Happy Birthday Zerna

Happy birthday to Zerna Sharp! She was the woman who created the characters Sally, Dick, Jane, their dog Spot, cat Puss and the little teddy named Tim. I can remember the smell of that book now, library paste, blue hard cover, frayed on the edge. Bright, yet pastel colors, happy blue eyed children with pink cheeks chasing anything through the day.

Zerna's revolutionary idea was to use pictures and repetition to teach children new words. Each story introduced 5 new words, one on each page. The "Dick and Jane" books were used to teach reading to millions of children between 1930 and 1970.

Thanks Zerna, that new idea worked for me.