As an aid to literacy , generations of pre-teen youngsters followed the everyday adventures of Peter and Jane , the carefree stars of the Ladybird Book series . Thirty-six of the books were issued as part of the publisher ’ s Key Words Reading Scheme between 1964 and 1967 and remained in print , selling 80 million copies worldwide , with the illustrations undergoing an occasional redesign . Today , the Peter and Jane books are a valuable piece of British social history , and a side-by-side comparison compiled by a grown-up fan of the books has underlined just how much life changed during the years they continued to engage young minds in countless homes and schools throughout Britain . Where once the brother and sister — like their equally popular middle-class contemporaries Janet and John — could be seen doing all the things a boy and girl might be expected to do in the Sixties , health ’ n ’ safety , sexual and racial discrimination and political correctness intervened to shepherd them into a very different world . Helen Day , who started a ladybirdflyawayhome.com website dedicated to old Ladybird Books , posted ‘ then and now ’ photos on Twitter @ LBFlyawayhome and invited followers to guess the respective dates . But the pictures instantly became a fascinating chronicle of the subtle lifestyle changes that Peter and Jane underwent in the years following their first appearance . ‘ I was brought up reading the 1964 books and I loved them because they were very idyllic , ’ said Helen Day , a 50-year-old teacher from Hertfordshire . ‘ I was less keen on the later books because they were too much like real life. ’ Peaceful waters : In the Sixties drawing , Peter paddles a rubber dinghy without a care while Pat , the family 's Irish setter , splashes happily along beside him . By the Seventies , mop-haired Peter must wear a brightly coloured life jacket . All change : Peter , Jane and their friend keeps a tight rein on the docile Pat as smartly dressed Daddy gallantly helps his equally immaculate wife off the train , holding her handbag as he does so . In the Seventies , Mum forges ahead while Dad , still lumbered with the bag , follows meekly behind . Playing a straight bat : Sixties Peter stands poised at the crease while Jane , as befitting a soppy girl , bowls timidly underarm . By the Seventies , it 's Jane who 's wielding the willow , thwacking a ball clear to the boundary over her brother 's flailing fingers . Child 's play : Jane , demure in a dress and sensible shoes , looks at the dolls in a Sixties toy shop . a decade later , the tomboyish , jean wearing Jane ' e attention is caught by a go-kart while the selection of toys for sale includes Basil brush and a Dalek , reflecting the all-pervading influence of children 's television . Sunset over suburbia : The Sixties view from Peter and Jane 's bedroom window was of unspoilt greenery . By the Seventies , a housing estate of semi-detached 'des res ' properties had sprung up , while beyond them a tower block loom ominously . That 's the ticket : The Sixties children make friends on a train ride to the country . By the culturally diverse Seventies , it 's a young black friend who is sharing his apples with them . The trilby-wearing gent in green seems to have strayed in from the fifties though . Perhaps he thought he was catching The Titfield Thunderbolt . Everything in the garden 's lovely : Peter helps Daddy tend to the dahlias while Jane and Mummy read quietly . By the Seventies , Dad 's lazing in the chair with Mum hard at work in the borders . He only gets up to stop Peter and Jane squabbling about a book . There 's probably a transistor radio blaring somewhere too . Running free near the water ( left ) but an adult is later added to indicate the children were supervised ( right ) Seatbelts have been added in the picture , right , but safety was n't such a big issue in the earlier version . Left , Peter and Jane chat to the train driver in the story where Daddy helped Mummy disembark from the train but in a later version the duo are stopped from running onto the platform ( right ) The children were helped onto the bus in early editions by a bus conductor but catch it themselves a few years later in a new bus with no-one to help them on it . A shopkeeper weighs the sweets for the children ( left ) but he was later removed and the children helped themselves as the number of supermarkets increased . Jane helpfully holds the tent for Peter ( left ) but they both get stuck in later ( right ) Jane is wearing a dress and pushing a pram ( left ) but is seen wearing jeans and rollerskating by the 1970s . You have to look carefully , but the dog is now on a lead in the later version on the right . In the 1960s Daddy watches Mummy wrap the present , by the 1970s he was joining in . Subtle changes : In the 1960s ( left ) the children ran into the road to get an ice cream but a pavement was later added to reflect improved safety expectations .
Peter and Jane books were a childhood staple for children in 60s and 70s . Subtle changes were made to reflect lifestyle shifts one decade later . Earlier editions feature Jane in pretty dress , later versions in modern jeans . New health and safety rules saw Peter boating in a life jacket in 70s version . Daddy is also depicted helping around the house in updated stories . Super fan Helen Day posts before and after pictures on her twitter account . She has been collecting the books for 15 years and has 80 million copies .