The Old Schoolhouse® Product & Curriculum Reviews
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Books Children Love, revised 2002 Review by Heather Jackowitz
By Elizabeth WilsonCrossway
https://www.crossway.org/
What a fabulous resource for choosing books to buy or borrow from the library! The newly revised version of Books Children Love has added many new selections since the original publishing in 1987. Based on Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy, the book opens with a foreword by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay that challenges us to read excellent books to our children. Following the forward is an introduction by Elizabeth Wilson that explains her criteria for selecting books.
Mrs. Wilson, who has a BA and MA in literature, reads each book in its entirety before considering it for inclusion. Her three criteria are that the book catches and holds the reader's interest, has high literary quality, and does not undermine or attack Judeo-Christian moral and ethical values. She desires to give children an understanding of the world that exists apart from their personal experience by choosing books that entertain, transport us to other lands or times, increase understanding, explore issues, stimulate creativity, provide information, and encourage questions.
Almost 300 pages of book recommendations and summaries cover many subject areas: animals, art and architecture, Bible, biography, holidays, crafts, performing arts, plants, history and geography, humor, language, literature, anthologies, poetry, mathematics, music, science and nature, technology, outdoor activities, physical education, research and study skills, special needs, and supplemental teaching resources.
The largest selection of books falls under the literature category, which is grouped by three grade levels: Preschool to grade two, grades three and four, and grades five and up. Books are arranged alphabetically within sections by author's last name, except for biographies, which are arranged by the subject's last name. Nice, long summaries give parents all the information they need to make good choices of reading material for their children. This is an excellent resource than no homeschool family should be without!
