Turn the Page Friday: Bob Books

I'm a big believer in not pushing academics on my preschooler. My thinking has always been that when she is ready, she'll let me know. Sure, I've done basic things -- we have more than our fair share of singing refrigerator magnets, she was a big fan of Sesame Street and I would read to her daily. But I would never force reading on her.

Then one day I heard some moms on the playground waxing poetic about the "Bob Books." I didn't think too much of it until a few days later when another mom mentioned them to me and how great they were. Afraid I was missing out on something important, I visited the local bookstore and took a look for myself. I quickly became a fan.

Short and simple but incredibly effective, there are five sets of books, with 8-12 titles in each box. Each book places emphasis on a different sound -- books 1-12 for instance focuses on 3-letter words like mat, sat and cat. Each book gets progressively harder, and by the end of the first set of 12, all 26 letters (except Q) have been introduced.

My daughter loves these books -- she thinks they are funny (not to spoil anything for anyone but she finds the plotline where Mat sits on Sam particularly amusing), but she's also thrilled she can read the whole thing from beginning to end. And when she first starts a new title, although it is a challenge, I can see her wheels turning as she sounds the words out both aloud and in her head.

What books do you read to your preschooler?