Bob Books, written by Bobby Lynn Maslen and illustrated by John R. Maslen, are a series of children’s books designed to teach reading skills acquisition. With a foundation in phonics methods, each level addresses a single stage in a child’s reading development.
Sets in the series include:
Bobby Lynn Maslen and John Maslen created Bob Books, first published in 1976.
Author Bobby Lynn Maslen was involved in cooperative preschool education for nine years and then became a teacher of 3-5 year-olds at a private school in Portland, Oregon. It was there that she created the Bob Books.
Illustrator John Maslen is an award-winning watercolor painter and architect. He holds signature status in the National Watercolor Society and several other art organizations. He also received an American Institute of Architects Honor Award.
The first Bob Books were individually hand-drawn for Bobby Lynn Maslen's students. When it became too cumbersome to make books for each child, she persuaded the school to print 300 copies. This eventually led to more sets, a cottage industry and self publishing.
The Bob Books became a Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club selection and the series was adopted by home-schoolers and Montessori teachers. In 1993 USA Today ran a story about the Bob Books.[1] “By that time we knew the potential was much more than we could handle ourselves.”[2] Scholastic Inc. became their publisher in 1994.