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, Vintage Children's Books, Flash Cards, and Collectible Pressed Steel Toys - 1930's DICK AND JANE CHARACTERS Vintage Children's Books, Flash Cards, and Collectible Pressed Steel Toys Dick & Jane, The Boxcar Children, Little Black Sambo, and More!!

1930's DICK AND JANE CHARACTERS Vintage ORIGINAL 1930's DICK AND JANE CHARACTERS and information with PICTURES!! Very FIRST Dick and Jane book! 1936 Dick and Jane 1934 More Dick and Jane Stories 1930 Elson-Gray Basic Reader Pre-Primer 1936 Elson-Gray Basic Pre-Primer 1934 Elson-Gray Second Pre-Primer Mother, Father, Dick, Jane, and Baby (1930 and 1936 Elson-Gray Basic Readers Pre-Primer) Spot Spot and Little Mew (Little Mew became "PUFF" in the later editions) In the 1930's Sally was not named yet... she was just called "BABY". Spot (the dog) was a terrier. He was later changed to a cocker spaniel. Other interesting facts: Contrary to what some people think... Spot was NEVER named "Happy"... and the cat was NEVER named, "Spot". Many people were misinformed of this from things they read on the internet. That information is incorrect!!

I will address this and clear up the confusion with the facts below: In the 1930's primer there is a story entitled, "The Birthday", about a family with two children named Nancy and Billy. They have a dog named "Happy", of which, looks like a "Scottie" breed of dog. Happy is Nancy and Billy's pet dog. Nancy and Billy are just friends of Dick and Jane. Below is a picture from that story. They (Nancy & Billy) are even featured in another story in this same Primer book. That story is called, "The Surprise Party", in which Dick and Jane go to their grandparents farm. When they arrive, their grandfather has a surprise party... complete with a pony, pony rides, a wagon ride, and... Dick and Jane friend's are there too. The friends at the party are: Nancy, Billy, Patty and Tom. -- Yes! The same Nancy and Billy that own the dog named, "Happy". Therefore, it is clear that Nancy is not Jane, Billy is not Dick, and Happy the dog is not Spot! Nancy, Billy and Happy are completely different characters! Spot was never a scottie type of breed & Spot was never named Happy.

Below are pictures taken from this story: Another story that confused people is the storty entitled, "Spot and the Red Ball". That story is also in the 1930's Elson-Gray Basic Reader Primer. It features a cat named Spot. This story was actually a story that was used with permission from the publishers Thomas Nelson and Company, of whom featured this story in one of their books, prior to it even being in this Dick and Jane reader. Spot was never a cat, and Dick and Jane's cat (Little Mew otherwise known as "Puff") was never called Spot. The cat featured in the story, "Spot and the Red Ball", is an entirely different cat, and it is not part of the Dick and Jane characters. One very interesting thing about the 1930's characters, DICK and JANE..... is that in the 1930 and 1936 Pre-Primer, as well as the 1934 second Pre-Primer... and the 1937 Before We Read Pre-Primer... Dick had dark brown or black hair and Jane had blonde hair.

~~ However, in the 1936 Primer book, Dick had blonde hair and Jane had reddish-brown hair. This was the only book that featured Dick with Blonde Hair, and Jane with dark hair. Please see pictures below from the different readers showing the Dick and Jane characters. 1930 / 1936 Pre-Primer 1934 Second Pre-Primer 1934 Second Pre-Primer 1937 Before We Read - Pre-Primer / Pre-Reader Reading with and Without Dick and Jane: The Politics of Literacy in c20 America The politics of literacy in c20 America. A Rare Book School exhibition. By Elizabeth Tandy Shermer '03! The Rotunda. University of Virginia. 9 June - 1 November 2003. American educators, politicians, and parents have been fighting for a long time over the best way to teach children how to read. William McGuffey's phonics-based primers, which emphasized the sounding out of words by learning letter-sound associations, dominated American primary education from the middle of the c19 until the early c20.

During the Progressive Era, some educators and social scientists began to believe that McGuffey's moralizing texts were too complex for young readers, and they argued for a simpler approach, one that used a carefully limited vocabulary and story lines that were more relevant to the lives of contemporary children. After World War I, publishers began to produce primers incorporating some of the changes John Dewey, William S Gray, and other experts advocated. In particular, illustrator Zerna Sharp worked with the Scott, Foresman publishing company and with William Gray to devise a series of basic primers that would include his suggestions. The new primers introduced characters with whom children could identify, and they contained stories featuring the same set of siblings engaged in normal day-to-day activities. To develop a national audience for the new series, the primers de-emphasized regional characteristics: there were no treks through snowstorms or into barren deserts. The result was Dick and Jane, who made their debut in 1930 in Scott-Foresman's Elson-Gray Basic Readers, accompanied by a guide urging teachers using them in their classrooms to adopt the whole word (or look-say) method, one that emphasized the meaning of words, rather than using rote phonics drills.

The primers constantly repeated the few words in their texts as a replacement for phonics exercises. To help teachers, each primer had a vocabulary list at the back of the book, with a paragraph explaining the number and relevance of the vocabulary words introduced. The Scott, Foresman series was heavily illustrated with pictures intended to help new readers associate a word with its meaning: a picture of Jane and Sally looking up at Dick's flying airplane above a few lines of text repeating the word up, for example. Scott, Foresman and Company retired the Elson-Gray series in 1940 but kept both Dick and Jane and the look-say method in its successors. The company had so much success with its Basic Readers that other publishing houses copied its formula (see illustration, from a primer published by Ginn and Co). All of these primers focused on simple stories about siblings living in Suburbia, USA. Each primer introduced only a few words at a time to readers and used pictures and repetition to make sure children learned the meaning of each word. But Dick and Jane dominated this market for a generation: the great majority of Americans learned how to read from Scott, Foresman primers and story books in the post-World War II era.

In the later 1950s and early 1960s, Dick and Jane found themselves in troubled waters. In 1955, Rudolf Flesch struck out against look-say readers in his bestseller, Why Johnny Can't Read. Flesch argued that the whole word method did not properly teach children how to read or to appreciate literature, because of its limited vocabulary and overly simplistic stories. Other phonics advocates in the 1960s echoed Flesch's arguments, calling for new primers that focused on phonics and introduced students to real literature. An act of Congress helped phonics advocates end Dick and Jane's tenure in American school systems. In the mid-1960s, President Lyndon B. Johnson called for better primary education especially for underprivileged students. The resulting Elementary and Secondary Education Act included money to help poor school districts buy supplemental materials for their students but with the restriction that these materials had to have subject matter appropriate for urban schoolchildren. Scott, Foresman's solution was to introduce a minority family into Dick and Jane's formerly all-white world: Mike, his sisters the twins Pam and Penny, and their parents.

Meanwhile, phonics proponents continued to lobby for a return to McGuffey's method. Scott, Foresman retired Dick and Jane in 1965. Two years later, the firm introduced its Open Highways series. These primers included poems and classic children's stories such as the Gingerbread Boy. Like their predecessors, they used colorful pictures. But they were broadly multicultural, and they abandoned the use of repetition and word charts. By the late 1960s, Dick and Jane were gone - but they were by no means forgotten: critics continued to attack them. When phonics proponents squared off against whole word advocates, they used excerpts and pictures from Dick and Jane readers as bad examples. Multiculturalists pointed out the lack of minorities and the racial insensitivities of the Scott, Foresman series. Feminists spoke out against sex stereotypes in the Basic Readers. Retrospectively, Dick and Jane began to symbolize for many the inadequacies of the entire Cold War era. Nevertheless, Dick and Jane are still with us, and they remain (with their sister Sally, their dog Spot, and their cat Puff) virtually the only characters in the history of American primary education whose names have become household words.

Many Americans remember the duo fondly, and they collect copies of the books in which they appeared. I wish to thank Elena Siddall, a Dick and Jane enthusiast and curator of the Richmond Public Library's celebrated 1997 Dick and Jane exhibit, for lending materials from her collection for the present exhibition. The collectors who shared their thoughts and memories of Dick and Jane with me were also invaluable resources who convinced me that I am probably the worse for not having learned how to read with Dick and Jane. Elizabeth Tandy Shermer '03 Reading with and without Dick and Jane is the latest of an ongoing series of Rotunda exhibitions, with University of Virginia (UVa) student curators, sponsored by Rare Book School (RBS), an independent non-profit educational institute supporting the study of the history of books and printing and related subjects. Founded in 1972, RBS moved to its present home at UVa in 1992. RBS is directed by Terry Belanger, University Professor and Honorary Curator of Special Collections at UVa. For more information about RBS and its activities, visit the RBS home page . Email us your comments about RBS or about this web site.

Last Modified: First Dick and Jane Book - the vintage 1930 Elson-Gray Pre-Primer - YouTube First Dick and Jane Book - the vintage 1930 Elson-Gray Pre-Primer Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jun 11, 2013 This is the very first Dick and Jane book ever published. It is the Elson Basic Readers Pre-Primer. Copyright 1930. Published by Scott Foresman and Company. Written by: William H. Elson and William S. Gray. It is a soft cover book. This is the earliest of all the original Dick and Jane readers. This is the book in which Dick and Jane made their first appearance. Sister Sally was not named yet. She was still called "Baby". Spot (the dog) was a terrier, of which, he was later changed to a Cocker Spaniel. Puff (the cat) was not named yet, either.

She was called, "Little Mew". You could say that this book is the birth of the vintage original Dick and Jane series!! It was with this very book that this series began... and went on to become one of the most famous children's series of all time. The Dick and Jane series went from 1930 to 1965. For more history, information, and to purchase vintage original Dick and Jane books... Please visit, Tiny Town Books and Toys Amazon.com: Dick and Jane Reading Collection (12 Volumes): Baby Create, find or manage an Amazon baby registry. Learn more . Dick and Jane Reading Collection (12 Volumes) Sorry, this item is not available in Image not available To view this video download Flash Player Add all three to Cart Add all three to List These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. Show details Buy the selected items together This item:Dick and Jane Reading Collection (12 Volumes) $85.00 Only 1 left in stock. Ships from and sold by Raggedy Land Gift Shop. $6.87 shipping Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Hardcover $5.59 Prime Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com. When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . Deadly Stillwater: A compelling crime thriller (Mac McRyan Mystery Series Book) Roger Stelljes Two girls snatched off the streets in broad daylight - a gripping and thrilling mystery that stops you in your tracks! NY Times Bestselling Series. The Knight the Moon and the Stars Got Stuck (Knight the Moon & the Stars Got Stuck) Nancy L. Mills The Knight the Moon and the Stars Got Stuck is a strikingly original work of children's literature that stands with many of our best-loved classics!

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For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues. International Shipping This item is not eligible for international shipping. Learn More Product Warranty: For warranty information about this product, please click here Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com. When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . Children's Book: The Bear Who Loved Chocolate (books for kids funny bedtime story collection, Beginner readers baby Books preschool values Book 1) Leela Hope Chocolate Bear is a childrens books about bear cub who only wants to eat chocolate.Chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner! The Demon Conspiracy (The Demon Conspiracy Series Book 1) R. L. Gemmill Evil. Orphaned. Hunted.A telepathic teen discovers a sinister plot to destroy the earthâs ecology and bring demons to the surface.READ WITH CAUTION! 5.0 out of 5 stars Back to Basics By K.

Alphs on August 6, 2006 From the 1930's through the 1970's the "Dick and Jane" series of readers were the backbone of most public/private school reading programs. Sadly the books were phased out in the 1970's, but due to requests from parents Scott Foresman has reprinted the "Dick and Jane" series for a new generation. There are twelve books in this series as follows: We Look, Something Funny, Jump and Run, Guess Who, Go Away Spot, Away We Go, Who Can Help, We See, We Work, We Play, Fun with Dick and Jane. This set is great for beginning readers. We have utilized this series in our homeschool with great success. From this series I would then move on to the other Dick and Jane books "We Play Outside,Fun with Our Family,Fun Wherever We Are, We Play and Pretend." This series is also available in softcover format. By Brownie on December 9, 2014 Verified Purchase I ordered these for my grand daughter to give her a jumpstart on her reading. These are the same books I learned to read on in the 60's.

These are wonderful books. Yes we learned to read by remembering the words, but back in those days very few of us graduated high school that couldn't read and write. So I am saying, good books to learn on. These were written in a simpler time. Which I like very much. Focusing on the family unit and activities from a gentler time. Do give these books a try. I do not think you will be disappointed in the least. 5.0 out of 5 stars Simple words, and beautiful picture stories By Sandy J on October 18, 2014 Oh my gosh! I started reading these books 60 years ago, and seeing the beautiful pictures, and reading the simple words brought tears to my eyes. I bought these for my 4 year old granddaughter for Christmas, but I couldn't wait for her to get them.....I very gently opend one side, and eased the first one out. Don't let anyone tell you these books are not the correct way to teach reading! Who doesn't need to recognize the words "see", "oh", "look" and "we"? The feeling of accomplishment after reading a chapter has to be great, for any child.

If you have thought about getting these books, but weren't sure....do it! I love them! By Brian Buffington on July 16, 2015 Verified Purchase These are the best 'learn to read' books that anyone could ever use!! I taught all five of my kids using this collection starting right around age five. We would start with one or two chapters at a time depending on the length of the chapters and the patience of the child. Once they got to book 4 or 5 they were official 'readers' and skyrocketed into other books on their own. My youngest made it all the way through book 12 and is a lean mean reading machine at age six. I've tried buying other sets to supplement, but nothing compares to Dick and Jane and I've found that supplementing with other sets has been confusing and unnecessary. If you want to take the time to teach your child to read, these are absolutely, by far, the best investment you can make!! A Back To School Primer On Collecting Vintage Dick & Jane Books – Inherited Values Vintage Trends A Back To School Primer On Collecting Vintage Dick & Jane Books Dick and Jane books are among the most popularly collected school books.

This is because the series of books was used for over 40 years in American schools. That’s millions of children who were taught by Dick, Jane, Sally, Pam, Penny, Mike, their neighbors, families, and pets! Here’s a bit of history on the vintage Dick and Jane series of books. In the late 1920s, Zerna Addis Sharp sought out William S. Gray, a renowned educational psychologist and reading authority from the University of Chicago, and pitched to him her philosophy that children are more receptive to reading if the books contained illustrations related to them and their lives. Gray was impressed enough to hire Sharp. While illustrations of the family Sharp created were published in earlier versions of primers by Scott, Foresman and Company, it wasn’t until later that Dick and Jane would appear by name. In 1930, Gray and William H. Elson, along with May Hill Arbuthnot, created the Curriculum Foundation Series of books for Scott, Foresman and Company. Here Dick & Jane and their family appeared in the first edition of the Curriculum Foundation Series pre-primer called Elson Basic Readers.

In this edition, the baby sister was not named yet (she was simply called “Baby”), the cat was called “Little Mew”, and Spot, the dog, was a terrier. In 1934, the pre-primer was renamed Dick and Jane and a second book, also a pre-primer, More Dick and Jane Stories, was added. In 1936, the series title changed to Elson-Gray Basic Readers to acknowledge Gray’s role in the series (Sharp was not acknowledged, despite what would be a 30 year career at Scott, Foresman & Company). Eleanor Campbell and Keith Ward did the illustrations, and Marion Monroe also authored some of these early editions of the Dick and Jane books. Scott, Foresman and Co. retired the Elson-Gray series in 1940, but Dick and Jane remained in the Basic Readers and their Think-and-Do workbooks. Now the baby sister is named Sally — and she gets a teddy bear named Tim, the cat becomes Puff, and Spot becomes a Cocker Spaniel. New books in the series were introduced in 1940 and 1946.

In Canada, English and French versions of the Dick and Jane books were translated and published by W.J. Gage & Co., Limited; and British English versions were published by Wheaton in Exidir in the UK. Official Catholic editions of the series, the Cathedral Basic Readers, were created to teach religious themes along with reading. For example, Sally, Dick, and Jane was retitled Judy, John, and Jean to reflect Catholic Saints and to include stories on morality. In the 1946 edition, Tim the teddy was removed and a toy duck was added. Also, Texas had its own editions of the the books in 1946. Another author, A. Sterl Artley, began writing Dick and Jane books in 1947. By the end of the 1940s, the Collection Cathedral was published for French-Canadian Catholics. By the 1950’s, over 80% of first-graders in the United States were learning to read with Dick and Jane. New editions whose titles began with “The New” were added, and Robert Childress would become the illustrator. But it was during this decade that Dick and Jane et al. would find themselves under strong attack.

Concerned groups criticized everything from misrepresentations of perfection and other cultural issues to matters of literacy itself. In 1955’s Why Johnny Can’t Read, Rudolf Flesch blamed the look-say style of Dick and Jane readers for not properly teaching children how to read or appreciate literature. While phonetics were always a part of the Dick and Jane series, there was not enough for the growing movement of phonics fans. For all of these reasons, most of the major changes to the Dick and Jane series occurred in the 1960s. In 1962, Helen M. Robinson was the new head author, the books had new material (including more phonics), new illustrations by Richard Wiley, and Dick and Jane had matured, in age and sophisticated. The initial printings of the 1962 soft-cover Dick and Jane books increased in page size and did not have the white tape reinforcement on the spine. The covers of these editions fell off rather easily — which is why they are so hard to find with covers intact. As a result, Scott, Foresman and Company added the reinforced taped spines and advertised the feature heavily.

(These books were never issued as hardcovers; any hardcover copies were either library bindings or were rebound later.) But in 1965, both Civil Rights school integration and President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act would continue to challenge the book publisher. Scott, Foresman and Company worked to address the school integration and inclusion issues by once again employing Zerna Sharp’s literacy philosophy. The African-American family, including twins Pam and Penny and their brother Mike, first appeared in the 1964 Catholic School books; public school students were introduced to the African-American family in 1965. (In response to outrage from racist complaints, Scott, Foresman & Company offered alternative covers of the 1965 integrated books; these Child Art editions removed the characters from the covers and replaced them with finger-paint art designs. Later editions of Think and Do books just had solid color blocks.) Also in 1965, the Pacific Press Publishing Association published an integrated version of Fun With Dick and Jane for Seventh-day Adventists. Entitled Friends We Know, Jesus appears on the covers along with Dick, Jane and Mike.

In the mid 1960s, Scott, Foresman and Company tried to address the phonics issue by introducing books in an experimental language called Initial Teaching Alphabet or ITA . The Experimental Edition of the Scott-Foresman pre-primer was titled Nou Wee Reed. These ITA Dick and Jane books are rare finds. In the late 1960s, the Dick and Jane books expanded to include three new series based on academic performance. For those performing below grade level, there was Open Highways. (Original printings of these books had “The Open Highways Readers” printed on the spine; later printings just had “Open Highways”.) For strong readers, Scott, Foresman and Company added Wide Horizons, self-directed readers which did not have workbooks, and for even more advanced or gifted readers, there was also Bright Horizons. Reading Inventory tests were added to the Dick and Jane series to use as a placement guide. Despite all Scott, Foresman and Co. tried to do, the book publisher just couldn’t overcome all the objections, especially those regarding the too-perfect Dick and Jane world.

The goody-goody kids and their ideal gender stereotyped simplicity was no longer relatable or desirable. The series was officially ended in the late 1960s, replaced in 1970 with Scott, Foresman Reading Systems. (However, in 1975, the 1962 pre-primer was republished by the American Printing House for the Blind in a large type edition with black and white images for sight-impaired children.) Still, Dick and Jane books continued to be ordered and sold from warehouse stock well into the 1970s. The books Dick and Jane collectors are searching for today are those which managed to be saved — and held onto — by teachers, staff, and students, despite the fact that many schools were even ordered to destroy all remaining copies of works in the series. For these reasons, along with the usual wear and tear of children’s books, finding vintage Dick and Jane books in pristine conditions is very difficult. Collectors learn to live with writings, doodles and marks, missing pages, etc. — or pay steep prices for not having signs of use. Over the decades, many Dick and Jane materials were produced.

Along with the readers and primers mentioned, there were other subject books, such as art, health, math, etc. There were teacher editions; books on teaching techniques; large display books placed on easels, called Our Big Book; posters and picture cut-outs for classroom display; picture and word flash cards; LP record albums; games for the classroom; and other teaching aids. On the business end, Scott, Foresman and Co. sent out catalogs, newsletters, and promotional items, such as calendars, greeting cards, and Christmas ornaments. These items were produced in much smaller quantities and, being ephemeral in nature, are rare finds. But Dick and Jane live on. In 1977, George Segal and Jane Fonda would star in Fun with Dick and Jane , a film based on a Gerald Gaiser story about the failed promises of a Dick and Jane perfect world.

(The film was remade with Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni in 2005 .) In 2003, Grosset & Dunlap rereleased original Dick and Jane primers, selling over 2.5 million copies in just over a year even with a publisher disclaimer that the books were nostalgic and not to be used to teach children to read. Due to the popularity of the reissue, reproductions and new related merchandise featuring the iconic imagery and catch phrases, like “See Spot run!”, has been produced. Additional Resources: A rather complete list of original Dick and Jane books is here . Carole Kismaric’s Growing Up with Dick and Jane: Learning and Living the American Dream captures the nostalgia while tracing the cultural points of the Dick and Jane series. Image Credits:

Question: Who is the dog of Dick and Jane?
Answer: Spot