It’s your KF on KND Editor April L. Hamilton here, sharing the terrific Bob Books series. These books are very short and employ rhyming and repetition to help preschoolers become pre-readers, and pre-readers become actual readers.
Both of my kids got a head start on reading with the hard-copy Bob books, and I’ve recommended them to many parents over the years. The print editions of these books retail at $16.99, but right now every title in the series is priced at about half that in Kindle format.
As an added bonus, the Kindle format versions won’t succumb to the same wear and tear as my own household’s set endured at the hands of my then-preschoolers: bent covers, ripped pages and slipcovers, and extensively scribbled-on pages!
These simple books come in sets, with each set building upon skills learned in the previous one. The first set is designed to be as easy as possible, yet it still employs real (very short) sentences so that preschoolers can get a sense of accomplishment and encouragement right from the start. The sentences are accompanied by amusing, simple drawings that help kids connect written words to their meanings.
My kids felt a great sense of pride in completing each box set and were always looking ahead, anxious to begin the next set. More recently the authors have released some standalone books to focus on specific topics like sight words and rhyming words.
If you’ve got a preschooler who’s going to be enrolled in Kindergarten this fall, the Bob books can help your child start the school’s formal reading curriculum with confidence and happy anticipation instead of fear and confusion. Conversely, these books can help a child who’s struggling with early reading lessons catch up over the summer, and return to school in the fall ready to keep pace with peers, or even overtake them!
My First Bob Books: Alphabet (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $8.49)
My First Bob Books: Pre-Reading Skills (4/5 stars, currently priced at $9.60)
Bob Books Set 1: Beginning Readers (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $7.99)
Bob Books Set 2: Advancing Beginners (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $7.99)
Bob Books Set 3: Word Families (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $9.99)
Bob Books Sight Words: Kindergarten (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $9.99)
Bob Books: Rhyming Words (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $8.49)
Bob Books Set 4: Complex Words (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $7.99)
Bob Books Set 5: Long Vowels (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $7.99)
Bob Books Sight Words: First Grade (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $8.49)
Bob Books: First Stories (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $9.99)
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