Janet and John back in fashion

by Nicola Shepherd

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THE books that taught a nation to read are being re-published and brought up to date. Yes, Janet and John are back.

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If you are aged over 25, it is highly likely that you, along with10 million other British children, learnt to read with Janet and John.

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The distinctive staccato sentences, the repetition, and the portrayal of the perfect nuclear family of the fifties helped nearly every child in this country towards literacy. That is, until they fell out of fashion in the seventies, because it was thought that their appeal was outdated.

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The main protagoniasts were also felt to be too unrepresentative of the multicultural, socially tolerant and politically correct direction in which British society was heading.

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First launched in 1949, and based on an American version entitled Alice and Jerry, the storylines of the Janet and John books were hardly revised for thirty years. Mother's hemline went up in the sixties, but that was all.

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Between 1960 and 1970, more than 80% of children in this country were using the books to learn to read. But by 1980 the books were hardly used at all, maintaining a profile only in places such as South Africa. But now a company called Star Kids has bought the rights to. Janet and John from the daughter of the original authors.

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A 100-strong team of designers, parents and teachers have worked on bringing the adventures of the wholesome duo up to date. Gone is the�politically incorrect Darky the dog, and the sexual stereotyping whereby Janet helps mother while John rides in the car next to father. Even the community where they now live is multi-ethnic.

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Star Kids believe they are on to a winner. Director Andy Riddle thinks Janet and John have the same appeal as Blue Peter, and certainly as memorable a brand identity.

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'The reason for wanting to do this is because of the value associated with the name.' he says. That value, he went on to explain, is to do with safe, trustworthy, simple, accessible learning with strong relevant characters that children can enjoy and parents can rely on.