I came across a short post on Zerna Addis Sharp. You may not recognize this name, but I'd bet you very well know what she did. She was born in 1889 and was a book editor and the creator of the Dick and Jane grade school readers.
Zerna Sharp was born in Indiana and became a teacher and eventual principal who was hired as a grade school textbook consultant by the Scott Foresman publishing company of Chicago in 1924. The Dick and Jane books came about when she happened to be walking on a Lake Michigan beach and heard young children playing and calling out to each other: “Oh! Look! Oh, oh, look."
From that beach to the most famous and well loved grade school reading textbooks. I learned to read from them as did millions of others for decades. Sadly the 60's women's rights movement was the beginning of the end for the books in schools.
I happen to have a couple of the original Dick and Jane books. One is a well remembered paper covered book, the other a third or fourth grade hardback. I treasure them
And back page of the paper back had this. Just so we'd know the stories no longer fit our world view.
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