ETC: Dick and Jane

The Dick and Jane series of books have been a staple of children's literature since the 1930's when they were used to teach reading to kids in school. They've been undated and revised and they were re-issued in 2003. Though they were once the standard for teaching kids to read, but they've fallen way out of favor for that task. They were originally very homogenous in there depictions of race and culture. This made them hard to relate too if you weren't white and middle class, and it's hard to learn to read things that you don't understand. They've also been criticized for poorly focusing on the basics of reading and just not doing a good job of what they are supposed to do. Despite all of that, we have a bunch of them, and our kids have indeed used them to learn to read. First I want to say that these aren't kids books like you are probably used to. They are not books to read to your kids. They suck for that. They are books for your kids to read to you. They are very simple, they are very repetitive and they should be tossed aside once they've been mastered. Used like that, they're a great tool and I don't hesitate to recommend them. The kids are able to read them not too long after learning letter sounds, they seem to enjoy them, and they get a real sense of accomplishment when they finish a chapter. They can get done with a book and know that they can read, and that makes them quite happy with themselves and with reading. They're not perfect, but they have value. We like them.
Of course, if you find Dick and Jane too pedestrian, and what to spice things up, you can always try Dick and Jane and Vampires.