Helpers On A Boat

Helpers On A Boat is a supplemental 24-page booklet designed to follow the storyline and vocabulary taught in At Home And Away, the Primer in The Unit-Activity Series of reading books developed in the mid-1930s by prominent educator Nila Banton Smith.

Out of print for nearly 90 years, these wonderful books bring the joy of reading to every child. Lavishly illustrated, they are designed to be more like story books rather than text books — though that is exactly what they are.

We have restored these forgotten classics to provide an alternative to today’s messaging-heavy scholastic prose. Here, the focus is on teaching children to read through repetition and with easily identifiable images.

The first pre-primer is Come and Play. The following books are At Home and Away (primer), In City and Country (Volume I), Round About You (Volume II), The World Around Us (an alternative Volume II), and Near and Far (Volume III). All will be restored and released for a full reading curriculum from the glory days of American education.