The layout and progression is very simple, nothing complicated about it. Children begin by learning their short vowel sounds, one at a time. After these have been mastered (it is assumed that the child already knows his/her hard consonants), the child learns to make initial blends with a hard consonant and each short vowel sound (i.e. ba be bi bo bu). Eventually, the book will add an ending consonant, and the child learns like this: u, bu - g, bug!
If a child has developed phonemic awareness (usually sometime between ages 4-6), s/he will be able to quickly begin decoding one syllable, three letter words. The book progresses to four-letter words, diagraphs, -ing endings, long vowels, etc. It is a complete reading program, with no writing required. As a parent and homeschooler, I found this format very useful and easy to use. I also recommend the Bob Books series for very beginning readers.
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!
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.
