The Annals of Dick and Jane
October 17th, 2007 by MikeA woman I work with recently asked me if I remembered Mike, Pam and Penny from the Dick and Jane readers. I assured her that she must have grown up with some bootleg version of the books because there certainly were no black characters in the series when I was a child.
Lo and behold - she was right. Back in the sixties, a black family actually did move in next door to Dick and Jane.
But by the time I got around to reading Dick and Jane in the late 70s early 80s, the black family was no where to be seen. Which raises the question, did the publishers create a transition title in the 70s called “White Flight with Dick and Jane” to explain why Mike, Pam and Penny were no longer around?
Dick: Look Sally. The moving truck is here. We are moving.
Sally: I am sad. What about our friends? Our friends Pam and Penny?
Jane: Oh no Sally. They are staying here.
Dick: Oh yes. They are staying. We are moving. Moving before the property values fall.
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October 18th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
maybe all the better for those dick and jane left behind - they don’t seem much fun.
i dont know much about dick and jane, but i did think these books were supposed to teach kids how to read. i’m a little surprised by the inelegance of some of the lines. eg, “This is puff with me.” Obv it makes sense but it’s a horribly constructed sentence. would have thought D&J would have shown a little more skill. but not skillz.
November 29th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
In the 1960s, two Dick and Jane versions were published. The Established edition appeared in 1962, but an integrated “mult-ethnic” edition was introduced in 1965. Both of these editions were the final versions. Scott, Foresman introduced an entirely new system in 1970. Mike, Pam, and Penny were part of the 1965 edition. There always have been multiple editions of Dick and Jane that many don’t know about. Dick, Jane, and Sally were christened John, Jean, and Judy in the Catholic edition and there was a 7th Day Adventist edition as well.