Throughout the course of a student’s education, they are introduced to a number of literature pieces. Accomplishment is just finishing the book and being able to move onto the next assigned novel, so it may be recorded as read. Once the cover of the book is closed, the story often becomes just a story the student once read. Memoria Press literature guides take a book from being just a story and turn it into a full learning experience.

A Bear Called Paddington, written by Michael Bond, is one of four literature guide sets published by Memoria Press that are geared towards children in third and fourth grades. It is part of the Memoria Press Literature Series, which has guides for children in first through twelfth grades. The curriculum includes a Student Study Guide, Teacher Guide and literature book, which may be purchased as a set or as individual pieces.

The story of Paddington the bear is one that may already be familiar to your child. If not, the story will immediately engage your child as they come to know the inquisitive, sometimes awkward and lovable little bear. The story is 176 pages long and may be enjoyed as a read-aloud or read independently by the student. A Bear Called Paddington, as well as the other three novels in this level of curriculum – Charlotte’s Web, Farmer Boy and Mr. Popper's Penguins – are wonderful titles you will probably want to share with your children.

My son and I enjoyed A Bear Called Paddington together as a read-aloud. I read the majority of the story to him and he took turns reading a few pages. It is during the elementary school years that I have continued to take any opportunity to read and snuggle with my young children. The literature selections chosen by Memoria Press will promote that opportunity, but are also ones they can read independently.

Memoria Press follows a Classical style approach towards education. The guides concentrate on comprehension, composition skills, spelling and vocabulary. This is accomplished through the sections of Reading Notes, Vocabulary, Expressions for Discussion, Comprehension Questions and Enrichment in the Student Study Guide. Your child is not just reading through the chapters to the end of the book. They are analyzing content for a better understanding of the story and learning new vocabulary words. Having used guides for the older grade levels, I noticed a difference in presentation. The content in the early elementary school literature guides are just as challenging for the student, but written for their understanding. The guides allow a child to learn the story beyond cover to cover, which prepares them with skills that will be expected of them in higher grade levels.

Memoria Press does a wonderful job with the presentation of all of its products. The Student Study Guide and the Teacher Guide are high-glossed paperback books. Although both guides may be purchased separately, I would suggest also purchasing the Teacher Guide. It includes duplicate pages that are in the Student Study Guide, but also includes the answers to all of the discussion questions, the quizzes and tests and the answer keys for both. Having the Teacher Guide in hand allows you to help your child benefit from the complete offerings of the curriculum.

The literature guides from Memoria Press will introduce your child to classic literature. It gives them a deeper understanding of the books they read independently or ones you may read, share and enjoy together.

-Product review by Jennifer Smeltser, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, October, 2016