oxford reading tree - why are they called such odd names?

[lingle]

does anyone know/have a theory why the children are called Biff Chip and Kipper?

thank you!

[BoysBoysBoysAndMe]

Think they're named after the authors children or family - if I remember correctly

[LightTheGooTouchpaper]

Because it makes the DC recognise the sounds like Ch and K that they wouldn't commonly see as early readers?

[RubberNeckNibbler]

Those are their nicknames. Real ones are something like Barbara, Christopher and Twatface.

Apparently use of nicknames was to minimise the kids who would have to endure being teased over the characters by sharing their names.

They have a surname too, something like Robinson.

[learnandsay]

They're named like that to give parents fair warning that the books are going to be stupid.

[lingle]

hmm, not sure if we have nailed the reason yet!

[verona]

Found this which explains the names-
//www.slideshare.net/flisst/oxford-reading-tree-characters

[lingle]

have got link trouble with that site - would you mind pasting here Verona? Am agog.

[hels71]

They are called Robinson
Kipper is really Christopher but could not say that when he was small
Biff is really Barbara and is Chip's twin
Chip is really David !
Does not explain where Biff and Chip as nicknames come from...

[edam]

I've always assumed rubber's explanation was the right one - the names are weird to avoid matching any child in the classroom.

[LostInWales]

We have Onw, Cad a Dids in the Welsh version. This weekend featuring the word 'breuddwydio' in the light green one (beginners apparently ). I am on my third run through the Oxford Reading Tree and will be so, so glad to see the back of them finally!

[Trills]

I agree - so that it's unlikely that any of the kids reading will have the same name.

[DeWe]

I have a friend who was one of the children it was tested on and they got to vote on the children's names and things like whether the parents were "mum and dad" or "mummy and daddy".

I have an Uncle Biff so took me ages to work out Biff was the girl.

[lingle]

Trills, but then surely parents will start naming their babies Biff Chip and Kipper, resulting in a breakdown of the strategy.

[lingle]

DeWe - WOW!

but yes Biff - anyone who has seen Back to the Future will think Biff is a boy

[Trills]

Parents will start naming their babies Biff, Chip, and Kipper? Really? Why would they do that?

[lingle]

have you got the wink emoticon disabled trills?

[Ponders]

I always assumed it was for some phonic/word recognition reason

[Kewcumber]

Its to provide some interest prior to the books actually becoming readable (when the magic key appears).

Any attempt to pretend that they are based on real children is just to avoid the fact that the books are deathly dull and that mum has bad make up and strange triangular earrings.

[edam]

Have you noticed the author/illustrator crops up in every book? There's the same picture of the same bystander bloke in every one.

I can see the point if you are Leonardo Da Vinci - although he didn't do it - but not if you are responsible for something as horrible as ORT.

[ninah]

no it can't be phonics, if anything that makes it tricky as you start reading the Chiffer names before you learn some of the phonemes
I didn't know the nosy neighbour chap was author, that's interesting
he doesn't flatter himself

[Ponders]

whose are the lost (broken?) glasses?

[ninah]

wot glasses?

[simpson]

There is a pair of glasses to hunt for in every ORT book (well, the newer ones anyway)...

[ninah]

really? oops didn't know that! we doing guided reading tomorrow, a whole new dimension to the experience!

[lingle]

"the same bystander bloke" - you mean that creepy caretaker figure? I always thought he was pretty dark.