The Elson Readers Primer

These books come from an experienced educator of the early 20th century, William
H. Elson, the man responsible for the well-known and loved characters ＂Dick and
Jane,＂ with which so many of us grew up. This series predates the ＂Dick and Jane＂
books, with original publishing dates from 1920 to 1921.

The real beauty of The Elson Readers series is the kind of literature within its covers-
wholesome literature that views the world of nature with awe, upholds the ideals
of service to others and our country, and encourages sound moral development in
the reader. Contained in this series is a treasure of literature with which American
children should be familiar and which will provide them a fundamental literacy of
their country and culture.

Primer begins this series with the fundamental task of teaching little students to
read. The stories are short and to the point, and the text is oversized and spaced
widely to make letter recognition a less daunting task. Charming pictures by L.
Kate Deal enhance the text by describing the stories visually and help hold the
child’s interest. Although teaching reading is the foremost purpose of Primer, the
stories have been chosen to encourage the development of wholesome attitudes in
the young reader. Stories are from renowned children’s authors such as L. Alma-
Tadema, Carolyn Bailey, Anne Shütze, and others and include classic folk tales and
selections from Mother Goose.

A ＂Word List＂ can be found at the end of this little volume containing the more
difficult words with which the beginning reader may need additional help.
Teacher’s Guides are available for each book in this series.