Brendan has graduated to our early readers. Despite the bad press they often get these days we have always enjoyed them, at least our vintage readers. The vocabulary is controlled, ensuring lots of success, and the illustrations are priceless. Of course we still read higher level literature together. These are great fun for independent practice however as well as a fond glimpse of a more gracious time.
At Play is one of the most charming old readers in our collection:
Patent leather Mary Jane's, short pants, and a Scotty. Doesn't get much better than that. : )
My, my. I remember those wonderful aluminum cake covers.
Letter blocks and pull toys. Obviously written some time before vibrating Elmo's.
Starry Sky Journal 
We read the classics with the kiddos and start them on chapter books as soon as they wink an eye like they’re interested. BUT — We also have the first two years of Cathedral Readers — with John, Jean, and Judy. All ten of our children have learned to read out of them — and have enjoyed the more wholesome times pictured in them. They’re the perfect beginner books. We happened past an antique car sale recently, and in the very front of the lot was a beautiful old ’50s era Chevy — green, just like John, Jean, and Judy’s — and all the kids recognized it and wanted to buy it! I wish I had a couple thousand dollars lying around, because I WOULD buy John, Jean, and Judy’s car if I could — just for the memories, if nothing else. We grew up with those kids!
We have the vintage Cathedral Readers and my 8yo LOVES them! The stories are so sweet, the pictures are so sweet, the successful reading sessions are so sweet. Winning all around.
I love books like these…not because they are great literature, but because they are not ugly. Beauty is so hard to find. Except, of course, on your blog. 😉
At age nine, Faith still declares Dick & Jane her favorite book! A book read is a book read and that’s a good thing! Happy eve of St. Nick.
I will say though I do think the upper levels of the old readers are excellent quality reading materials. They were intended to provide children who often didn’t have access to extensive libraries with a broad exposure to literature. They serve a similar purpose in our family as we move around non English speaking countries. For Catholic children especially it is hard to find this volume of faith-related lit. I still remember weeping at the end of Evangeline which we read aloud from the fifth Cardinal Reader many years ago. I had never read it before reading it there.