Zerna Sharp-- Mother of Dick and Jane-- Part 2

From the TagNWag site www.tagnwag.com/dick_jane/#.

Zerna Sharp deserves the credit for Dick and Jane as the series of books are based on her thoughts, beliefs, and skills.

She was born Charlotte E. Sharp in Hillsburg, Indiana (Clinton County), August 12, 1889. She was a reading consultant and elementary teacher and never married. I am not sure why she changed her name to Zerna.

It was her belief that children read and learn easier if they identified with children shown in the illustrations. She presented her ideas to Dr. William S. Gray, who hired her to develop a family.

She joined Scott Foresman Publishing Company in 1924 and worked with them until she retired in 1964.

More to Come. Coot

Zerna Sharp-- Mother of Dick and Jane-- Part 1

Yesterday, in Bits 'O History, I wrote about Zerna Sharp, probably one of the reasons I can read as well as I do. She is called the "Mother of Dick and Jane," the books that taught generations of children to read in school.

It is my belief that if we brought back this series, updated of course, this would solve a lot of the problems kids encounter today reading in school. The "Dick and Jane" books concentrated on short words and lots of repetition. Today's books are all about big words and lots of them. Also, the pace is much too fast.

Any engineer knows that to build a building that will stand, you need a solid foundation. Today's approach is to start with the upper stories.

This causes children to become confused and disheartened with all the big and difficult words. There is little repetition which is needed for a solid foundation in reading.

Bring Back Dick and Jane. --Cooter

Bits 'O History: Dick and Jane-- Tractor-- Private Courthouse?

From American Profile "Did You Know: Tidbits."


1. DICK AND JANE-- Indiana-- the "mother" of the Dick and Jane books that helped children learn to read from the 1930s to 1960s, including myself in the '50s, was Zerna Sharp, born in 1889 in Clinton County. She conceived the books thinking that children would enjoy reading if they identified with the characters. She oversaw the series working for Scott Foresman Publishing. And the fact there was so much repetition really helped with the hard words. After awhile, you just know it.

2. TRACTOR-- Iowa-- the word tractor was popularized by Charles W. hart and Charles H. Parr to describe their gasoline traction engine. Hart-Parr tractors were made in Charles City.

3. PRIVATE COURTHOUSE-- Missouri-- The 1896 Gasconade County Courthouse in Hermann was financed with a $50,000 gift from the estate of Charles Eitzen and is believed to be the only privately-funded courthouse in the US.

Never Knew Why They Called Them Tractors. --Da Coot