Key Words Reading Scheme

The books were designed as materials for teaching a small child to learn to read, using a system of key phrases and words devised by teacher William Murray.

Starting with book 1a, a budding reader of primary school age, from 3 to 5 years old, is introduced to brother and sister Peter and Jane, their dog Pat, their Mummy and Daddy, and their home, toys, playground, the beach, shops, buses and trains, and so on.

The clear sans serif typeface used in the books starts at a large size and gradually becomes smaller as the reader progresses through the series.

The books were first published in 1964, with a firmly 1950s feel to the illustrations provided by the furniture and clothing depicted, and the social context reflecting the life of a white, middle-class family.

For example, golliwogs were airbrushed out; Daddy takes a more active domestic role; and Jane moved out of skirts and dresses into jeans, and abandoned her dolly for rollerskates.