Description:

A Ladybird book entitled “Fun & Games 7B”. The series of ladybird books typically have pictures and words to keep the reader interested. This series of books are based on characters like Peter and Jane and focus on words that are frequently used in the English language. In this 1966 book words associated with summer are introduced to the reader e.g. “holiday”. Once the reader can confidently read this 7b book they will then proceed to book 7c. There are 12 levels in total, each from a to c. The recommended reading age of this 7b book would typically be ages 6-7. A ladybird book published prior to 1964 would have had a dustcover to protect the book, this book is missing this. Ladybird printed over 63 different series.

Six years after opening his first bookshop in Loughborough, Leicestershire in 1867, Henry Wills expanded into a printing business. In 1904 William Hepworth joined as a partner and in 1914 they published their first ladybird books concentrating on fairy tales for children later moving onto educational subjects. They found that they could print a 54-page book from one single piece of paper measuring 40×30 inch. This enabled the book to be printed cheaply and affordable to the reader. Cost of the books from the 1940’s to the 1970’s stayed at the same price of 2 shillings and 6 pence. A merger in the 1970’s with the Pearson group saw them expand and these days Ladybird is owned by Penguin Books.

 

 

More information:

Date 1960s
Material(s) CardboardPaper
Item number MBPO90

Questions to help you remember using this item

  • Have you ever read a ladybird book?
  • Was it educational or was it a fairy tale?
  • People collect Ladybird books; do you still own any of these books?
  • Do you enjoy reading? What kind of books do you read?

User Stories

As children we had a few ladybird books. I think they were mainly fairy-tale stories like the “Three little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel & Gretel and the Gingerbread Man”.  I think this is where my love of reading stems from reading these books at an early age. – Memory Box Volunteer

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