This is what the inside of Tim’s head looks like. It also contains pictures of ladies before they have put their clothes on. Jump to navigation Ladybird books updated: Spot the difference in these Peter and Jane illustrations So all very systematic and methodical. Basically the child is expected to learn through repetition of exposure to recognise these words on sight – and word flash-cards were a key component of the Key Word reading scheme. This is what’s known as the “Look and Say” method. You often hear people in the media today discussing the best way to teach reading and contrasting: “Look and Say” with “Phonics” where a child is helped to work out or ‘decode’ the sound of the word by building up an awareness of the patterns. This debate is not a new one, and Murray was familiar with it in the 1960s. He says, And that’s just the books. The ‘childen’ will, of course, be even older since they were meant to be 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 where charged with the task of teaching us to read.

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? English is not a purely phonetic language, so care must be taken in presenting this method to the learner. Too much emphasis on the phonetic method, especially if used too early in the reading programme, can slow down progress and harm the attitude towards reading”. (Murray, p.17)

Tens of millions of Britons learnt to read with the Peter and Jane books. In her second piece for The Dabbler, Ladybird expert Helen Day examines how the books – and their revisions – reflected British middle-class life, or an ideal of it…

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. The company traces its origins to 1867, when Henry Wills opened a bookshop in Loughborough, Leicestershire. Within a decade he progressed to printing and publishing guidebooks and street directories. He was joined by William Hepworth in 1904, and the company traded as Wills & Hepworth. 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!

And she’s right. Her satire – a combination of original painting and mixed media – perfectly encapsulates the conceptual vacancy that is, unfortunately, at the heart of many of our arts institutions. She explains: Applicability of cancellation rights: Legal rights of cancellation under the Distance Selling Regulations available for UK or EU consumers do not apply to certain products and services. A pparently over 80 million of us have learnt to read with Ladybird’s Peter and Jane books . And some of the books are still in print; I still see them for sale in my local bookshop. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. In the 1960s, Ladybird produced the Learnabout series of non-fiction (informational) books, some of which were used by adults as well as children.Original 1964 front cover, illustrated by Harry Wingfield Peter and Jane Book 1a Play with Us, ISBN 1-84422-360-4. Ladybird began publishing books in other formats in 1980. Most of the remaining titles in the classic format were withdrawn in 1999 when their printing facility in Loughborough closed.

Book 1b follows on from 1a and introduces 16 new words, including 'toys', 'has', 'trees' and 'ball'. Once this book has been completed, the child moves on to book 3b.For one reason or another, people seem to mix up the characters ‘Janet and John’ with ‘Peter and Jane’. ( I think the late lamented Terry Wogan had a hand in adding to the confusion). You see the pictures on the right? Not Ladybird. The two children in the best-known Ladybird reading scheme were Peter and Jane. I just thought I’d clear that up from the start. 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 wonder if the original target audience were aware of the nostalgic, retrospective feel to the Peter and Jane books when they first came out? 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.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. Spoof Ladybird books target adult market". BBC News Online. 12 October 2015 . Retrieved 12 October 2015. Johnson, Lorraine; Alderson, Brian (2014). The Ladybird Story: children's books for everyone. London: British Library. p.13. ISBN 978-0-7123-5728-9.