FAQs

• Are Jelly and Bean books compatible with Letters and Sounds?
• Do teachers need training to use Jelly and Bean books?
• Why do you not begin with the letters 's, a, t, p, i, n'?
• Are the Jelly and Bean books suitable for Montessori schools?
• Are the Jelly and Bean books suitable for pupils with dyslexia or special educational needs?

Q. Are Jelly and Bean books compatible with Letters and Sounds?

A. Yes. Jelly and Bean books are compatible with Letters and Sounds.

Q. Do teachers need training to use Jelly and Bean books?

A. We believe that professionally qualified teachers and their assistants need no further training to use any of the Jelly and Bean resources.

Q. Why do you not begin with the letters 's, a, t, p, i, n'?

A. The letters 's, a, t, p, i, n' may be arranged to form the greatest number of CVC words (sat, pat, sap, nap, tap, tan, pip, pin, tin, nit, tit, sit, pit, sip, sin, tip, nip) as well as the two-letter words 'is, in, it, an, at, as', but none of these words are nouns which can be illustrated as a living character. I needed a 'cat' to draw and make into a character. I also only wanted to use one connecting word, 'on', as well as 'a'. The letters 'a, c, h, m, n, o, t' gave me three nouns to illustrate (cat, mat, hat) and the connecting words 'a, on'.

Q. Are the Jelly and Bean books suitable for Montessori schools?

A. Yes. The phonic approach used in Jelly and Bean books fits all the Montessori principles. This makes the books ideal for Montessori schools.

The books are reviewed in Montessori International magazine, issue 67, April–June 2003 where Jane Lord says: 'Our children here at Wharfedale Montessori have shown more enhanced natural motivation to read with these little [Jelly and Bean] stories than with any other readers that we’ve had in the school.'

'Thank you for your wonderful Jelly and Bean books. The children have simply loved them. Their desire to read has become the contagious infection running right round the school. I would never have predicted how popular they would be, but there is something about them that makes the children prefer a Jelly and Bean book to the others.' Head teacher of a Montessori school, Cumbria

Q. Are the Jelly and Bean books suitable for pupils with dyslexia or special educational needs?

A. Yes. The main reason why Jelly and Bean books have spread across the country so rapidly is because learning support staff have been recommending them specifically for these pupils.

The books have a highly structured phonic progression that is suitable for beginners or reluctant readers. Pupils gain confidence quickly from being able to read the books at an early stage in their learning programme.

Jelly and Bean books are suitable for use with all phonic programmes and they are listed on the DCSF website.

The illustrations are clear and simple. They enhance the text rather than distract from it, thus motivating pupils to read further.

'Your books are a delight. The structure, e.g. the NLS word link, and the artwork are a pleasure.' Support Services, Derbyshire

Got a question? If you have any queries about the Jelly and Bean books or any of the support materials please get in touch and Marlene, the author, will answer your questions.