) for grades 1-4.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
10-21-03

Bob Books

Author(s): 
Bobby Lynn Maslen
Illustrator(s): 
John R Maslen
Number of pages: 
12 pages
Copyright: 
2006
ISBN: 
9780439845007
Publisher: 
Scholastic Inc.
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

The Bob Books and subsequent titles (five sets of small reading booklets in all) are sets of very small, stapled booklets with black and white line drawings and colorful covers, which contain very simple stories. They are approximately $15 per set (although I've seen them at Sam's Club and Half-Price books for less). Each set comes in a colorful box with two little cardboard finger puppets and a cardboard puppet theatre. Although the booklets can hold up pretty well through several children (if you keep them from the little ones, since each book is generally read only once), the puppet theatre and finger puppets, and even the box, will probably not survive long in a busy homeschool family. Although I hesitated for quite awhile to purchase these books because I prefer stories with more beautiful pictures and more meaningful text, I have, in the end, found these books to be quite useful tools in teaching and encouraging reading and motivating children through some of the more tedious stages of getting comfortable with reading. They also fill a need. If you look at early readers at the public library, you will be hard pressed to find anything (except perhaps a bit of Dr. Seuss, who I don't care for all that much) that starts out at such a simple level.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Bob Books First!

Book cover: 'Bob Books First!'
Author(s): 
Bobby Lynn Maslen
John R. Maslen
Number of pages: 
12 pages
Copyright: 
1976
ISBN: 
9780439145442
Publisher: 
Scholastic Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

In this first set (originally titled simply "Bob Books"), the stories start out very easy (words like Bob, Sam, sat, etc.) and very gradually increase in difficulty. All letters are introduced except "Q" and the stories are made up almost entirely of three-letter-words. We found the pace and order in which new words were introduced to be very helpful. We have used the Bob Books to teach two of our children to read. They were both interested in learning to read when they were four years old. After they had worked a bit on learning the basic sounds of the alphabet, we found this first set to be an easy and rewarding practice for little eager readers. My daughter started this set at age four and finished it early in her Kindergarten year. My son started the set at about the same age, but took a little longer to complete it. Although I try to encourage my children to finish what they start (which generally means finishing a small book at one sitting), there are times when things go much more smoothly when I learned to follow the pace that was appropriate to their needs.

Additional notes: 

Set contains: 12 stapled softcover booklets of 12 pages each

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Bob Books Fun!

Book cover: 'Bob Books Fun!'
Author(s): 
Bobby Lynn Maslen
Bobby Maslen
Illustrator(s): 
John R Maslen
John Maslen
Number of pages: 
12 pages
Copyright: 
1999
ISBN: 
9780439121989
Publisher: 
Scholastic Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

This second set was just released and wasn't around when I taught my oldest to read. Although she did fine without it, I thought that the additional practice on this basic level was very helpful for my son (who has just finished this second set). Like the first set, the stories are designed entirely for the purpose of practicing beginning reading skills by introducing sounds in an intelligent order. The stories are very simple and usually quite silly. This set does introduce several two-letter phonograms - "ar" (book 3), "aw" (book 3) "ow" (book 4), "ou" (book 7), "oo" (book 12).

Additional notes: 

Set contains: 12 stapled softcover booklets of 16 pages each

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Bob Books Kids!

Book cover: 'Bob Books Kids!'
Author(s): 
Bobby Lynn Maslen
John R. Maslen
Illustrator(s): 
John R Maslen
Number of pages: 
10 pages
Copyright: 
1996
ISBN: 
9780439145466
Publisher: 
Scholastic Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

Formerly titled Bob Books Plus! I did not have this set when teaching my daughter to read, but have just started using it with my son (we picked it up at Sam's Club at a discount and thought it would be helpful for additional reading practice and confidence-building). The stories include practice of words ending in "y" and "ed" and the introduction of more two and three letter phonograms.

Additional notes: 

Set contains: 10 stapled softcover booklets of 16 pages each

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Bob Books Pals!

Book cover: 'Bob Books Pals!'
Author(s): 
Bobby Lynn Maslen
Illustrator(s): 
John Maslen
John R Maslen
Copyright: 
1987
ISBN: 
9780439145473
Publisher: 
Scholastic Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

Formerly titled More Bob Books This series provides practice lots of with two-letter consonant blends (such as "nt", "nd" and "dr"). Book six introduces words with long vowels ending with a silent "e". The books increase in number of pages and number of text lines on each page quite a bit as this particular set progresses. While using this series with my daughter, we started running through the phonogram cards (from The Writing Road to Reading) each day. I introduced (and explained) spelling rules as they came up in the stories from this set.

Additional notes: 

Set contains: 4 stapled softcover books of 16 pages and 4 of 24 pages

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Bob Books Wow!

Book cover: 'Bob Books Wow!'
Author(s): 
Bobby Lynn Maslen
Copyright: 
1987
ISBN: 
9780439145022
Publisher: 
Scholastic Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

This set provides practice in words with long vowels ending in a silent "e" and phonograms with long vowel sounds (such as "oe", "ee", "ea", "ai"). While my daughter was working her way through this set of books, we continued drilling the phonogram cards each day (in a somewhat Montessori style) and discussed spelling rules as they came up in the stories. By the time we got to the later books in this set, Jacinta was anxious (and fairly able) to start reading other types of books. We skipped the final book in this set and began reading the Primer from the Catholic National Readers.

Additional notes: 

Formerly titled Even More Bob Books.

Set contains: 4 stapled softcover books of 16 pages and 4 of 24 pages

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Boston Tea Party

Rebellion in the Colonies
Author(s): 
James E. Knight
Illustrator(s): 
David Wenzel
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
1982
ISBN: 
9780816748020
Publisher: 
Troll Communications
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

One of the most famous events leading up to the American Revolution is often not well-understood. Even many history textbooks muddle or even mutilate the facts causing many people to think that those who dumped tea into Boston Harbor on that December night in 1773 were basically looting the ships because they were upset about taxes. The truth is more subtle and a lot more respectable than that and this is a fine book (with lovely pen and ink illustrations) to clear up all the confusion. From the "Adventures in Colonial America" series. 3rd grade and up.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
6-5-02

Brave New World

Author(s): 
Aldous Huxley
Number of pages: 
180 pages
Copyright: 
1932
Publisher: 
Various Publishers
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Free love, birth control, test tube baby factories, cloning, mutants, and sex, sex, sex. There are good reasons to have your mature students read this book, but you must do YOUR homework and read it first. Huxley, writing during the giddy early days of the eugenics movement, has written a remarkable novel. His story portrays that movement's ideas taken to their logical consequences. There is a complete disconnect between sex and procreation. Sex is STRICTLY for pleasure (not even for unity). Babies are 'decanted' in factories by impressive scientific processes. His story speaks on many levels. His brilliance is in deducing the way in which men could rationalize what unfolds before the reader as a revolting world pretty much at peace with its incredibly selfish self. Huxley has developed what could be our future. He has taken more than a little thought to account for the sustainability of this world. As in our own world, there are occupations which require more and less intellectual acuity. By decanting babies of different intellectual ability AND training them differently everyone should be happy in their station. Some embryos are given all the benefits during development and become "alphas". Some are given less than perfect treatment and become "betas"... And some, by selective poisoning and light deprevation etc. become epsilons (semi-morons, but therefore happy in their lowly functions in society). Everyone enjoys sex, so everyone is conditioned from day one to be 'free-lovers'. And since babies are decanted no one has to carry or care for offspring (the words "mother" and "father" have become foul language!). This is clearly the natural consequences of a society which wants to divorce sex from procreation. Thirty years after Huxley wrote the book mainstream society was just picking up on the theme. This selfishness steamrolled into abortion. In Huxley's world this is no longer necessary (usually). But for those who are not sterilized at birth (some fresh eggs are needed to keep the factories going) contraceptives (and strong conditioning to use them faithfully) are provided. This brave new world has even done away with money. In fact, there is a much more direct transaction on payday - as the workers leave their place of employment on Friday they are given their payment/ration of soma - the perfect drug with no hangover or anything!!! Huxley nails it again. Such a selfish society needs an escape - it is drugs. Did he see the 60's coming or what? And is he right about where we are headed? But not everyone is happy. There is an "odd" fellow in the book. He just doesn't feel satisfied even with every thing one could lust for (an alpha of course). Huxley's world even has a place for him. He gets exiled with all the other misfits to Greenland. There is more and more and more in this book. It doesn't preach about the evils of contraception, of free-love, of drugs etc. It simply displays them and their consequences without remorse. In doing so, even in the best of circumstances, their evils are laid bare. And in this way the book is both thought-provoking and good for discussions. But there is more. Huxley has wrapped many layers into this book. The story is sickeningly believable on it's surface. But he has put in symbolism and allusions to many more things that I cannot even begin to tell here. See this article from Envoy Magazine for examples. Or consider how peace is obtained by making men LESS than full men. One more note. To return to the admonition that you read this book before your child; there is a lot of sex in this book. That can be difficult for any teenager. However, when the student is prepared to look seriously and critically at the messages in the book this should not be a problem. Huxley does not aim to arouse but to inform. Click Here for Study Questions
Additional notes: 
While some might suggest that this book belongs on our "Red Flag List", we think it should suffice to warn parents that this book is for mature readers and to highly recommend, if not insist, that parents read this book before giving it to their children (in order to determine whether their children are ready to handle the content and be prepared for some heavy-duty discussions of sexual ethics.) Our Study Questions will also give parents an idea of the scope and content of what this book delves into.
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
9-10-2001

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