This book was well worth the investment. I have been using it at home to teach my daughter to read and even before finishing the book she was able to read beyond the level in the book just because she had some of the rules of reading under her belt. The book progresses in a logical sequence by beginning with vowel sounds and then consonants. After only a handful of lessons the child will be reading short three letter words that really gets them excited! I would recommend this book for any child just learning to read or for a child who may be struggling. By teaching them the sounds of each letter and rules of reading and spelling, you'll be amazed at how much your child learns along with yourself!

This book was recommended to me in the Well Trained Mind. My not-quite-three year old and I are, very casually, very much for fun, going through the book. We are only on the fourth consonant (short vowels were first), but I can tell he's already starting to figure it out. He blended the "se" set all by himself. I didn't prompt or anything and we were on a new page. I don't call it reading but it's pretty exciting.
I recommend only doing this for fun with a kid that young. I ask if he wants to learn to read. If he jumps in my lap, we do a page or so (kiss after every effort, right or wrong); if he says no then we just go on about our business. I hope for a yes at least every day, though.
In the book, flipping ahead, it looks like by page 28 (we're on 12) he'll be reading several three letter words. That's crazy. That's like 14 days from now (instr. to mom in there, as well).
It's a lovely layout, if the graphics are a bit pixilated. I like how great a value it is. You also don't need cards, worksheets, pens, pencils, or anything. I'm doing this the way WTM suggests and ignoring the bit about you can't proceed unless you can write the letter, too. I'm not going to let low coordination in fine motor skills stop a kid from reading.
Other phonics programs cost way way way way more and have tons of little pieces and parts and tapes. This is just a book and it blows all those other programs away.

Please remember to have fun teaching reading. These are impressionable years for these early readers.

First, here's our situation: we have a son who is 5 years old. We limit his TV (by not having one), and we read to him incessantly. He really loves books. He clearly has an aptitude for reading. About 8 months ago, I bought this book. At that point, he was attempting to read on his own. He would do fine usually, but often, he would just guess something that wasn't even close -- it was clear he had some words memorized, but with other he looked at how it began and ended, then just guessed a word.

While this book may not exactly be turnkey (it took a tiny bit of adaptation to make it work), he started looking forward to impromptu lessons. Within a couple weeks, the difference in his approach was noticeable -- there was a marked improvement. He is starting kindergarten in the fall, and our best guess is that he is now reading somewhere between a second and a third grade level. The bottom line is that this book really works.

I have a second grader and a 4 year old preschooler. My older child showed an interest in reading when she was in preschool, but I had no idea how to teach her. I let her learn with the other kids in public school. She eventually began to read halfway through first grade and even helped other struggling kids. However, when she entered second grade, some of the material she was given she did not understand. "Underline the words with the short a sound". She had no idea what a short or long sound was or WHY certain words or letters sounded like they do. I set out to find a way to help her AND to make sure that this did not happen with my preschooler. I found Phonics Pathways.

The progression is simple for any age (including parents) to understand. I began in November playing the short-vowel shuffle with BOTH of my children. By January, the second grader had learned many of the rules she had not been taught and my preschooler had started to read three-letter words. I just bought her the Bob Books to practice with.

I highly recommend this primer. Stick with it and do not try to move too quickly. A page or two a day is more than enough, especially for the younger child who may not have a great attention span. I am buying another one for my friend's daughter today.

Enjoy!

I started this book with my 4-year-old daughter last year. In just one year she has excelled beyond picture books and has started chapter books. She is now reading Charlotte's Web, and she is only five!! Won't her Kindergarden teacher be surprised!!