Monday, June 8, 2009

What we read for history this year

Photobucket

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is the books. I love, love, love reading with my kids. Since our school room is also our guest room, we spend many of our afternoons snuggled on the bed reading. Since we started homeschooling I've kept a list of the books we've read, but this year I also started rating them on a five-star scale. I figured this might be helpful for when we cycle through history again, and maybe it will be helpful for some of you. This year we used Story of the World 2: The Middle Ages as our history spine. I use the SOTW Activity Guide and the Veritas Press catalog to pick out our additional reading. Our rating system is not perfect. Some books would have received a higher (or lower) rating if we had not been reading them as part of our history studies. But, in general, if a book received three stars I found it useful, and if it received four stars or higher I would use it again. If Anna read a book independently, I let her decide how many stars to award the book. I read probably 60% of the books she read independently, and I usually agreed with the ratings she gave. Please feel free to email me or leave a comment if you have any questions about our list. And if you have any five-stars reads that we missed, I would love to know about them!

History:

Costume of Ancient Rome, David Symons (1987) – looked at pictures **

The Roman News, Andrew Langley (2000) ***

Beowulf, Robert Nye (1968) – IR Anna ****

Favorite Medieval Tales, Mary Pope Osborne (1998) ****

Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland, Tomie dePaola (1992) ****

The Last Snake in Ireland, Shelia MacGill-Callahan (1999) ***

The Holy Twins: Benedict and Scholastica, Kathleen Norris (2001) ****

Across A Dark and Wild Sea, Don Brown (2002) *****

What Were Castles For? Phil Roxbee Cox (2003) ***

Sir Gawain & the Green Knight, Michael Morpurgo (2004) ***** (mature themes in the middle were skipped or paraphrased)

I Am Eastern Orthodox, Philemon Sevastiades (1996) **

Saints: Lives & Illuminations, Ruth Sanderson (2003) ***

The Legend of Saint Nicholas, Demi (2003) **

The Legend of St. Nicholas, Dandi Daley Mackall (2007) ****

The Baker’s Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale, Aaron Shepard (1995) ****

Augustine Came to Kent, Barbara Willard (1963) – IR Anna ****

Augustine: The Farmer’s Boy of Tagaste, P. De Zeeuw (1998) **

Son of Charlemagne, Barbara Willard (1959) – IR Anna ****

Snake Charmer, Ann Whitehead Nagda (2002) ****

Once a Mouse, Marcia Brown (1961) *****

The Very Hungry Lion, Gita Wolf (1996) ***

I Am Muslim, Jessica Chalfonte (1996) **

The Hundredth Name, Shulamith Levey Oppenheim (1995) ****

Ali, Child of the Desert, Jonathan London (1998) **

Sindbad, Ludmila Zeman (1999) ****

Sindbad In the Land of Giants, Ludmila Zeman (2001) ****

Sindbad’s Secrets, Ludmila Zeman (2003) ****

Count Your Way Through the Arab World, Jim Haskins (1991) ****

The Arab’s in the Golden Age, Makhtar Moktefi (1992) – IR Anna ***

Genies, Meanies, and Magic Rings, Stephen Mitchell (2007) – IR Anna ****

Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China, Ed Young (2002) ****

Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China, Ai-Ling Louie (1982) ****

Two of Everything, Lily Toy Hong (1993) ****

Science in Ancient China, George Beshore (1998) ****

A Carp for Kimiko, Virginia Kroll (1993) ***

The Boy Who Drew Cats, Arthur Levine (1993) ***

The Crane Wife, Odds Bodkin (1998) ****

Little Oh, Laura Krauss Melmed (1997) ****

Tikki Tikki Tembo, Arlene Mosel (1968) *****

Mr. Pak Buys a Story, Carol Farley (1997) ***

In the Moonlight Mist, Daniel San Souci (1999) *****

The Warlord’s Puzzle, Virginia Walton Pilegard ****

Sword of the Samurai, Eric Kimmel (1999) *** Just read selected stories

The Pumpkin Runner, Marsha Diane Arnold (2000) **

Look What Came From Australia, Kevin Davis (2000) ***

An Adventure in New Zealand, The Cousteau Society 1991) ***

1000 Years Ago on Planet Earth, Sneed Collard (1999) *****

Look What Came from Spain, Kevin Davis (2003) ****

The Three Golden Oranges, Alma Flor Ada (1999) ***

The Beautiful Butterfly, Judy Sierra (2000) ***

France and French, Nicola Wright (1993) ***

Little Red Riding Hood, Harriet Ziefert (2000) **

Puss in Boots, Charles Perrault (1990) ***

You Wouldn’t Want to be a Viking Explorer! Andrew Langley *****

The Grandchildren of the Vikings, Matti Pitkanen (1996) ***

Yo, Vikings! Judith Byron Schachner (2002) ****

Beorn the Proud, Madeleine Polland (1961) -- IR Anna ****

East O’ the Sun and West O’ the Moon, P.J. Lynch (1991) *****

We Just Moved! Stephen Krensky (1998) *****

Adventures with the Vikings, Linda Bailey (2001) *****

Raiders from the Sea, Lois Walfrid Johnson (2003) – IR Anna *****

Mystery of the Silver Coins, Lois Walfrid Johnson (2003) – IR Anna *****

The Invisible Friend, Lois Walfrid Johnson (2004) – IR Anna *****

A Medieval Feast, Aliki (1983) *****

The Reluctant Dragon, Kenneth Grahame (2004) *****

Cathedral, David Macaulay (1973) ****

A Farm Through Time, Angela Wilks (2001) *****

The Making of a Kinght, Patrick O’Brien (1998) *****

Sir Cumference and the First Round Table, Cindy Neuschwander (1997) *****

Knight’s Castle, Edward Eager (1984) – IR Anna ****

You Wouldn’t Want to be a Medieval Knight, Fiona Macdonald ****

Coat of Arms, Catherine Daly-Weir (2000) *****

Castle Diary, Richard Platt (1999) ****

Knights of the Round Table, Gwen Gross (1985) *****

Chanticleer and the Fox, Barbara Cooney (1958) ****

Saint Francis, Brian Wildsmith (1995) **

Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam, Diane Stanley (2002) – IR Anna ***

The Canterbury Tales, Geraldine Mc Caughtean (1985) – IR Anna ***

You Wouldn’t Want to be a Crusader, Fiona Macdonald (2005) ****

The Adventures of Robin Hood, Roger Lancelyn Green (1956) – IR Anna ****1/2

Raisel’s Riddle, Erica Silverman (2001) *****

The Rabbi Who Flew, Renate Dollinger (2001) ****

China’s Bravest Girl, Charlie Chin (1993) ****

Fa Mulan, Robert San Souci (1998) ****

The Paper Dragon, Marguerite Davol (1997) *****

The Hunter, Mary Casanova (2001) ***

Bitter Dumplings, Jeanne Lee (2002) ***

The Emperor and the Kite, Jane Yolen (1967) ***

The Silk Route, John Major (1995) ***

Kat and the Emperor’s Gift, Emma Bradford (1998) – IR Anna ***

Babousshka and the Three Kings, Ruth Robbins (1960) **

Welcome to Russia, Alison Auch (2003) ***

Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave, Marianna Mayer (1994) ***

Russian Fairy Tales, Gillian Avery (1995) – IR Anna ***

The Clay Boy, Mirra Ginsburg (1997) ***

The Legend of the Persian Carpet, Tomie DePaola (1993)

Kids in the Middle Ages, Lisa Wroble (1997) ***

Little Johnny Buttermilk, Jan Wahl (1999) **

The Toy Brother, William Steig (1996) **

The Duchess Bakes a Cake, Virginia Kahl (1955) ***

Joan of Arc, Josephine Poole (1998) ****

Joan of Arc, Diane Stanley (1998) – IR Anna ****

Three Sacks of Truth, Eric A. Kimmel (1993) ***

The Red Balloon, Albert Lamorisse (1990) *

Adventures of Tom Thumb, David Cutts (1988) ***

Bravo, Mr. William Shakespeare! – Richard III, Marcia Williams (2000) **

Bernal & Florinda, Eric Kimmel (1994) ****

Africa Calling, Daniel Adlerman (1996) ***

Sundiata: Lion King of Mali, David Wisniewski (1992) ***

Count Your Way Through India, Jim Haskins (1990) ***

Savitri: A Tale of Ancient India, Aaron Shepard (1992) ****

The Rumor: A Jataka Tale from India, Jan Thornhill (2002) *****

Premlata and the Festival of Lights, Ian Andrew (1996) – IR Anna

Three Swords for Granada, Walter Dean Myers (2002) – IR Anna ***

Where Do You Think You’re Going, Christopher Columbus? (VHS) *****

Columbus, Ingri & Edgar Parin D’Aulaire (1955) – IR Anna ****

Follow the Dream, Peter Sis (1991) – Ryne and Grace ***

A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus, David Adler (1991) – Ryne & Grace ***

Three Ships for Columbus, Eve Spencer (1993) ***

The Discovery of the Americas, Betsy and Giulio Maestro (1991) *****

Amerigo Vespucci, Jeff Donaldson-Forbes (2002) ****

Magellan, Michael Burgan (2002) ****

A Long and Uncertain Journey, Joan Elizabeth Goodman (2001) *****

To the Edge of the World, Michelle Torrey (2003) – IR Anna ***

The Maya, Petra Press (2001) ****

Inca Town, Fiona MacDonald (1998) ****

Machu Picchu, Elizabeth Mann (2000) – IR Anna ****

Tikal, Elizabeth Mann (2002) – IR Anna ****

Musicians of the Sun, Gerald McDermott (1997) ****

Rain Player, David Wisniewski (1991) *****

So Say the Little Monkeys, Nancy Van Laan (1998) *****

Cuckoo, Lois Ehlert (1996) ***

Moon Rope, Lois Ehlert (1993) ****

Koi & the Kola Nuts, Verna Aardema (1995) ***

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, John Steptoe (1987) *****

The Spirit of the Maasai Man, Laura Berkelely (2000) *

Jackal’s Flying Lesson, Verna Aardema (1995) **

Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed the World, Paul Maier (2004) *****

Luther the Leader, Virgil Robinson (1963) – IR Anna *****

King Henry VIII, Robert Green (1998) – IR Anna

Kings and Queens of England, Kenneth Davis (2002) ****

Ink on His Fingers, Louise Vernon (1972) – IR Anna *****

The Beggars’ Bible, Louise Vernon (1971) – IR Anna *****

The Man Who Laid the Egg, Louise Vernon ( ) – IR Anna *****

Katie and the Mona Lisa, James Mayhew (1998) **

Da Vinci, Mike Venezia (1989) ***

Michelangelo, Mike Venezia (1991) ***

Pieter Bruegel, Mike Venezia (1992) ***

Leonardo’s Horse, Jean Fritz (2001) *****

The Life and Work of Leonardo da Vinci, Sean Connolly (2006) ****

Leonardo Da Vinci, Diane Stanley (1996) – IR Anna ****

I Am Roman Catholic, Philemon Sevastiades (1996) **

I Am Lutheran, Erica Bradley (1999) **

Child’s Guide to the Mass, Sue Stanton (2000) ***

Cathedral Mouse, Kay Chorao (1988) ***

Medieval Cathedral, Fiona MacDonald (1991) – IR Anna ***

Uh-Oh, Leonardo, Robert Sabuda (2002) ***

The Genius of Leonardo, Guido Visconti (2000) ****

Starry Messenger, Peter Sis (1996) *****

Elizabeth the First, Carol Greene (1990) ***

Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, Kathryn Lasky (2002) – IR Anna ****

Beware, Princess Elizabeth, Carolyn Meyer (2001) – IR Anna ****

William Shakespeare and the Globe, Aliki (1999) *****

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Leon Garfield (1992) – IR Anna *****

Bard of Avon, Diane Stanley (1992) ****

Romeo and Juliet for Kids, Lois Burdett (1998) *****

Maps and Mapping, Barbara Taylor (1993) ****

The Whole World in Your Hands, Melvin Berger (1993) ***

Roanoke: The Lost Colony, Jane Yolen (2003) ****

The Rough-Face Girl, Rafe Martin (1992) ****

The Huron Carol, Ian Wallace 2006) ****

Kayuktuk, Brian Heinz, (1996) ****

Jacques Cartier, Jeff Donaldson-Forbes (2002) ****

The River of Grace, Joyce McPherson (1998) – IR Anna *****

The Queen’s Progress, Celeste Davidson Mannis (2003) *****

Sir Francis Drake, Lynn Hoogenboom (2006) ****

Sir Francis Drake His Daring Deeds, Roy Gerrard (1988) *** check illustrations

Pirates, Dina Anastasio (1997) *****

See Inside a Galleon, R.J. Unstead (1978) *****

Do Pirates Take Baths? Kathy Tucker (1994) **

The Queen’s Pirate – Francis Drake, Sarah Courtauld (2007) **** one violent picture

The Lyon’s Roar, M.L. Stainer (1997) – IR Anna *****

The Lyon’s Cub, M.L. Stainer – IR Anna *****

My Escape from the Auto De Fe, WM. Timms (2005) – IR Anna *****

Three Men Came to Heidelberg/Glorious Heretic, Thea Van Halsema (1963/1961) – IR Anna *****

Updated 7/1/09: Reformation books are now in bold.

Anna is still working on some of her Reformation reading and she loved The Lyon's Roar so much that she wants to finish the five-book series, so check back later for more additions.

6 comments:

  1. I've bookmarked this post - it will be very useful! Thanks!

    The Middle Ages is one of my favorite times periods to study. :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sharon, we should have consulted you for some good Australian stories -- the ones we read were just so-so.

    Kellie

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is great. We are studying the 20th century next year, but I will be sure to look back at this when we study the Middle Ages again. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. how did you do that cool montage of the books???

    ReplyDelete
  5. LOL, I did the montage on my ancient version of Photoshop Elements that I'm finally learning how to use this year. The majority of my book pictures come from Library Thing. Then I just layer them in a new document and use one of the built-in frame options from PSE. It was fun, so I'm glad you liked it. : )

    ReplyDelete