Seven editions of the "Dick and Jane" textbooks were published from 1930 to 1965. They were published by Scott Foresman and featured stories about a family and its home life. They included the well known characters of Dick, Jane, Sally, Spot, and Puff. This reading program used the "whole word reading system" for teaching children to read. The program included pre-primers, primers, workbooks, word cards, charts, and records. Millions of children learned to read through these textbooks.

The Curriculum Materials Center historical textbook collection includes four of the seven editions of the reading textbooks, those published from 1946-1965. The 1965 edition is noteworthy for its inclusion of multi-ethnic characters. The CMC also has the 1949 edition used to teach health.

These textbooks are in a non-circulating collection (faculty members may check them out for use in their classes). Please ask a librarian for assistance to gain access to these textbooks.

The CMC would like to add more materials to its "Dick and Jane" collection. Donations are welcomed. Please contact Carol H. Sibley, Curriculum Librarian, by telephone (218-477-2347) or e-mail (sibley@mnstate.edu).

Please note that the CMC has additional holdings for most of the editions listed below. For details about the holdings, check the library on-line catalog. Only the textbooks that include the "Dick and Jane" characters are listed below.
 

Gray, William S., and May Hill Arbuthnot. Basic Readers: Curriculum Foundation Series. Scott, Foresman, 1946-47. Historical Text 428.6 S42 B311

            Library holdings:
            Fun with Dick and Jane: Basic Primer. (Teacher's edition)
            Our New Friends. (Teacher's edition)

Baruch, Dorothy, Elizabeth Montgomery, W.W. Bauer, and William S. Gray. Health and Personal Development: Curriculum Development Series. Scott, Foresman, 1949. Historical Text 613 S42 H43

            Library Holdings:
            Good Times with Our Friends. (Student and teacher's edition)

Gray, William S., A. Sterl Atley, and May Hill Arbuthnot. Basic Readers: Curriculum Foundation Series. Scott, Foresman, 1951. Historical Text 428.6 S42 N44

            Library holdings:
            Sounds Around Us (three 78 rpm. records)
            Guess Who. (Student and teacher's edition)
            The New Fun with Dick and Jane. (Student edition)

Robinson, Helen M., Marion Monroe, and A. Sterl Artley. The New Basic Readers. Scott, Foresman, 1962. Historical Text 428.6 S42 N5

            Library holdings:
            We Read Pictures. (Teacher's edition)
            We Read More Pictures. (Teacher's edition)
            Before We Read. (Teacher's edition)
            Sally, Dick and Jane. (Teacher's edition)
            Think-and-Do Book. (Teacher's edition)
            Fun with Our Family and Fun Wherever We Are: Second and Third Pre-Primers.  (Teacher's edition)
            The New Guess Who. (Teacher's edition)

Robinson, Helen M., Marion Monroe, A. Sterl Artley, Charlotte S. Huck, and William A. Jenkins. The New Basic Readers. Scott, Foresman, 1965-66. Historical Text 428.6 S42 N53

            Library holdings:
            We Read Pictures. (Teacher's edition)
            We Read More Pictures. (Teacher's edition)
            Before We Read. (Teacher's edition)
            Now We Read. (Teacher's edition)
            Fun with the Family and Fun Wherever We Are: Second and Third Pre-Primers. (Teacher's edition)
            Think-and-Do Book. (Teacher's edition)
            The New Guess Who. (Teacher's edition)
            Think-and-Do Book. (Teacher's edition)
            Friends Old and New. (Teacher's edition)
            Think-and-Do Book. (Teacher's edition)

Kismaric, Carole, and Marvin Heiferman. Growing Up with Dick and Jane: Learning and Living the American Dream. San Francisco, CollinsPublishers, 1996.  PE1119.3 .K57 1996

Whatever Happened to Dick and Jane? Prod. Dave Thompson. Videocassette. Peoria: 47 Teleproductions, 1996. Curric. Video Cassette 428.6 W555