Editing Zerna Sharp (section)

===Content developer===
Sharp felt that the watercolor illustrations and texts should work together to provide stories that young readers would relate to and help them learn to read more easily. The text introduced a repetitive pattern of words;<ref name=GS304-05/> the illustrations provided visual reinforcements to help students understand the meaning of the words.<ref name=Tandy/> Sharp suggested that primers introduce to new readers only one new word on each page and only five new words in each individual story. The Dick and Jane primers adhered to this format.<ref name=NYT-6-1981/><ref name=AmericanEducators290/>

Sharp worked with illustrator [[Eleanor Campbell (illustrator)|Eleanor B. Campbell]], who did most of the illustrations for the Dick and Jane readers, and others to produce and edit the content.<ref name=Tandy/><ref name=Gabriel/> In addition, Sharp named the characters in the stories and supervised the layout and illustrations. Sharp, who never married, referred to the two main characters, "Dick" and "Jane," as her children. These names were chosen because they were easy to [[Subvocalization|sound out]]. To make sure language in the texts were authentic, Sharp also observed children playing and listened to their speech patterns.<ref name=NYT-6-1981/><ref name=AmericanEducators290/><ref name=GS304-05/>

The Dick and Jane reading series taught reading as well as American middle-class values to school-aged children. The storylines that Sharp selected described the lives and experiences of a stereotypical American middle-class, white family in a two-parent suburban home that included three children and two pets. "Father" wore a suit, worked in an office, mowed the lawn, and washed the car. "Mother" stayed at home, did housework, and raised the children. "Dick," the oldest of the family's three children, was active and well-behaved. "Jane," the second oldest child, was pretty and carefree. She also helped care for the youngest sibling, a baby sister named "Sally." The family dog was named "Spot;" their cat was named "Puff."<ref name=GS304-05/><ref name=Tandy/><ref name=Gabriel/> The fictional family's suburban home was surrounded with a white [[picket fence]]. Because the readers were made for nationwide distribution, the text and illustrations intentionally lacked references to specific regional geography such as mountains, rivers, lakes, plains, or the seashore.<ref name=Tandy/><ref name=Gabriel/>