Looking for 1970s Reading Primer

Factual Questions
1

Now that my daughter is starting to read, I’m looking for the series of reading primers that helped me learn in the early 1970s.

Here’s what I remember:

A series of 20+ workbooks, starting with simple sentences that, by the last books, were an advanced (for a first grader) story.

The text on the even-numbered pages was upside down. You started reading the odd-numbered pages and then turned the book upside down and read the even-numbered pages back to the front.

The first book start with “The cat.” “The fat cat.” “The fat cat sat.” “The fat cat sat on a mat.” etc.

Pictures accompanied the text.

Gradually during the series, characters were introduced including a boy, girl, and (dog?).

The end of series involved a long story about how the boy and girl went through a (mirror?) and journeyed through a fantasy land meeting a (wizard?) who lived in a castle and having adventures.

Anyone remember this series? Title and publisher would be greatly appreciated.

2

This one of them?

3

That one and other I Can Read Books

4

I don’t think so. That appears to a single book, not a series. Copyright date also appears to be 1998.

I guest fat, cat, sat and mat are just too easy to rhyme.

5

As QED re-posted…it is a series of books, not just a single book.

Also…the “copyright” date is listed as a “reprint edition” in 1998…so maybe it’s on its 2nd, 3rd 4th printing…

I don’t see anything about upside down text though.

6

The “I Can Read” book series was started in 1957. These are definitely the ones you are looking for.

7

McGuffey’s Eclectic Readers. My parents had the entire set (this amazon link points to one collection, not the whole collection).

8

I reviewed the “I Can Read” site and they are not what I’m looking for. My first grade primer was a series of numbered workbooks with soft covers.

One additional detail, at the time I was in a US State Department school in Germany.

Thanks for all the help so far.