Children's Summer Reading

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"Books!

Books contain the throb of human life; the magic entrances, fascinates, sets alight imagination, opens doors of interest and curiosity, informs, and triggers questioning. Restless bodies become still and concentrated ~ thinking is encouraged..."

~ Susan Shaeffer Macaulay

Each summer, I have my own summer reading program for my children. They are to read from at least ten different types of books, all of which are good books for the mind, heart and spirit. My older children are able to select their own titles from a resource we have come to love over the years: Books Children Love; A Guide to the Best Children's Literature. Each title includes a full bibliography, a suggested range of school grades that is appropriate for the material, and a goodly sized summary. All selections are consistent with a biblical worldview and truly capture a child's interest. 

S0... off to the library we went, returning with arms overflowing with tomes. The children log each title and our local library gives prizes for summer reading, so we take advantage of that as well.

For your interest, here are the books they have put on their lists. It was interesting to see that some chose the same books. We probably won't find them all at the library, but here they are, complete with links to the books:

Dialectic student (middle schooler):

Biography:

• Abigail Adams by Natalie S. Bober (I read this myself last Independence Day and enjoyed it.)
  
• Ten Fingers for God: The True Story of a Surgeon's Quest for an End to the Ravages of Leprosy by Dorothy Wilson
• The Story of Thomas Alva Edison by Margaret Cousins

History/Geography:

• Lorna Doone by Richard D. Blackmore
• Toliver's Secret by Esther Wood Brady
• Homeward the Arrow's Flight: The Story of Susan La Flesche by Marion Marsh Brown
• The Wild Children by Felice Holman
• The Scottish Chiefs; or the Life of Sir William Wallce by Jane Porter
• The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain (historical realistic literature)

Literature ~ Realistic Stories ~ Modern

• James Herriot's Treasury for Children by James Herriott

Literature ~ Myths & Legends

• Arabian Nights by Andrew Lang
• The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald

Literature ~ Fantasies

• The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Literature ~ Realistic Stories ~ Historical

• Jip: His Story by Katerine Paterson
• Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Literature ~ Fables, Folk Tales & Fairy Tales

• Rose Daughter by Robin Mckinley

I love to see so much literature, but this list needs some more variety beyond that...

Late Grammar Student (late elementary school):

Animals:

• My Pet Hamster and Gerbils by Lee Anne Engfer
• Let's Get a Pet: All You Need to Know About Choosing the Perfect Pet by Harriet Ziefert (notice something here about these first two books? A big hint, perhaps?)
• The Otter's Tale by Garvin Maxwell
• Village of Elephants by Jeremy Schmidt

Art & Architecture:

• Faces on Places by Suzanne Haldane
• The Art of Beatrix Potter by Leslie and Enid Linder
• Down to Earth by Michael Rosen

Bible & Spiritual/Moral Teaching:

• The Flying Scotsman by Sally Magnusson
• Freedom Fighter: The Story of William Wilberforce the British Parliamentarian Who Fought To Free Slaves by Betty Steele Everett
• How to Be Your Own Selfish Pig and Other Ways You've Been Brainwashed by Susan Shaeffer Macaulay (What a title! I want to read it, too!)

Biography:

• Alexander Graham Bell by Leonard Everett Fisher
• Robert Boyle, Founder of Modern Chemistry by Harry Sootin
• Ten Fingers for God: The True Story of a Surgeon's Quest for an End to the Ravages of Leprosy by Dorothy Wilson
  

Celebration Days & Seasons:

• Happy Birthday Everywhere by Arlene Erlbach

Crafts, Hobbies & Domestic Arts:

• The Egyptians: Crafts from the Past Series by Gillian Chapman
• Bake and Make Amazing Cakes (Kids Can Do It) by Elizabeth MacLeod

Dance, Drama & the Performing Arts:

• How to Be a Clown by Charles R. Meyer
• Magic by Peter Eldin ("magic," that is)

Horticulture

• The Kid's Summer Handbook by Jane Drake and Ann Love
• Grow It Again (Kids Can Do It) by Elizabeth MacLeod
• My Backyard Garden by Carol Lerner

History & Geography

• Pharaohs and Pyramids (The Usborne Time Traveller) by Tony Allan
• One Room School by Raymond Bial
• Toliver's Secret by Esther Wood Brady

Humor

• Quips and Quirks by Clyde Watson

Hmmm... This one needs some literature to round out the list...

Early Grammar Student (early elementary school):

Animals

• James Herriot's Treasury for Children by James Herriot

Art & Architecture

• The Art of Beatrix Potter by Leslie and Enid Linder
• Constable's England by Graham Reynolds
• Looking at Pictures: An Introduction to Art for Young People Through the National Gallery Collection by Joy Richardson

Bible & Spiritual/Moral Teaching

• The Lost Lamb by Meldoy Carlson
• In the Beginning: The Story of Creation by Crossway Books Editors
• The Baby in the Basket by Jennifer Larcombe

Biography

• Benjamin Franklin by Ingri & Edgar d'Aulaire
• My Great-Aunt Arizona by Gloria Houston
• Florence Nightingale by David Armentrout

Crafts, Hobbies & Domestic Arts

• My First Baking Book by Rena Coyle
• The Weaver's Gift by Kathryn Lasky
• The Handbook of Knots by Des Pawson

Horticulture

• Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy
• Grow It Again (Kids Can Do It) by Elizabeth MacLeod
• Kids Gardening: A Kid's Guide to Messing Around in the Dirt by Kevin Raftery and Kim Gilbert Raftery

History & Geography

• Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story by Ken Mochizuki
• The Beast of Lor by Clyde Robert Bulla
• The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh

Humor

• Ha! Ha! Ha! Over 400 Very Funny Jokes by Tim Archbold, Mik Brown an dTania Hart-Newton
• Riddles and More Riddles by Bennett Cerf
• Knock, Knock! Who's There? by Tad Hills (Come to think of it, he read that last summer.)

Language

• Table, Chair, Bear: A Book in Many Languages by Jane Feder
• The King Who Rained by Fred Gwynne
• My "i" Sound Box by Jane Moncure

Literature

• The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales by Grimm
• Montezuma's Revenge by Cari Best
• The Windhover by Alan Brown

Poetry

• The Creation: A Poem by James Weldon Johnson
• Hailstones & Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neill
• It's Raining Pigs and Noodles by Jack Prelutsky

Math

• Less Than Nothing Is Really Something by Robert Froman
• Zero Is Not Nothing by Mindel & Harry Sitomer
• Twenty Is Too Many by Kate Duke

Music

• Hush Little Baby: A Folk Song with Pictures by Folk Song
• The Eensy-Weesy Spider adapted by Mary Ann Hoberman
• The Reader's Digest Children's Songbook by the editors of Reader's Digest

Nature, Science & Technology

• Wild & Swampy: Exploring With Jim Arnosky by Jim Arnosky
• Lots of Rot by Vicki Cobb (You can tell this child is a boy!)
• The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller

Well, we certainly won't get through all those, but it's a great list from which to select...

Onward into the adventure of reading!

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