I have a confession to make. My five-year-old son is reading Dick and Jane stories as part of his reading curriculum. Not only is he reading them, he likes them.

How is this possible? I thought the world of Dick and Jane was dull, poorly written, and unimaginative? Well, first off, we are not reading, "See Spot Run". Thanks to an excellent beginning reading program, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, my kindergartener is reading at a second grade level. He surprises me daily with his ability to sound out new words, even long ones! We are well beyond the early readers that bore children (and their parents!) to tears.

Back to Dick and Jane. Don't they fit into this category? Actually, no. The stories we are reading are quite interesting and entertaining to my son (and his three-year-old sister who likes to listen along). They are delightful stories about putting together a new grill with dad, building a play house out of a cardboard box, and a backyard parade. Yes, the wardrobe is dated, and the male lead has an unfortunate moniker, but otherwise, Dick and Jane stories are good, clean fun. I can't think of a good reason for the educational establishment to have abandoned them.

Except for one.

The world of Dick and Jane is a world of traditional family values. Dick and Jane live with a happily married mother and father, a baby sister, a dog and a cat. They are obedient to their parents, respectful of their elders, and kind to each other. They play well with the neighbor kid, and even invite him over for dinner--but he needs to ask his mother's permission, of course! Perhaps, with so much attention being paid to being inclusive and multicultural, there is no room for the simple innocence of Dick and Jane.

There's room in our house.

Welcome Back, Dick and Jane.