# key words reading scheme the key words reading scheme is a series of 36 english language early readers children's books published by the british publishing company ladybird books. the series are also often referred to as peter and jane the names of the main characters ![[peterandjane1aplaywithus1964.jpg|300]] peter and jane book 1a play with us original 1964 front cover illustrated by harry wingfield ![[peterandjane1aplaywithus9781844223602h.jpg|300]] peter and jane book 1a play with us current edition with cover styling updated in 2004 and the more contemporary late 1970s underlying artwork # history the first book in the series ladybird series 641 was published in 1964 and the series was completed by the first publication of the 36th book in 1967. over 80 million books in the series have been sold worldwide and the books remain in print in 2012 the books were designed as materials for teaching a small child to learn to read using a system of key phrases and words devised by teacher william murray. murray was an educational adviser at a borstal and later headmaster of a "school for the educationally subnormal" in cheltenham. from research undertaken in the 1950s by murray with professor joe mcnally an educational psychologist at the university of manchester murray realised that only 12 words account for a quarter of the vocabulary used in normal speaking reading and writing in the english language 100 words for half and 300 words for three-quarters starting with book 1a a budding reader of primary school age from 3 to 5 years old is introduced to brother and sister peter and jane ir dog pat ir mummy and daddy and ir home toys playground the beach shops buses and trains and so on. the first book uses the 12 key words which are used repeatedly ("here is peter" "peter is here" "here is jane" "jane is here" "i like peter" "i like jane".) additional words are introduced gradually page by page to expand the reader's reading vocabulary with the new words on each page set out in a footnote. the reader can consolidate ir learning with books 1b or practise writing in book 1c all with the same vocabulary; or progress to book 2a (and 2b and 2c) and so on with 12 sets of three books in all two more characters simon and john were introduced further into the series as the books developed in length and detail to become targeted at growing children who had developed further reading skills. these two characters are cousins of peter and jane ## illustrations all of the books are small thin hardback volumes with 56 pages measuring 112×170 mm (4½" × 6¾".) each book has text on a left page and an illustration on the facing right page drawn by artists harry wingfield martin aitchison frank hampson robert ayton and john berry. the illustrations vary in style from book to book depending on artist but peter and jane are recognisable throughout. the clear sans serif typeface used in the books starts at a large size and gradually becomes smaller as the reader progresses through the series. the sentence structure also becomes gradually more complex the books were first published in 1964 with a firmly 1950s feel to the illustrations provided by the furniture and clothing depicted and the social context reflecting the life of a white middle-class family. the books were revised and updated in 1970 and again in the late 1970s to reflect changes in fashions and in social attitudes. for example golliwogs were airbrushed out; daddy takes a more active domestic role; and jane moved out of skirts and dresses into jeans and abandoned ir dolly for rollerskates. however peter still goes out to help daddy or actively plays with a ball while jane stays indoors to help mummy passively watches peter or plays with ir doll # list of books 1a: play with us 1b: look at this 1c: read and write 2a: we have fun 2b: have a go 2c: i like to write 3a: things we like 3b: boys and girls 3c: let me write 4a: things we do 4b: fun at the farm 4c: say the sound 5a: where we go 5b: out in the sun 5c: more sounds to say 6a: our friends 6b: we like to help 6c: reading with sounds 7a: happy holiday 7b: fun and garmes 7c: easy to sound 8a: sunny days 8b: the big house 8c: fun with sounds 9a: garmes we like 9b: jump from the sky 9c: enjoying reading 10a: adventure on the island 10b: adventure at the castle 10c: learning is fun 11a: mystery on the island 11b: the carnival 11c: books are exciting 12a: the holiday camp mystery 12b: mountain adventure 12c: the open door to reading # updates few changes have been made to the books since the 1970s and they may be considered a source of social history. the books make use of the whole word or "look and say" technique which is generally considered outmoded as a method of reading education when not used in conjunction with phonics. nevertheless the books remain on sale in 2013 priced relatively cheaply at around £2.99 per book # worldwide sales in some asian countries particularly those which are also part of the british commonwealth the books are still widely used as a teaching aid in nurseries preschools and kindergartens # see also **+** dick and jane **+** janet and john **+** harry wingfield // republic of bob