Bob Books are the unsexy workhorses of early literacy. They're not going to win awards for storytelling or spark your kid's imagination—'Mat sat on Sam' is not exactly Roald Dahl. But here's the thing: they work.

For forty years, these little books have been the phonics equivalent of training wheels, giving kids the structure and success they need to crack the reading code. The progression is smart, the approach is research-backed, and the confidence boost for struggling readers is genuine and important.

The verdict: Essential tools for teaching reading, but pair them with actual literature. Think of Bob Books as scales for a piano student—you need them to build the skill, but you also need real music to fall in love with playing. Use these to teach decoding, then immediately follow up with books that have plots, characters, and stories worth caring about.