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If you were building up your home library….
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what are some books that you would choose? I listed 30 books on Paperback Swap tonight and put a few on my wish list. I really want to have some good nature, science, art, poetry, and history books that we will use more than one time. Any suggestions?
Ella Enchanted-hope that’s not twaddle, it’s so good
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Red Sails to Capri
The Giver
The Year of Miss Agnes
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Wheel on the School
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers
Understood Betsy
Amos Fortune, Free Man
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Obviously, I don’t know the ages of your children, but here are some that we LOVE:
CM’s Original Homeschooling Series
Stuart Little
Trumpet of the Swan
The Pilgrim’s Progress
Pride and Prejudice
A Child’s Garden of Verses
A Child’s Book of Character Building (books 1 and 2)
Storytime with the Millers (and all other Millers books)
Oh I like this post.
Rascal
The Little House on the Prarie Series
60 Fathers
Black Beauty
Moody Series books
That’s all I can think of at this time.. AHH
Can’t help much with science, but here are some I consider essential:
Caddie Woodlawn
Elizabeth George Speare books (Witch of Blackbird Pond, Sign of the Beaver, Bronze Bow)
Your son would probably enjoy Henry Huggins books by Beverly Cleary and Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
I second the Little House series
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (I guess this could be science)
The Door in the Wall
Anne of Green Gables series
For science I like Take Along Guides, Christian Liberty Nature Readers, Lets Read and Find out series, One Small Square series, John Hudson Tiner, Holling C Holling books, and Thornton Burgess animal stories. For History Jean Fritz books, American Colonial books by James Otis, the H. A. Guerber books, Louise Vernon, almost all of the Bethleham Books, and Little House on the Prairie Series. For art my favorite thing is the Dover postcards.
My 6yo was rummaging under the bed (where I keep the books he needs to “grow into”) and found a Ramona book. He was actually interested. We read the whole thing. So your 7yo may enjoy Henry Huggins, as I mentioned in my earlier post.
The TQ guides mention Childhood of Famous Americans series, which I like as well. The author of TQ lists them as appropriate for gr. 2 and up.
We haven’t started art yet, but I’m going to try the Come Look with Me series (various authors).
I did think of something for science. If you’re looking for hands-on stuff, look at Janice Vancleave (not sure if her last name is one word or two). She has books for all ages.
Well the kids and I love just about everything that we have read through at the Baldwin Project Website: http://www.mainlesson.com/main/displayarticle.php?article=feature We are slowly making purchases from them. Some of our favorite off of that site are Among the ___ People Series by Clara Diilingham Pierson (Nature Studies) and the ____ Twin Series by Lucy Fitch Perkins (Places around the world). My kids have also really enjoyed the James Balwin stories that we have read. The biggest gem for us that I have come aross from there is the Treadwell Readers and reading guide from there. My oldest had hated reading and phonics lessons until then. I am excited about going through the Story Book About Science, some Arabella Buckley books (CM used her as well), Home Geography and a selection of books for the time period that I choose.
Books that we have really enjoyed apart from this site are Gene Zion books, Just So Stories, Andrew Lang Fairy Tales, all of the Aulaire books that we have read, Thorton Burgess books, Jim Arnosky books, Ginn readers, and for ne Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding (Science book for K-2).
I have been building a ‘wishlist’ of books that I want for my kids- 2yo, 6yo and 8yo. I have been adding to the list by looking through the SCM bookfinder, by looking at several lists of living books on the web, and by asking other CM moms. Also, I have added lots of books from various discussions on this forum! But, I have not read all of them. My plan is to preview as many as possible at the library. Then, I will take the list with me to thrift stores and garage sales. My opinion might not weigh as heavy as others since I have not read all of these books! But, it is a starting point! Some of these have already been listed, but I just copied and pasted from my Word document! I would love more ideas of what else is missing from my list! Here is my ‘wishlist.’
World History-general
A Child’s History of the Word by Hillyer; Usborne Book of World History; Missionary Stories with the Millers by Mildred A. Martin ; H. A. Guerber; Bethlehem Books-many authors
World History-biographies
Books by Ingri d’Aulaire; Books by Louise A. Vernon; Biographies by David Adler
American History-general
Mara Pratt American History Stories; A Child’s History of America by Hillyer; “If you lived……” series by Anne McGovern; American Colonial Series by James Otis; Little House Series
American History-biographies
Books by Ingri d’Aulaire; Books by Louise A. Vernon; Biographies by David Adler; Childhood of Famous Americans by Augusta Stevenson; Jean Fritz biographies
Geography
Geography from A to Z by Jack Knowlton ; Around the World in a Hundred Years: From Henry the Navigator to Magellan by Jean Fritz; Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel ; A Childs Geography Explore His Earth Ann Voskamp; A Child’s Geography: Explore the Holy Land by Tonia Peckover & Ann Voskamp; ____Twins Series by Lucy Fitch Perkins
Animals
Christian Liberty Press Nature Readers; Animal Lives by Sally Tagholm and Bert Kitchen; Box Turtle at Long Pond by William T. George;
Nature study
Take Along Nature Guides;My Nature Journal by Adrienne Olmstead;Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock; America’s Favorite Backyard Wildlife by Kit and George Harrison; Books by Thornton Burgess; The Trellis and the Seed by Jan Karon; The Usborne Complete First Book of Nature by Michael Chinery ; Holling C. Holling books; Clara Dillingham Pierson’s Complete Among the People Series; Books by Arabella Buckley; Books by Jim Arnosky
Health and Body
Your Skin and Mine by Paul Showers; My Five Senses by Aliki; What Happens to a Hamburger by Paul Showers; How Was I Born? : A Child’s Journey through the Miracle of Birth by Lennart Nilsson ; Dem Bones by Bob Barner
General Science
Let’s Read and Find Out Science Books; Footprints on the Moon by Alexandra Siy; The Astronomy Book by Jonathan Henry; The Geology Book by John Morris; The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible by Paul S. Taylor ; The Story of Inventions by Frank P. Bachman; The Weather Book by Michael Oard; Johannes Kepler: Giant of faith and science by John Hudson Tiner; What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs? by John Morris & Ken Ham; Cactus Hotel by Brenda Z. Guiberson; Yellow & Pink by William Steig; Galileo and the Stargazers by Jim Weiss; John Hudson Tiner (Planet Earth, World of Biology, etc.); Christian Kids Explore…….series Stephanie Redmond; One Small Square Series by various authors; The Story Book of Science Jean Henri Fabre; Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding by Bernard J Nebel
Classical Art & Music
“Getting to Know…” series by Mike Venezia; Great Composers by Opal Wheeler; Picture cards from Dover ; Come Look With Me series by Gladys S. Blizzard
Drawing
Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes ; Draw Write Now books
Language Arts
Parts of Speech books by Brian P. Cleary
Poetry
A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson; Read-Aloud Poems for Young People by Glorya Hale; Poetry for young people by Lewis Carroll; Carl Sandburg: Adventures of a Poet by Penelope Niven
Literature
Books by Jean Craighead George; Sugar Creek Series by Paul Hutchens; Stephen Meader books;Chronicles of Narnia books; Pollyanna; Heidi; Wind in the Willows; Wizard of Oz; Black Beauty; Mr. Popper’s Penguins; Trumpet of the Swan; Boy of the Pyramids;
Math
Mathstart books by Stuart Murphy; Ray’s Practical Arithmetic; Family Math; Sir Cumference books by Cindy Neuschwander
Bible
True Story of Noah’s Ark; The Childs Story Bible by Catherine Voss
Handicrafts
The American Boy’s Handy Book by D. C. Beard; The Field and Forest Handy Book by D. C. Beard
Character
Storytime with the Millers by Mildred A. Martin; Childs Book of Character Building (book 1 &2); Wisdom and the Millers by Mildred A. Martin
Preschool
Beatrix Potter; AA Milne; Corduroy; McDuff books by Rosemary Wells; Harry books by Gene Zion; Paddington Bear by Michael Bond; Raggedy Andy by Johnny Gruelle; Books by Eric Carle; Curious George books
You have many books that we enjoy and many others that I have not seen. I am going to have to research some of your selections Jen.
Jen,
May I suggest the Ruth Heller books for language arts in addition to Brian Cleary? Also, the David Adler biographies are wonderful!
Karen
Got 2 Ruth Heller books and The Kids Nature Book by Susan Milord! Exciting!! HOWEVER…many of my picks are not listed on PBS 🙁 I have several on my wish list that I may never get from PBS ;( Most of the really good books are not ones that people easily get rid of, I guess.
Thanks, Karen! I added the Ruth Heller books to my list. They look great! I went to Goodwill yesterday and found a few things on my list for 50 cents each! (a few Beatrix Potter and a few Thornton Burgess books) Yay! Also, I heard that Disabled Veterans runs all their books 5 for a dollar on Sundays. (not sure if that is just my DAV or all of them.) But, I am going to check it out! I am hoping people will be getting rid of their “old” books. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!!
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