Dick and Jane - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki More info on Dick and Jane Wikis Dick and Jane: Wikis Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Fun With Dick and Jane Dick and Jane were the main characters in popular basal readers written by William S. Gray and published by Scott Foresman , that were used to teach children to read from the 1930s through to the 1970s in the United States. There is controversy as to plagiarism of another work however, with Gray accused of copying Fred Schonell 's similar Dick and Dora readers found in his Happy Venture Playbooks. It is known that the original premise of Gray's readers were in fact appropriated from his Australian contemporary Schonell. Gray's main focus was to develop the Curriculum Foundation Series of books for Scott, Foresman and Company. His vision was to tie "subject area" books in health, science, social studies, etc with the vocabulary mastered in the basic readers, thus vastly improving readability in these same areas.

The main characters, Dick and Jane, were a little boy and girl. Supporting characters included Baby (or Sally), Mother, Father, Spot the dog, Puff the cat, and Tim the teddy bear. They first appeared in the Elson-Gray Readers used in the 1930s. The books relied on whole language theories (or "whole word reading") and repetition , using phrases like, "Oh, see. Oh, see Jane. Funny, funny Jane," but they did not totally ignore phonics . Phonetic analysis was part of each reading lesson, although not to the degree one would associate with learning to read by pure phonics. For this reason, they came to be used less and less as studies supported phonics as a more effective method of gaining literacy . The simple but distinctive illustrations for the books were done by artists Eleanor Campbell and Keith Ward. Robert Childress did the illustrations during the 1950s. Richard Wiley took over the illustrations in the 1960s, and was the first to include African American characters in the book series. Black characters and characters from other races and cultures were not introduced until 1965, when Dick and Jane books were already declining in popularity.

In 1955 Rudolf Flesch criticized the Dick and Jane series in his book, Why Johnny Can't Read , and the push for multiculturalism, and stronger presentation of other races and cultures was partially a reaction to the cultural homogeneity of the series. First editions of the books are now worth as much as two hundred dollars . The books were reissued in 2003 by Grosset & Dunlap , an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) and over 2.5 million copies were sold, but this time the publishers had warned against using them to teach reading to children. Related merchandise, such as shirts and magnets, also gained wide popularity, particularly among people who had never been exposed to the original series but were familiar with catch phrases like "See Spot run!" The title of one of the books, Fun with Dick and Jane, inspired a 1977 film of the same title , and its 2005 remake .

Contents 4 External links Grade levels Grade 1 - Before We Read, We Look and See, We Work and Play, We Come and Go, Guess Who, Fun with Dick and Jane and Our New Friends Grade 2 - Friends and Neighbors and More Friends and Neighbors Grade 3 - Streets and Roads and More Streets and Roads Grade 4 - Times and Places and More Times and Places Grade 5 - Days and Deeds and More Days and Deeds Grade 6 - People and Progress and More People and Progress Grade 7 - Parades and More Parades Grade 8 - Panoramas and More Panoramas Transitional 3/4 - Just Imagine In the sixties, the New Basic Readers underwent heavy revision. The books had a larger page size, new updated artwork and a very large portion of new stories. Dick, Jane, and Sally also were a bit older and a bit more sophisticated. Teaching procedures also were slightly different- the vocabulary control was looser and more phonics was added. Helen M. Robinson became the head author. The earliest materials were released in 1962.

The 1962 Established edition titles were: We Read Pictures, We Read More Pictures, Before We Read, Sally Dick and Jane, Fun With Our Family, Fun Wherever We Are, Guess Who, Fun With Our Friends, More Fun With Our Friends (All Grade 1), Friends Old and New, More Friends Old and New (grade 2), Roads to Follow, More Roads to Follow (grade 3), Ventures (4), Vistas (5), Cavalcades (6), Dimensions (7), Challenges (8). In 1965, an integrated edition was added. This Multi-Ethnic edition changed the title of the 1st and 2nd pre-primers to Now We Read and Fun With the Family to reflect the addition of an African-American family. These three children were Mike, Pam, and Penny. The content of the 1962 edition was somewhat altered to include this new family in the first grade. The other books retained the 1962 titles, yet reflected numerous multi-ethnic groups. The 1965 edition books were available in two covers- one featuring characters as in previous books and the other a child-art edition which did not feature any characters.

Many people refer to this second cover as a "fingerpaint" cover, but the Scott, Foresman catalog listed it as "child-art". The Think-and-Do Book workbooks were still very much a part of both editions of the 1960s books. An experimental ITA (phonetic alphabet) version was launched of the multi-ethnic series in the 60's as well. In 1966 two companion series were launched to provide for individual differences – Wide Horizons for advanced readers and Open Highways for below-average readers. There were also Catholic and Seventh-day Adventist editions of the 1960s series. Sally, Dick, and Jane was retitled Judy, John, and Jean to reflect the characters who were renamed after Catholic Saints . The Seventh Day Adventist versions used the 1965 multi-ethnic characters, but retitled the books. For example, Now We Read became Friends to Know. Some episodes in the original would certainly raise many eyebrows now; for example, consider the sequence in which the children are given zip-up laundry bags to play with.

In popular culture The title of the film Fun with Dick and Jane (and its remake ) is a reference to the Grade 1 title of the book series. A PBS children's television series called Between the Lions does a parody of the books entitled Fun with Chicken Jane In the Simpsons episode " They Saved Lisa's Brain ", the Comic Book Guy's t-shirt reads "C:/DOS C:/DOS/RUN RUN/DOS/RUN", similar to the catch phrases in the book series. Many Target commercials featuring target dog included the phrase 'see spot save', a take on of the famous 'see spot run.' In the Disney animated feature film Tarzan one sequence set to music features a book with a page that says "See Jane, See Jane Run." The book The Bluest Eye uses a Dick-and-Jane narrative in the beginning. In a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon Calvin wrote a book report with the title "The Dynamics of Interbeing and Monological Imperatives in Dick and Jane: A Study in Psychic Transrelational Gender Modes." See also Dick and Jane History of Sally Dick and Jane Read a wonderful story about how Zeke influenced one family's life, click here !

Zeke was the neighborhood handyman who helped with gardening and yardwork ---------------------- Who is J. Sparks? I have received many inquiries over the years about supposed "Dick and Jane" artwork sold years ago from various art studios, mainly out of Laguna Beach CA, signed by J. Sparks (Jim Sparks). I have created a new page to help answer that question, Who is J. Sparks? Click here ! ---------------------- To view our vintage Dick and Jane book 'title' list ~ listed by decade click here Read about the integrated 1965 Dick and Jane books, adding the African-American children, Mike, Pam, and Penny - Mike's twin sisters - click here ------------ Many do not know that "Dick and Jane®" is a registered trademark, and all images and text are under active copyright protection. Dick and Jane trademarks and copyrights are active and owned by Addison-Wesley, Pearson Educational Publishers, Inc. Any questions regarding Dick and Jane® trademarks and copyrights should be directed to; Addison-Wesley Publishers, they can be reached by clicking here or going to: us The Dick and Jane "See Spot Run" phrase is a very well-remembered "sentence". See the sample page below.

While there are no books or stories within the Dick and Jane books series titled, "See Spot Run," it is a sentence used in several early Pre-Primers and Primers from the Dick and Jane series. Sally, Dick and Jane, were and still are real youngsters to many of us, they played amusing pranks, dressed up in father's and mother's clothes, played with their toys, visited grandmother and grandfather on the farm, romped with their pets, made fascinating discoveries during a spring walk in the woods, and they did many of the other things that us healthy, wide-awake youngsters delighted in doing, and children today still love doing. More importantly, they taught us to read, and they made us want more stories - furthering our interest in reading. The Sally, Dick and Jane "Curriculum Foundation Series," designed primarily by Dr. William S. Gray and William H. Elson , began in 1930 and were used in schools until the early 70's. They offered a balanced, integrated program of learning activities and learning materials which enriched the experience of the child while it built a foundation for the whole curriculum. The series changed its style of instruction starting with Book Four.

The Primer and books One through Three emphasized "learning to read" - the essential skills required for reading - where books Four through Eight emphasized "reading to learn" - reading for content. The Primer through Book Two had "Vocabulary Lists" while books Three through Eight had glossaries in the back, with pronunciation guides Page 'sample' from a 1951 copy of "The New Our New Friends" a first grade Dick and Jane book. Dick and Jane® is a registered trademark of Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, Inc . The Dick and Jane Series are books with stories that are endlessly interesting to children, because they are lifelike -- understandable -- and full of the happy surprises that children love. Dick, Jane, and Sally are real youngsters who play amusing pranks, dress up in father's and mother's clothes, visit grandmother and grandfather on the farm, romp with their pets, make fascinating discoveries during a spring walk in the woods, and do many of the other things that healthy, wide-awake youngsters delight in doing. Well-known Dick and Jane book illustrator Eleanor Campbell used actual photographs of children at play to develop her beautiful and vivid colorful illustrations.

During the Periodically the character's clothing changed to correspond with the current styles of their time, clothing styles that portrayed in mail order catalogs. At the time, Sears Roebucks catalogs were the choice. During the 1960's, Dick and Jane illustrator Richard Childress used his two young daughters as models for Jane and Sally. In the 1960's books, one notices a striking resemblance of his daughters to Sally and Jane. Who is J. Sparks? I have received many inquiries over the years about Dick and Jane artwork that was sold years ago from various art studios, signed by J. Sparks (Jim Sparks). I have created a new page just for this question, Who is J. Sparks? Click here ! For information and history on the creators and authors of Sally, Dick, and Jane visit our " Authors " page. Above: Children in class during the 1950's learning from the Dick and Jane "Our Big Book" Boys and girls who learn with these books find they [even during the first grade] are developing reading skills they can use in many practical ways.

Not only can they read stories, they can read how to do things, they can acquire all kinds of interesting information through learning to read, and much quicker than more modern ways of learning today. Although the original series are long out-of-print, since the mid 1970's, the last copyright of the series was in 1965. Several new Dick and Jane books have been reprinted and even new books written. Sally, Dick, and Jane continue with new publications in the making. Once again, they capture the hearts of today's children. Many of us want a Dick and Jane book because it is a part of our past, while many others want their children to learn to read from them. The Dick and Jane books and the series are still today very effective learning to read books. Scott, Foresman and Company first published the Primers and Pre-Primers with Dick and Jane in 1930. From about 1914 to the 1940's, the evolution of readers was seen best in the basal series published by Scott, Foresman. This series became the most widely used reading series for another three decades.

One feature of this series was the reduction of the number of words children learned at each grade level and the profuse use of beautiful illustrations so they could easily relate. With the first Dick and Jane book being a 1930's "Pre-Reader", a wordless picture book, the company introduced new titles in 1940, 1946, 1951, 1962, and lastly in 1965. Many changes occurred over the years; Mew the kitten had a name change, from Mew to Puff (he was even named Spot in the very beginning); Spot changed from a Terrier named Happy, to Spot, a beautiful Cocker Spaniel. Seven editions of the "Dick and Jane" textbooks ran from 1930 to 1965. They featured stories about a family and home life. Up until 1965, these schoolbooks included the well-known characters of Dick, Jane, Sally, Spot, Puff and Tim - Sally's stuffed bear. In 1965 the African-American family was added and included, Mike and his twin sisters, Pam and Penny, and of course... their parents.

This reading program used the "whole word reading system" for teaching children to read. The program included Big Books, Pre-Primers, Primers, Workbooks, Word Cards, Charts, Tests, and Records. Millions of children learned to read with Dick and Jane textbooks. Even today, children still are learning to read from these textbooks. The Curriculum Foundation Series is a group of specialized books, all related in vocabulary, which provide not only for learning to read in the most pleasant and successful manner, but also for reading to learn. They acquaint the child with basic concepts in the important learning fields -- reading, numbers, health, art, science, and social studies. In addition, they oriented the child in reading and study skills and vocabulary in these fields. The widespread use of the Curriculum Foundation Series marked a new era in the primary curriculum. Reading activities, instead of being aimless, produced a balanced program of learning. They contributed to the development of reading skills and at the same time to the balanced development of the child. A page as an example from the 1960's edition, "Fun with Our Friends", the 1st Grade Primer.

First publications of the 1960's soft covered Pre-Primers did not have the reinforced taped spine that was added to help prevent covers from splitting and coming off. 1965 marked the year of integration into public schools throughout our nation, introducing the black children, Mike Pam and Penny. This is when Scott, Foresman & Company introduced the African-American family (the twins) Pam and Penny, their brother Mike, and the rest of their family to the "public school" system. It should be noted that in 1963 Ecclesiastical Approval had been given for integrating the readers, and in 1964 Catholic Schools were using the integrated editions, one year before our public schools. 1960's Popular Primer "Fun with Our Friends" 1965 - the year of integration for the Dick and Jane books in public schools. Mike and his twin sisters, Pam and Penny are introduced. Despite progress and Scott, Foresman & Company's important attempt to include "all" children in the stories controversy continued to grow, about the characters and their perfect family life, and the addition of the black family.

To lessen conflict, Scott, Foresman & Company chose to hide the characters on the covers of books that were copyright in 1965, replacing them with the rare finger-paint art designs (shown right below). Many believing that the stories were misleading by portraying the "perfect family" caused much of the controversy, which increased with the addition of the African American children, Mike, Pam, and Penny . Due to continued controversy, the last year of copyright for Dick and Jane was 1965. By the early to mid 1970's these wonderful teaching methods and tools, the loved characters and adorable illustrations, and the fabulous stories came to their end. Most schools last used these fabulous books in the early to mid 1970's. Many ordered the disposal of all remaining books. Teachers, staff, and some students, kept some of the "discarded" books. A few Dick and Jane books were found in school trash containers. Many rescued books were hidden by those saving them, some hidden for years. Sadly, a few teachers have said that their schools went so far as to burn their remaining books in the schools incinerator. Seems almost like a ritual, to ensure their end.

Many teachers and parents still believe the Dick and Jane "See Spot Run" books are very effective learning tools for children today. Many baby-boomers remember them well, they taught us to read, and they kept our interest. The theory created long ago worked then and continues to work today teaching children. It is a wonderful teaching method for many children with learning disabilities, still recognized as such by today's teachers. Sally, Dick and Jane live on, and continue to deserve merit. Portions of information above is authored by myself and courtesy of, Curriculum Materials Center To view my Dick and Jane books for sale, 1000+ images about Dick & Jane on Pinterest | Mothers, Memories and Vintage Sally, Dick, Jane, Puff, Tim and Spot, Mother and Father. We remember the adorable children and pets well, they are still wonderful book and readers for today's children to learn from. See More Ladybird Books FAQs- Fly Away Home Peter and Jane - The Key Word Reading Scheme Happy Birthday, Peter and Jane. 40 this year! (Just want to buy Peter and Jane Key Word Reader books? Individual books, partial or complete sets? Then just click here) And that's just the books.

The 'childen' will, of course, be even older since they were between 5 and 10 years old when they were created, in 1964. This will be a worrying thought for most of us Brits aged between 30 and 45 (and a good many younger) who will remember Peter and Jane as childhood aquaintances who were charged with the task of teaching us to read. Based on Head Teacher William Murray's system of teaching reading using key phrases and words, apparently over 80 million of us have learnt to read with them. And some of the books are still in print; I still see them for sale in my local bookshop. The Key Words scheme is based on a recognition of the fact that just 12 words make up one quarter of all the English words we read and write and that 100 words make up a half of those we use in a normal day. Teach children these key words first, and they are well on the way to making some sense of most texts. So, step by step, page by page, these words are introduced and repeated (one might say hammered) to reinforce them as the length and difficulty of the texts increase.

This is reassuring and confidence building for the young reader - but doesn't make for punchy prose or dynamic dialogue. Here's an example of chit chat in the P & J household: The first books were issued in 1964. Ladybird employed a number of different artists to bring to life Murray's text: Harry Wingfield, Martin Aitchison, Frank Hampson, Robert Ayton and John Berry. These artists all had very different painting styles (Aitchison and Frank Hampson had previously workd on the classic comics The Eagle and The Marvel) but the brief was to produce appealing, naturalistic artwork and obviously the main characters, Peter and Jane, had to be recognisable throughout. The first models for Peter and Jane were, I believe, Jill Ashurst and her friend Christopher Edwards who lived near Wingfield in Sutton Coldfield and who were only 4 or 5 years old at the time. Subsequent artists used their own models, adapting the pictures for the sake of consistency. This is why Peter and Jane in the 1960s books seem to have only one main outfit each - a white frock and yellow cardie for Jane and shorts and red jumper for Peter.

Different Versions So far I've been referring to these books as thought there were only one versions - the 1960s version. However, in 1970, only 6 years after first publication, Ladybird decided that the books needed some up-dating. This, I think, is one of the most interesting aspects of this series, because you can immediately see the point. The softly luminous, idealised pictures of Peter and Jane's home life and activities have their roots firmly in the 1950s and before. I wonder if the original target audinece were aware of the nostalgic, retrospective feel to them when they first came out? Perhaps there was an awareness even then that these idylic domestic tableaux were unreal and presented a world that had never existed. (Yes, I was part of that early audience, but at the age of 5, I don't think my powers of analysis were up to the job). Or is it that those years, between the mid-sixties and early seventies saw exceptionally dramatic social change for families. Is this dramatic period of change encapsulated by the 2 versions of the books?

Because if you flip through the pages of a 1970s revised edition, it will still feel pretty modern today - which the first version absolutely does not - although produced nearly 35 years ago. No mobile phones, designer trainers or computer games - but the children have scruffy hair, wear jeans and T-shirt and don't tidy up after themselves. It is hard to imagine the Mummy and Daddy of the mid-60s artwork on even speaking terms with their 70s equivalents. Instead, Mummy and Daddy senior would have far more in common with the Mummy and Daddy of the 1940s and 1950s stories such as Mick the Disobedient Puppy,or Shopping With Mother. The Mummies would have got together to discuss knitting patterns while the Daddies smoked their pipes and discussed world affairs. Here are a couple of 1950s Ladybird families - from the 497 Animal series stories - Tiptoes the Mischievous Kitten (1949) and Mick the Disobedient Puppy (1952). Now they would be perfectly at home with Peter and Jane's mid-60s Mummy and Daddy.

I'm sure they would have shared an understanding of the importance of gender roles and a good bed-time routine. They would have understood the importance of leaving Daddy to rest and catch on on his reading after a hard day in the office. But what would they have made of these scenes painted just a few short years later in the early 70s equivalent pictures? Daddy doing the washing up? Mummy busy with her own affairs? Peter's elbows on the table? Jane just helping herself to milk from the fridge? and even the cat misbehaving? Which version should I collect? The good news is, if you want to acquire a set of these books to help a child to read, it doesn't matter which version you get - just go for the cheapest. The text is just about the same throughout the versions. It is only the artwork, layout and design that change. If you want to collect a particular version or all the different versions, then read the section below: 'How can I tell the difference between the different versions?'. Peter and Jane and social history: Why were the books revised? As already discussed, the books were revised in the 70s to give them a more modern look.

But it seems likely that the artists were also asked to make changes to reflect perceived shifts in attitudes. So it is interesting to look through the original and revised versions of the books to try to understand what it was about the 1960s books that was deemed unacceptable in the 1970s. The first thing you notice is that Jane gets to wear jeans and is seen playing with roller-skates where once she played with dolls. The scenes portrayed look less ordered and serene. Play time is messier and the children appear to bicker more. However, if, like me, you are happy to spend a few evenings browsing through the two different versions, you'll find that the biggest changes in the first few books are all to do with sweet consumption. Whereas the Peter and Jane of the 1960s would visit the sweet shop, the 1970s Peter and Jane go to buy apples instead. This change was considered so important that even Murray's text (so carefully worded and so rarely tampered with) was adapted in the revised books. adapted to reflect the apple over the jelly-baby.

Peter and Jane (and Pat the dog) in a sweet shop, complete with glass bottles and kindly old shop keeper And suddenly it has become a green-grocer's (who has lost the collar and tie but is resplendant with quiff and impressive sideburns) and the children have transferred their enthusiasm to apples. (Did children do that in the 70s?) Some changes are fairly subtle: Here are the two shop windows of the 60s and 70s versions. Spot the difference. Apart from the disappearance of the 'Hornby'? train sets, you might notice that the golly, on the top row of the 1960s book, has been airbrushed out in the 1970s version. And Daddy was expected to play more of a role in Peter and Jane's affairs. Whereas in the 1960s version he might watch with detached indulgence the scenes involving Mummy and the children, in the 1970s version he participtes more actively. Here you can see the old Daddy looking on and the new Daddy helping out. Don't strain yourself Daddy! How can I tell the difference between the different versions?

(Skip this bit if you don't plan to collect the books) Basically there are 3 sents of books to collect: The original 1960s version The early 70s revised version - not all the books were revised at this time. The late 70s when all the books were re-packaged and the remaining titles had their artwork revised. Here's a picture of the 3 main groups: The first column shows the original 1960s version. The second column shows the first revision books produced in the early 70s and the last column shows the late 70s books, when the remaining artwork was given a makeover and the layout of the covers was changed to give the framed picure on the front. The revised books kept the colour distinction to show a,b or c books although the colour red became orange). I have managed to make a mistake in laying the books out for this photo. In the 1B row I have switched over the original version and the 'first revision' version. Tut tut. (I should also mention that book 2b is a bit of an anomaly to my neat classification.

It has the front cover to classify it as a 'First Revision' book, but inside it has the split layout design of the late 70s books and must have been produced on the cusp of the revision period). Since then the 3rd version has been tinkered with; the boards were issued with a laminated finish from about 1983 and recent years have seen other cosmetic changes to the covers - for example to incorporate the spotty strip on the spine that was a feature of Ladybird books from the end of the 1990s. But to this day the contents remains much the same as it was in 1979. There were other smaller cosmetic changes that some collectors set store by: For example, originally the key-word symbol was a white key towards the bottom left of the books. Some time in the late 60s, before the first revision, this key was drawn in a black box and moved to the bottom left of the cover - so you can date your books more precisely using such clues. But since these small cosmetic changes have nothing to do with artwork or contents change, I can't get excited about them and don't see them as a separate versions of the books. So...

to collect all books from these 3 versions you will need to find: All 36 titles from the 1960s 11 titles from the early 70s (1a,b,c;2a,b;3a,b,c;4b,5a and 8a) All 36 titles from the late 70s. (My thanks to my friend Paul Crampton for helping me sort this out). Peter, Jane and John Major's England Or - Here come two white, middle-class, gender-divided, politically unreconstructed prigs. Peter and Jane, (or should I say 'Jane and Peter') have had a pretty hard time of it in recent years. Despite all the efforts of the 1970s revision to adjust the stereotyping, add in the odd black face to the background crowd, put Jane in jeans, give Daddy a tea-towel, airbrush out the golly and substitute sweets for fruit - these two non-existant children (remembered fondly by some; hated by others) are often seen as a byword for all that is staid and prim and WASPish.

But in her Telegraph Magazine article of a couple of years ago, Cressida Connolly makes a point that is easily forgotten. She describes these books as 'radical'- which may initally seem an unlikely choice of adjective. These books were, she states, "an antidote to the privileged country children of popular literature, such as Swallows and Amazons or the Famous Five. Ladybird children didn't go to boarding school; they went to the local newsagent's on their bicycles. The childhood of Ladybirds was egalitarian and unsnobbish, depicting suburbia as the kind of utopia that town planners always intended it to be." And just to prove that the sun didn't always shine in Peter and Jane's world: let me finish with a picture: Vintage Children's Books, Flash Cards, and Collectible Pressed Steel Toys - DICK AND JANE Vintage Children's Books, Flash Cards, and Collectible Pressed Steel Toys Dick & Jane, The Boxcar Children, Little Black Sambo, and More!! The original Dick and Jane series was created by William S.

Gray, (known as the father of the Dick and Jane Series), Zerna Addis Sharp, (known as the mother of the Dick and Jane Series), and William H. Elson, of whom, was also a creator and co-author. This series consisted of the famous characters: Dick and Jane, Sally, Spot, Puff, Mother, Father, & more! The original Dick and Jane series ran from 1930 to 1965. The VERY FIRST original, Dick and Jane book, was published in the year 1930. It was the: Elson Basic Readers Pre-Primer "Elson-Gray", Life Reading Service (eventually changed to "Curriculum Foundation Series") Copyright ©1930 Scott Foresman and Company / Illustrated by: Miriam Story Hurford This book is a small soft cover in the colors of: green, black, and orange. You could say it was the "birth" of this series, as it was the very first book, which began the original Dick and Jane series.

It featured the original characters: Dick and Jane, Baby (Dick and Jane's little sister, who was later named Sally), Spot (the dog), Little Mew (the cat, who was later named Puff), Mother and Father. FYI - Some important information regarding the 1920’s Elson Basic Readers: First, it is important to note that the 1920's Elson Readers were not part of the Dick and Jane series. This has been something that has been misunderstood and has caused a lot of confusion. Another misconception is that many people think that the, 1927 Elson Pupil’s Hand Chart is a Dick and Jane book. However, it’s not! The reason behind this misconception is due to the fact that the, 1930 Elson-Gray Basic Readers Pre-Primer states on the title/copyright page that this book is a, “Revision of the Elson Pupil’s Hand Chart, copyright 1921, 1927”.

~ However, the early Elson Reader, “The Elson Pupil’s Hand Chart”, did not include Dick and Jane, nor any of the same stories, or illustrations, found in the 1930 Elson-Gray Basic Readers Pre-Primer (Dick & Jane book). The Elson Pupil’s Hand Chart and all of the 1920’s Elson Readers were BEFORE the Dick and Jane characters were even created. All of the 1920’s Elson Readers are not part of the Dick and Jane Series. It is worth noting that when William H. Elson, William S. Gray, and Zerna Sharp, all joined together to create a whole new series of school curriculum readers, they used the 1920’s Elson Readers as a basis for making their breakthrough transition of an entirely new series. The Elson Readers were changed to, “The Elson-Gray Basic Readers”. The covers, stories, characters, and even the series all had changed during this complete and drastic revision. However, some of the old classic “fairytale” type stories were used in many different eras and readers. The fairytale stories had nothing to do with the Dick and Jane stories.

The 1920's Elson Readers were transformed into newly revised versions for the upcoming new series that would begin with the 1930 copyright edition of, The Elson-Gray Basic Readers. This 1930 edition of The Elson-Gray Basic Readers Pre-Primer is the very book that began the whole Dick and Jane series. Just for further clarity, the Dick and Jane characters (and family) were not created, or implemented, until the year of 1930. Thus, none of the 1920's books are part of the Dick and Jane series. And even though the, 1927 Elson Pupil's Hand Chart was considered to be a forerunner of the 1930 Elson-Gray Basic Readers Pre-Primer of the Dick and Jane Series... the 1927 Elson Pupil's Hand Chart is not a Dick & Jane book. See pics below of the 1927 Elson Pupil's Hand Chart and the 1930 Elson Basic Readers Pre-Primer.

1927 The Elson Readers Pupil's Hand Chart 1930 Elson Basic Reader Pre-Primer PRE-Dick and Jane (Not part of the series) Very First Dick and Jane Reader The 1930 Elson-Gray Basic Reader Pre-Primer, was the very first book of the Elson reading series to ever include the actual characters named “Dick and Jane”. It even includes Dick and Jane’s Grandmother and Grandfather, as well as Spot, Puff, and Baby (later known as Sally). This Elson-Gray Pre-Primer was specifically designed with the Dick and Jane characters & family. It was the very first book to introduce the characters that started this beloved series. ~ It was the birth of Dick and Jane and their family. Zerna A. Sharp, who worked alongside William S. Gray, thought up the idea of having a family of characters in which the children could relate to when they read the stories in the books. This idea was sparked by her teaching heart. She had been a teacher for over ten years in Indiana.

She wanted to find a way that would encourage the children to read, and bring the stories to life for them by getting them to connect to the characters within the stories. Zerna Addis Sharp ~ Photo credits: Clinton County Historical Museum While she was walking on the beach of Lake Michigan, she noticed how the children played, communicated, and interacted. This is what inspired her ideas for the stories. She knew exactly how she wanted the words and style to be for these readers. She wanted the stories to reflect exactly how the children were interacting and communicating in real life. This would help the children who read these stories feel connected at a deeper level, and make reading fun! This would allow the children to identify with the characters. They could relate to the way they played, their lifestyle, and situations that may be similar to their own family unit. In a way, the characters (Sally, Dick and Jane) became the children's textbook friends. In 1965, The Basic Readers and some of the other books in this series, ceased. Although, in 1965 and 1966 Scott Foresman and Company went on to copyright two other extension readers to this series.

They were: Wide Horizons, (for slow readers), and Open Highways, (for advanced readers). The Dick and Jane Series came to a production halt in the mid to late 1960's, however many schools continued using the books through the late 1970's. It was then, in the late 1970's, when the Dick and Jane Series came to it's official end. The schools were ordered to stop using the books and to dispose of them. Although some teachers, students and parents had saved their books! Thus, what we collect today! The Dick and Jane Series not only had the Elson-Gray readers, basic readers, and The New Basic Readers... but they also had several other subjects and special printings as well. Some of which were: Social Studies, Art, Science, Health, Math, and many others! Plus there were many supplementary materials and manipulatives that were used in conjunction with, and part of this series, such as: reading blocks, games, flash cards (words, math, speech, and pictures), calendars, paper dolls, cut-outs, math cubes, math windows, record albums, film strips, and much more! Of which I also sell, when available!

Many people are unaware that there are several other versions of this series, such as: Cathedral (Catholic) editions, French Editions, Christian (Seventh Day Adventist) editions, England/UK editions, braille editions, and more! There were only a limited amount of publishing companies, of whom were given special permission to make those special rare editions listed above. Please do not be fooled by those who advertise other vintage children readers as being Dick and Jane, just because a vintage book may have characters similar to Dick and Jane! Because it does NOT make it a true Dick and Jane book or item. There are many people advertising books, as being "Dick and Jane", when in fact they are NOT in any way, part of the Dick and Jane series at all. Therefore, please... be an informed buyer... do your research, and ask questions!!! I am more than happy to help! Please note: in the older grade levels (3rd grade and higher), as well as some of the other subjects the actual characters of Dick and Jane were excluded as characters from them! Yet they are still very much part of this series, as the books are leveled by grade and coded with numbers accordingly in each set, and for each era.

Thus, NO collection would be complete without all of the levels and subjects! The Dick and Jane items that I list and sell, give full respect to the original series and the copyright holders of the Dick and Jane® name, in order to preserve the authenticity of the original Dick and Jane series! Scott Foresman and Company was the original publishing company of the original Dick and Jane series, of which the Addison-Wesley, Pearson Educational Publishers, Inc. now own all trademark rights to the name Dick and Jane® ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dick and Jane® Is a Registered Trademark of the Addison Wesley, Pearson Educational Publishers, Inc. This is an active trademark, thus Addison Wesley, Pearson Educational Publishers, Inc. hold all copyrights. We are in no way affliated with or endorsed by Addison Wesley, Pearson Educational Publishers, Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All contents are Copyright © 2009 - 2015 Tiny Town Books and Toys, unless indicated differently. Reproduction of any part or in whole of the content of this website in any form by mechanical, manual, or electronic means, including information retrieval is prohibited except by consent of the publisher.

Question: What was the name of the dog in the children's book series "Dick and Jane"?
Answer: Spot