Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
I have to say that I may be one of the most unusual homeschooling/classics reading/living books-loving moms out there for this reason: I really do not like D’Aulaire’s book about Leif Erikson (Leif the Lucky). And this is not just the case with Leif Erickson. The more of the other D’Aulaires historical books I read (Pocahontas, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham
For a indigenous perspective on Christopher Columbus’ arrival to the new world, I read the picture book Encounter by Jane Yolen (illustrated by David Shannon; Harcourt, 1992). This showed the arrival of “strangers” on an island, from the perspective of a dreaming young boy who forebodes danger for his people. It’s clear that the strangers
My kindergartner (age 5) and I read aloud Pedro’s Journal by Pam Conrad (first published 1991), a fictionalized middle-grade novel from the perspective of a young cabin boy who attended to Columbus on the voyage. My son really liked this book because it seemed like a fun adventure! He loved the chapter when young Pedro sank the
Although it seems that Native American culture is a topic that is covered in detail in various books that study each individual tribe, there seem to be few books for early readers celebrating the entire existence of Native American Indians. We did find one fantastic book to celebrate Native Americans: Many Nations by Joseph Bruchac
One of the first “explorers” books about Christopher Columbus that my five-year-old son and I read for our homeschooling history year was Stephen Krensky’s early reader Christopher Columbus: Explorer and Colonist (originally published 1991). This was just what an early reader needs for nonfiction: easily accessible text, just enough information, and not too many pages. My
We have been “officially” doing unofficial kindergarten at home for a little over a month now. I’ve been teaching my son (now age 5) at home for much longer, of course, but I had to call it official at some point.(I am not legally required to track his schooling in my state until he is
Wumbers by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld (Chronicle Books, 2012) is a beautifully illustrated tribute to William Steig’s C D B!, a favorite from my own childhood. In C D B!, Steig tells stories only using letters, the title, for example, becoming “See the bee!” Wumbers, then is a new creation, using numbers to create words: ca9 means
Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff (Beach Lane Books, 2012) is a different kind of colors book, and one of my favorites this week. It approaches color-learning from a new direction, much like Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? or The Black Book of Colors approach colors from a different perspective. Baby Bear Sees Blue has a
One of the first books to catch my son’s attention was The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by the ever-wonderful Mo Willems (Hyperion, 2012). My son has always loved Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, and this spin-off takes the same spoiled, cranky, impolite pigeon and teaches him a lesson in manners. First, an adorable large-eyed duckling asks
Stuck by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel Books, 2011) is one silly book. A boy gets his kite stuck in a tree and so he throws his shoe up to knock it loose … which also gets stuck. He tries to think of other things to throw into the tree to get the shoe out, and then of
A Bus Called Heaven by Bob Graham (Candlewick Press, 2011) is a story of a community coming together over a junkyard bus, a bus labeled “Heaven” and left on the street. Young Stella, a somewhat mysterious girl whom we don’t know much about, adopts the bus and, with the rest of her community, they make the
Me Want Pet! by Tammi Sauer and illustrated by Bob Shea (Simon and Schuster, 2012) is the story of a cave boy who wants a pet. He tries a wooly mammoth, a saber-toothed tiger, and a dodo bird, and none of them seems right. How will he get a pet?! The humor is obvious, given the
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