Supplementing Your Homeschooling With Literature
By Catherine Levison (Copyright © 2001, All rights
reserved)
Books have always been a significant part of my life and there
just isn’t a substitute for a great book. There are many people like me -- those
who love to read. There are also people who never developed a taste for it,
so they avoid it as much as possible. It’s a strong possibility that they did
not have the opportunity to meet a book they really loved as a young person,
perhaps they were only offered mundane, maybe satisfactory, but not the well-written
stories that really captured their interest.
In a previous Link article I wrote about many aspects
of book selection -- what to look for in a book and where to locate them. In
one more effort to help parents and children, I’ve released a new book, "A
Literary Education", in which I have compiled an annotated list to
assist in selecting books that go beyond the common, the boring, or the simply
factual.
For many years I’ve collected what I considered to be the
most interestingly-written books I could find. However, for practicality’s sake
I attempted to limit the amount of entries in "A Literary Education",
otherwise I might have produced an overwhelming or nearly unusable book. Many
parents find that their own educational background did not include much in the
way of literature. Keeping that in mind I strove to provide a list of books
that I knew well and could recommend and I chose not to include any negative
reviews. I also excluded many of my favorite books because I eliminated purely
adult titles such as parenting books and/or books that are great additions to
home libraries but could not really be classified as aiding childhood education.
I did make every effort not to skimp on the children’s classic literature entries
even though many have been well-known mainstays for generations.
In attempting to choose books for the list, I kept to certain
criteria. Mostly I thought of the term "a well-read person." The books
had to be interesting; therefore most of them follow the narrative style of
writing. In other words, one person telling another about what he knows. The
books had to help in developing the love for reading and knowledge itself. My
goal was to provide an easy-to-use format for you and a real education through
real books for your students and children.
Each entry has information to aid in locating the book such
as an ISBN or a publisher and copyright date. I included an IRL (Independent
Reading Level) for each entry which indicates reading level only but does not
represent the interest level of the content when reading aloud to children.
Finally, this book is designed to stand alone or as a follow-up
to my first two books. In A Charlotte Mason Education and More Charlotte
Mason Education I attempted to give straightforward, practicable information
on "how" to teach children. Here I’m providing an answer to "what"
books to use when teaching children. I strongly believe a literary education
is a worthwhile and attainable goal for our children and I believe it is within
reach for all of us.
Various Entries From "A Literary Education"
Literature
At the Back of the North Wind
George MacDonald, Illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith
ISBN 0-517-69120-5 (1990 edition), Children’s Classics,
dist. by Random House, New Jersey. HB, 342 pgs. (Originally pub. in book form
in 1871.)
Scottish author George MacDonald
wrote on many topics before he turned his attention to creating fairy tales
for his eleven children. He claimed not to write for children "but for
the childlike." This book was originally written installment-style for
a children’s magazine and ran for two years. The descriptions of Diamond’s life
as a boy in London have been compared to Dickens but the encounters with the
North Wind have been likened to a glorious, imaginative afterlife and to fictional
places such as Oz.
IRL: 6th & above
Canterbury Tales, The
Geoffrey Chaucer
ISBN 0-14-044022-4 (Fourteenth Century), Penquin Books,
England/New York. PB, 504 pgs. (Printed under several publishers and editions.)
Finally, a translation of Chaucer
that is readable and understandable without being "dumbed down." Professor
Nevill Coghill (1899-1980) held many positions at Oxford and co-wrote the play
version of Canterbury Tales which ran in London from 1968 to 1973. If
you thought Chaucer was incomprehensible due to the old English, I think you’ll
be pleasantly surprised by this translation. You do not have to be a poetry
lover to enjoy this work but it would help. For high school and adults.
IRL: 10th grade & above
Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter, The
Beatrix Potter
ISBN 0-7232-3618-6 (1989 edition), Penquin Group, London
England. HB, 383 pgs. (Printed under several publishers since 1901 to 1930.)
Everyone is probably well acquainted
with Beatrix Potter’s characters and story lines. Her work is the epitome of
great writing for the young audience with its broad vocabulary combined with
easy-to-follow and entertaining stories. It’s unfortunate how many of today’s
children are only exposed to poorly written, dumbed-down books but it’s
also a mistake to avoid children’s literature completely. If you want to have
children love reading, love books and have a good time yourself read Beatrix
Potter to them again and again.
IRL: 4th to 6th grade
David Copperfield
Charles Dickens
ISBN 0-679-40571-2 (1991 edition), Everyman’s Library
(Knopf), New York. HB, 891 pgs. (Printed under several publishers since 1850.)
Have you ever been asked this
question? If you knew you were going to be stranded on a desert island and could
only take three books, which three would you take? This novel would make my
list. I laughed out loud and I was moved to tears as the young hero experiences
death and hardships as well as amazing characters and survives everything thrown
his way. The story is so good it would be a suitable read-aloud but the length
would probably prohibit its being chosen by most families. I would also be careful
not to force it on anyone too young to appreciate it fully.
IRL: 9th & above
Esterhazy
Irene Dische & Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Illustrated by
Michael Sowa
ISBN 1-56846-091-0 (1993), Creative Editions, Minnesota..
HB, 30 pgs.
The Esterhazy’s are a rabbit
family originally from London who move to Austria and later to Berlin, in fact
this book is translated from German to English. The story is good and the illustrations
are of the best in quality and amusement. (My favorite is Esterhazy trying on
human boxer shorts before a huge mirror.) One event portrayed is the removal
of the Berlin Wall and how it effects the rabbit population. I can’t recommend
this book highly enough and it is worth searching for -- it will become a frequent
read-aloud with your children.
IRL: 4th to 6th grade
Kidnapped
Robert Louis Stevenson, Illustrated by N. C. Wyeth
ISBN 0-517-68783-6 (1989 edition), Children’s Classics,
dist. by Random House, New Jersey. HB, 241 pgs. (Printed under several publishers
since 1886.)
The author based this on a
true story of a murder committed in 1745. Scottish himself, Stevenson combined
actual history and fiction. Interestingly, the hero David Balfour, I couldn’t
help but notice, was given Robert’s second middle name -- he was born Robert
Lewis Balfour Stevenson. (Apparently he even took exception to the spelling
of the middle name he did retain.) This novel is written in the first person
and draws the reader in immediately.
IRL: 7th grade & above
Legend of Pocahontas, The
Virginia Watson, Illustrated by George Wharton Edwards
ISBN 0-517-12225-1 (1995 edition), Children’s Classics,
dist. by Random House, New Jersey. HB, 208 pgs. (Printed under several publishers
since the 1900’s.)
Pocahontas was a real person,
but as is the case with many legendary people, no one can be certain that all
the stories written about her are completely true. She did indeed marry John
Rolfe in 1614 and traveled with him to London in 1616. Regardless of any potential
embellishments, this is a memorable story of Native American culture and the
impact White settlers had when landing on the new continent. Children love this
book and it was a another great read-aloud for us.
IRL: 7th grade & above
Load of Unicorn, The
Cynthia Harnett
ISBN 0-1403-0257-3 (1959), Penquin Books Ltd., England.
PB, 249 pgs.
Harnett, an award winning author,
wrote this in modern English that’s easy to understand but it’s set in the 1400’s.
The story has nothing to do with Unicorns, the fictitious animal, instead it
happens to be the name of a certain printing paper available at the time. Bendy,
the main character works with his family as a scribe. They copy books by hand
for a living because the printing press had not yet been invented. As the typeset
books begin to make their appearance, Bendy has to choose between the old way
which means siding with his family or switching to the competitor’s side.
IRL: 6th to 9th grade
Tales From Shakespeare
Charles & Mary Lamb, Illustrated by Shippen & Elliot
ISBN 0-517-62156-8 (1986 edition), Children’s Classics,
dist. by Random House, New Jersey. HB, 377 pgs. (Printed under several publishers
since 1807.)
This brother and sister collaborated
in paraphrasing twenty of Shakespeare’s works. He authored the tragedies and
Mary the comedies. Charles and Mary resided together until his death in 1834.
Charles had an aversion for what he called "namby-pamby" also known
as twaddle and now commonly referred to as "dumbed down." They succeeded
in converting these complicated works into prose without sacrificing vocabulary
or beauty and produced something easier to understand with above-average literary
quality.
IRL: 8th grade & above
Where Angels Fear to Tread
E. M. Forster
ISBN 0-517-14782-3 (1993 edition), Gramercy Books, New
York. HB, 503 pgs. (Printed under several publishers since 1905.)
Forster’s writing style has
been likened to Jane Austen’s. He too was English and therefore he sets his
scenes and characters in Europe. Where Angels Fear to Tread is
an excellent story and one not to be overlooked when making literary choices.
His writing style is best appreciated through silent reading and I would not
recommend his work to be read aloud. This particular copy also contains A
Room with a View and Howard’s End.
IRL: 10th grade & above
History
American History Stories . . . You Never Read in School . . . but should have
Mara L. Pratt, M.D.
ISBN 0-9640546-0-4 (1993), The Randall Co., USA. PB ,150
pgs.
Reed Simonsen found a 1889
copy of this book at a used book sale. After he found himself staying up all
night to read it he decided it was valuable enough to put back into print. He
certainly made the right choice-it’s easy to read and easy to love. I have read
it aloud to all age levels and found its short chapters very conducive both
for attention span and comprehension. Highly recommended.
IRL: 6th grade & above
Autobiograpy of Benjamin Franklin, The
Benjamin Franklin
Written between 1771 and 1789, Houghton Mifflin Co. (c.
1923), USA. HB (PB available), 235 pgs. (Printed under several publishers.)
Franklin’s first words in this
book are: Dear Son. This may explain the intimacy and frank detail in which
it is written. I found it to be one of my all-time favorite books and immediately
devoured it. Much can be learned about our country and the social/economic circumstances
Franklin found himself in. This book serves as a perfect example of how much
history can be retained even when the material centers around one life. Enjoyable
enough to be re-read numerous times.
IRL: 7th grade & above
Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare
Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema, Illustrated by Diane Stanley
ISBN 0-688-09108 (1992), Morrow Junior Books, New York.
HB, 48 pgs.
This book provides a friendly
introduction for the younger child to Shakespeare. As an adult, I learned and
retained a lot about the playwright and his family. Covering the period from
1569 to 1616 with as much accuracy as possible, the authors did not include
any boring or unnecessary detail. Instead they wrote a great read-loud that
you can re-read and use as a picture book because of the above-average illustrations.
The postscript is most interesting where the famous phrases we use in everyday
language such as "seen better days" or "tongue-tied" are
identified as Shakespearean.
IRL: 4th to 6th grade
Child’s History of England
Charles Dickens
Rand, McNally & Co.,New York. HB , 470 pgs.
As commonly done with English
history, this book begins in 50 B.C. It is a very thorough and warmly written
book that covers everything up to 1837 when Queen Victoria took the throne.
Due to its exceeding detail I would recommend reading from it rather than through
it. Or it could be assigned to an older child for independent reading and the
only English history book they would really need. Of course it is very well
written and I could spend months with this book and be extremely entertained.
IRL: 8th grade & above
Conversations with Pioneer Women
Fred Lockley
ISBN 0-931742-0-80(1981), Rainy Day Press, PB, 310 pgs,
This is an important, accurate
and touching book. It was decided to verbally interview survivors of the Oregon
Trail crossing at the turn of the 20th century, before they all passed away.
Some entries are extremely short and some run for pages. Written in the first
person, these women retell the hardships, illnesses and deaths they actually
witnessed or experienced. Many of them were orphans, the sole survivors of the
family who had originally set out for the West. You and your children will know
-- really know -- why diseases such as cholera were truly catastrophic and how
fast they killed entire families as well as other details of what it was really
like to make that journey. Highly recommended.
IRL: 8th grade & above
Legends Every Child Should Know
Edited by Hamilton W. Mabie
(1906), Doubleday, Page & Co.New York. HB,261 pgs.
What is a legend? According
to Mabie they originated in church and centered around religious people and
places. Usually they had some true facts combined with fiction which eventually
led to an understanding that legends could be based on either a real person
or an imaginary one. Mabie writes, "it throws light on the mind and character
of the age that produced it . . . above all, it is interesting." Nineteen
legends are presented here by authors such as Tennyson, Longfellow, and Hawthorne.
Topics include Hiawatha, Beowulf, Sir Galahad and Rip Van Winkle. Primarily
prose, it does include a little poetry.
IRL: 7th grade & above
Scotland’s Story; A Child’s History of Scotland
H. E. Marshall, illustrated by Skelton, Hassall & Crompton
T. C. & E. C. Jack, Ltd., London. HB, 428 pgs.
Caledonia, a little girl, asked
Marshall to write "Scotland’s Story for littler children like me."
Rather than producing a tedious simplification he wrote 428 pages of the best
history I’ve ever read. My family and I really enjoyed our time with this book,
and even though it was written to children I like reading the story of William
Wallace and Robert the Bruce from Marshall’s viewpoint because of his writing
talent. He does not apologize for including "golden threads of romance"
as he recorded some folk lore in his history.
IRL: 6th grade & above
Stories From the History of Rome
Mrs. Beesly
(1878), MacMillan and Co., Ltd., London. HB, 189 pgs.
Mrs. Beesly was dissatisfied telling only fairy tales to her
children. She wisely noted that the vocabulary in books such as Plutarch
were beyond her young children. Deciding that it wouldn’t hurt to experiment
with simplifying the old tales from Rome she found the children not only enjoyed
them but they requested them over and over again. This led to her publishing
the work. As an adult I enjoyed the book and learned a great deal. Appropriate
for all ages.
IRL: 5th grade & above
Voices of American Homemakers
Edited by Eleanor Arnold
ISBN 0-253-12986-9 (1985), Indiana University Press,
Indiana. PB, 295 pgs.
I absolutely love this book.
Over 200 interviews were conducted with women who were raising families from
1890 to 1940, with some entries dealing with the 1950’s. Actual women, using
their real names, tell their stories of life in rural America. Everything from
childbirth to refrigeration is covered in these anecdotes that make for some
of the most emotional reading I’ve ever experienced. The sheer ordeal of washing
clothes and feeding the children (who were not always long for the world) will
give you and your children a new appreciation for your life and for the homemakers
that came before you. Highly recommended.
IRL: 7th grade & above
Wall Chart of World History, The
Edward Hull
ISBN 0-88029-239-3 (1988), Dorset Press, USA. HB, 15
pgs.
The advantage of this wall
chart is that it can remain folded into its 17 x 12 inch book format or it could
be mounted on a wall. When unfolded it measures 180 inches in length. I have
chosen to keep mine in book form and when we need to refer to it we unfold it
on the floor of a large room. Young children frequently struggle with concepts
such as decades, centuries or millenniums and this kind of tool greatly helps
them to visualize time frames. This chart is also very detailed, while using
a synchronological order and using the same lengths per line for equal lengths
of time. It covers 4004 B.C. to the late 1980’s A.D.
IRL: 6th to 11th grade
Year 1000, The
Robert Lacey & Danny Danziger
ISBN 0-316-55840-0 (1999), Little, Brown & co., New
York. HB, 230 pgs.
The subtitle to The Year
1000 is, What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium.
This is fun and informative reading and it is not some attempt to cash in on
the recent millennium change. It’s a look at the simple, yet short, life one
would have lived in England during the year 1000. Much of it is based on the
Julius Work Calendar which consists of twelve months on twelve pages. Each chapter
of the book covers a month. Clothing, farming, coins and historical figures
are some of the many interesting topics covered.
IRL: 9th grade & above
Science
A Tree is Growing
Arthur Dorros, Illustrated by S. D. Schindler
ISBN 0-590-45300-9 (1997), Scholastic Press, New York.
HB, 32 pgs.
This is a pretty book and it
teaches leaf shapes, tree identification, sap production and root development.
Mushrooms, birds, insects, rodents are included as well. It’s so beautiful that
it makes a good picture book for young children below the IRL. We all know children
learn from picture books -- once you begin using quality books like this one
your standards, and theirs, will be raised past some of the inane books available
at the stores and libraries.
IRL: 4th to 5th grade
Butterfly Book, The
Donald and Lillian Stokes
ISBN 0-316-81760-5 (1991), Little, Brown and Co., USA.
PB, 8x11, 94 pgs.
These authors are really good
at what they do. They write an informative book, provide great photography and
give people practical how-to recommendations they can actually do. They have
many other books such as The Bird Feeder Book, The Bluebird Book, Complete
Birdhouse Book, two Wildflower Books and The Hummingbird Book
mentioned later in this section.
IRL: 8th grade & above
Chipmunks on the Doorstep
Edwin Tunis, Illustrated by the Author
0-690-19044-1 (1971), Thomas Y. Crowell Co., New York.
HB, 70 pgs.
This book is almost worth its
weight in gold and I approve of it so much that it always accompanies me to
speaking engagements as my favorite example of a "whole book." It
has everything going for it: First-hand knowledge (and zeal) of the subject,
passion (in both the text and illustrations), excellent writing and humor. Tunis
and his wife attracted chipmunks and observed them to the point of being able
to illustrate and explain their eating habits, burrow details including the
storage areas and escape holes, even their swimming ability. By the end you’ll
know and love "Chippy" as much as Tunis does.
IRL: 6th grade & above
Garden Crafts for Kids
Diane Rhoades
ISBN 0-8069-0999-4 (1998), Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.,
New York. PB, 144 pgs.
Rhoades choose 50 Great
Reasons To Get your Hands Dirty as her subtitle for this book. She provides
step-by-step, how-to directions for gardening by including helpful photos, text
and diagrams on such things as how to construct a cold frame. After preparing
the novice gardener with advice on soil, tools and design, she gives craft and
recipe ideas to use at harvest time. Even experienced gardeners will find this
book inspiring to children whose enthusiasm and cooperation you’ll want sustained
all through the project.
IRL: 7th grade & above
Hollyhock Days; Garden Adventures for the Young at Heart
Sharon Lovejoy
0-934026-90-4 (1994), Interweave Press, Inc., Colorado.
PB, 95 pgs.
Sunflower Houses; Garden Discoveries for Children of All
Ages
Sharon Lovejoy
1-883010-00-4 (1991), Interweave Press, Inc., Colorado.
PB, 144 pgs.
Books do not get any more beautiful
or enjoyable than these created by Lovejoy. It is not easy to write an "escape"
book while providing practical, hands-on activities that you can actually do,
enjoy and learn from. The hand-painted artwork using the best inks available,
combined with an attractive layout, makes these books outstanding. You’ll find
important gardening teaching and innovative ideas such as creating a flower
bed in the shape of a butterfly or writing a child’s name when you sow the seeds.
Highly recommended.
IRL: 7th grade & above
(Even though I chose 7th grade as the independent reading level my 5th grade
daughter finds these books to be simple and pleasurable reading.)
James Herriot’s Treasure for Children
James Herriot, Illustrated by Ruth Brown & Peter Barrett
ISBN 0-312-08512-5(1992), St. Martin’s Press, New York.
HB, 252 pgs.
The exceedingly frequent requests
from my children to read from this book caused us to finish the eight chapters
in about eight days. You’ll find each chapter is the perfect length for a read-aloud
sitting. The illustrations are far above average and make this a beautiful and
outstanding picture book. The stories are good and interesting and you don’t
have to be an animal lover to enjoy them. This one is a great gift book too.
IRL: 5th to 6th grade
Nature Journaling
Clare Walker Leslie & Charles E. Roth
0-58017-088-9 (1998), Storey Books, Vermont. HB,181 pgs.
Nature diaries, or journals,
are not a new thing. Charlotte Mason advocated keeping them for several purposes.
It helps develop observation and it’s very fun. Leslie began nature journaling
in 1978 and she has been committed to filling in an entire 92-page sketch book
per year. They have become so precious to her that her intention is to grab
them first in the event of a fire. I have experience with keeping these journals
as well but I learned very much from this book. The numerous ideas and beautiful
sketchings included make this book worth every penny. Highly recommended.
IRL: 7th grade & above
Naturewatch; Exploring Nature With Your Children
Adrienne Katz
ISBN 0-201-10457-1(1986), Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.,
USA. PB, 128 pgs.
Naturewatch is full of activities
to do with children. Sure, there are daisy chains, seed necklaces and pressed
flowers, but this book just keeps coming up with ideas. There is information
and fun experiments for hands-on learning about insects, birds, trees, gardening,
and all manner of other plant-related science. One more novel thing about this
book: Throughout, there is light print for the teacher, parent or older child
and dark print in boxes where the text is directed to children.
IRL: 9th grade & above
(for the light print & 6th to 8th grade for the dark print)
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
Robert Frost; illustrated by Susan Jeffers
ISBN 0-525-40115-6 (1978) Dutton’s
Childrens Books, New York. HB, 27 pgs.
This book features only
one of Robert Frost’s famous poems with delightful illustrations resulting
in a young child’s picture book. By using a child-friendly format (which young
audiences are accustomed to) the adult is able to present poetry that will entertain.
This kind of introduction is preferable and will not cause an aversion to poetry;
on the contrary it will help to develop a love for it. A great gift book.
IRL: 4th to 5th grade
Boy Who Held Back the Sea
Thomas Locker
ISBN 0-14-054613-8 (1987), Dial Books, New York. PB,
27 pgs.
Locker’s books are far from ordinary picture books. Each page
has a full-sized reproduction of Locker’s oil paintings in full color. His talent
is exceptional. His style follows Vermeer’s interiors and his outdoor scenery
is very well done. With the dramatic skies and beautiful detail, the story comes
to life. If you’re going to read picture books to young children it is wise
to invest your time and money in quality books like these. Another Locker book
is included below.
IRL: 3rd grade
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew
Daniel Pool
ISBN 0-671-88236-8 (1993),Simon & Schuster, New York.
PB, 416 pgs.
Have you ever wondered about
the many mysterious pastimes, currency, articles of clothing and customs casually
mentioned in English literature? Pool provides a fascinating and page-turning
revelation of the social order, daily life and even whist, a favorite card game
of the day. Find out the qualifications of a baroness, countess or a lady and
enjoy yourself while you do. Following the text is a handy glossary for quick
reference of hundreds of unfamiliar terms. I literally could not put this book
down and have reread it many times. Great for adults who have begun to delve
into 19th century English literature as well as children of all ages. You will
enjoy many read-alouds from this book.
IRL: 8th grade & above
