Growing Up With Dick and Jane by Carole Kismaric, Marvin Heiferman (1996, Paperback)

This is a nostalgic book that invites the millions of children who grew up reading with Dick and Jane to revisit the innocence of childhood. For those who weren't lucky enough to have Dick and Jane as friends, this entertaining and informative book traces the phenomenon from their birth during the Depression to their retirement in the 1960's. Here's a chance to revisit Dick and Jane's world, to remember the thrill of learning to read, and to recapture American childhood in the fifties. This book reminds us why Dick and Jane and their dog Spot have become American icons!

This book was one of the promotional items put out in 1996 to celebrate Scott Foresman and Company's 100th anniversary! The first printing had a hard cover; later printings are paperback. The book is made with high quality glossy paper and is in full color.

I read this book from cover to cover and found it fascinating and informative. I learned many things I never knew before, including where the illustrators got their ideas for Jane's attire!

"In her forty-year career, Jane wore at least two hundred different ensembles. In story after story, whether Jane is dressed in dainty prints, solids or plaids, she always looks stylish. Jane never slouches, she stands up straight. She's a perfect model for her dresses with Peter Pan collars, jumpers, sweater and skirt sets, and party dresses with crinolines and fitted sashes. Since the illustrators who drew Dick and Jane wanted them to look familiar to readers, the outfits were based on clothing featured in Sears, Roebuck and Montgomery Ward mail order catalogs of the time."

On page 89, it shows some of the Scott, Foresman items sent to teachers for classroom use during the 1950's and 1960's that have become collector's items today such as Christmas tree ornaments, Valentine's Day cards, and even party napkins with Dick, Jane, Sally, Spot, Puff, and Tim on them!

There are 2 neat BONUSES that come with the book, tucked into a flap inside the back cover. One is a sheet of cut-out Dick and Jane PAPER DOLLS! This is a reproduction of the cut-out dolls that teachers were given for classroom use many years ago. You punch out the dolls and the bottom flap folds around so that they stand up! Cute! The other bonus is a 24 page paperback book of SAMPLER STORIES titled "Fun with Dick and Jane: A Commemorative Collection of Stories." The stories were taken from the 1951 and 1965 editions of The New We Look and See, The New Fun with Dick and Jane, and Fun with Our Friends. Stories and pictures are reproduced beautifully.

This book is a real TREASURE for Dick and Jane fans or baby boomers! An EXCELLENT purchase!