Just Three Literature Books a Year. What would you pick?

[Hunter]

If you had to pick JUST 3 books (literature) a year to purchase and read with a child, and that is IT, other than the Bible, what 3 books would you pick, for each grade Preschool through grade 8?

 

Links to particular editions would be helpful, if you have favorites?

 

You could look at this as a family stranded on an island with NO outside resources. Or you could look at this as what mom TAUGHT and the children can then read widely on their own. Or any other scenario you choose. But I'd like to see people's lists of just 3 pieces of quality literature per year.

 

non multa, sed multum Plinius

Not many, but much. (Meaning, not quantity but quality.)

Edited March 11, 2012 by Hunter

[nmoira]

Three isn't workable for pre-school because of the length of the books. So skipping this.

 

I'd purchase a set of the twelve Lang coloured Fairy Books for Grades 1-4 (The Blue Fairy Book, etc.)

 

For the other grades I'd make a list appropriate for each level and pick randomly. However, I'd fix the results for The Wind in the Willows and Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass (these would count as one).

[Hunter]

Three isn't workable for pre-school because of the length of the books. So skipping this.

 

I'd purchase a set of the twelve Lang coloured Fairy Books for Grades 1-4 (The Blue Fairy Book, etc.)

 

For the other grades I'd make a list appropriate for each level and pick randomly. However, I'd fix the results for The Wind in the Willows and Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass (these would count as one).

 

I like how you tweaked the question to fit your philosophy! :-) I believe in reading long books to preschoolers, including directly from the KJV Bible, but you make a very good point.

 

I haven't been able to come up with a list yet, but Wind in the Willows is probably going to be one of mine too. I want to reread it first though. I'm in the process of rereading Little House in the Big Woods and was horrified at a song that Pa sings in it! I'm not going to be able to make my final list until I reread each and every one.

[....]

Is this for a boy or girl?

[In the Rain]

If one is going to choose three books a year, I actually think the list would need be tailored to each individual child. My two kids have such different tastes and needs, they enjoy and benefit from different books.

 

:bigear: I am curious to see what others have identify as essential though. :001_smile:

[amsunshine]

It would be really difficult to narrow a lit list down to just three books per year, but if I had to do it this way, I might just use the Memoria Press recommendations with their literature guides. Their selections are all wonderful, although they do have four selections for some years.

[regentrude]

I don't have time to group by grade or think of three for each grade, but my list would definitely include in elementary age:

 

Grimm's fairy tales

a good collection of Norse Mythology retellings (d' Aulaire's or similar)

a good collection of Greek Mythology retellings (d'Aulaire's or similar)

a collection of children's poetry

 

for an American child, I would further include:

Little House in the Prairie

Wizard of Oz

Alice in Wonderland

something by Roald Dahl (James and the giant Peach, for example)

 

 

for Middle grades (6-8)

The Hobbit

Tom Sawyer's Adventures

The Three Musketeers

Gulliver's Travels

Robinson Crusoe

Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe

for strong readers: a novel by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen each

Edited March 11, 2012 by regentrude

[Hunter]

Is this for a boy or girl?

 

Good question :-) If YOUR philosophy would requires different books for different genders, make 2 different lists.

 

The idea here is to list YOUR best of the best. My original question was just a writing PROMPT.

 

Long lists are great for when we are looking for MORE, but when Spring planning for next year's lesson plans, a list of 3 MUST DO books seems like a good idea to talk about.

[Hunter]

Grimm's fairy tales

a good collection of Norse Mythology retellings (d' Aulaire's or similar)

a good collection of Greek Mythology retellings (d'Aulaire's or similar)

a collection of children's poetry

 

Do you have a favorite poetry collection? Does anyone else?

 

I've been looking heavily at Grimms and the d'Aulaire's mythology books when looking at the Waldorf lists.

 

Does anyone have a favorite Grimms edition? A Complete edition or one with carefully selected stories? Some of the stories are pretty violent and just yucky.

 

Arabian Nights is another collection I'm looking at, that I have no idea if I want in a complete collection, or something abridged and in what translation. Or maybe not at all. I just bought an abridged copy that I am reading now. I haven't had time to read much as none of my tutoring students want to read it. One's religious convictions disallows it.

 

This is the Wind in the Willows I'm looking at. http://www.amazon.com/Willows-Puffin-Classics-Kenneth-Grahame/dp/0141329823/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2BXJJT60PCKKE&colid=1TPK0RNM835UG The new hardcover Puffin Classics are adorable.

 

I thought I has wish listed an edition of A Child's Garden of Verses that I saw, but it appears I didn't :-(

Edited March 11, 2012 by Hunter

[Wabi Sabi]

First grade is all I've got for you:

 

Charlotte's Web

My Father's Dragon

Mr. Popper's Penguins

 

ETA: Ok, I've got kindergarten too:

 

Any good Mother Goose collection (we like Richard Scarry)

Harper Collin's Treasury of Picture Book Classics

Make Way for McCloskey

 

Do all of those anthologies still count as only one book, LOL?

Edited March 11, 2012 by Wabi Sabi

[Hunter]

It would be really difficult to narrow a lit list down to just three books per year, but if I had to do it this way, I might just use the Memoria Press recommendations with their literature guides. Their selections are all wonderful, although they do have four selections for some years.

 

The Memoria lists provide some good suggestions. I didn't like anything on the 1st grade list though. They are all short books. I would maybe move some of their upper grade selection down into preschool through grade 1 though.

[Hunter]

If one is going to choose three books a year, I actually think the list would need be tailored to each individual child. My two kids have such different tastes and needs, they enjoy and benefit from different books.

 

:bigear: I am curious to see what others have identify as essential though. :001_smile:

 

Share a list of your favorite 3 books you used for each child. If you were going to do those years over again, which 3 books would you definitely pick for them? Share why if you want.

[Hunter]

First grade is all I've got for you:

 

Charlotte's Web

My Father's Dragon

Mr. Popper's Penguins

 

ETA: Ok, I've got kindergarten too:

 

Any good Mother Goose collection (we like Richard Scarry)

Harper Collin's Treasury of Picture Book Classics

Make Way for McCloskey

 

Do all of those anthologies still count as only one book, LOL?

 

For me they do. I really like anthologies for preschool through grade 1.

 

I really like the looks of this trilogy of My Father's Dragon. It's on my wish list now :-) I had never heard of it. Thanks. http://www.amazon.com/Three-Tales-My-Fathers-Dragon/dp/0679889116/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp

 

I need to check out Mr. Popper's Penguins. I've seen that mentioned a few times lately.

[regentrude]

Does anyone have a favorite Grimms edition? A Complete edition or one with carefully selected stories? Some of the stories are pretty violent and just yucky.

Well, we are German and read them in the original, so no suggestion for an edition. But do a selection for kids; some are not fit for children.

 

Arabian Nights is another collection I'm looking at, that I have no idea if I want in a complete collection, or something abridged and in what translation.

Most definitely abridged! A larger portion of the tales is very adult.

[aggieamy]

I don't have time to group by grade or think of three for each grade, but my list would definitely include in elementary age:

 

Grimm's fairy tales

a good collection of Norse Mythology retellings (d' Aulaire's or similar)

a good collection of Greek Mythology retellings (d'Aulaire's or similar)

a collection of children's poetry

 

for an American child, I would further include:

Little House in the Prairie

Wizard of Oz

Alice in Wonderland

something by Roald Dahl (James and the giant Peach, for example)

 

 

for Middle grades (6-8)

The Hobbit

Tom Sawyer's Adventures

The Three Musketeers

Gulliver's Travels

Robinson Crusoe

Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe

for strong readers: a novel by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen each

 

The above listed plus:

 

The Secret Garden

Something by Agatha Christie

James Herriot's Treasury For Children

Narnia

Gooney Bird Greene

Where the Sidewalk Ends

 

I don't think I could do just three is what I'm figuring out. We do a lot of audiobooks around here to help supplement what I do as read alouds.

[Hunter]

 

ETA: Ok, I've got kindergarten too:

 

Any good Mother Goose collection (we like Richard Scarry)

Harper Collin's Treasury of Picture Book Classics

Make Way for McCloskey

 

Do all of those anthologies still count as only one book, LOL?

 

I couldn't get 2 of the anthologies to load a good sample at Amazon, I'll have to look elsewhere. The really liked the Richard Scarry Mother Goose. I think I want a Mother Goose.

 

Some anthologies are awkward to hold and random. I tend to like smaller anthologies by the same author. I've been looking at Winney the Pooh and Beatice Potter anthologies.

[Hunter]

The above listed plus:

 

The Secret Garden

Something by Agatha Christie

James Herriot's Treasury For Children

Narnia

Gooney Bird Greene

Where the Sidewalk Ends

 

I don't think I could do just three is what I'm figuring out. We do a lot of audiobooks around here to help supplement what I do as read alouds.

 

Think of the three that you would like to invest in nice hardcover copies, that you intend for your child to bring along into adulthood. The three that you intend to carve out time to savor and fully explore, instead of quickly reading to finish up on Friday, to make room for a new book on Monday.

 

If I pick Narnia, I'm not sure if I just want a nice copy of the 1st one, or a bulkier anthology. I think just the 1st one. Some anthologies are so awkward and long, that it no longer is saving my purpose of non multa, sed multum. Do you like an anthology or just the 1st book?

 

I've been eying the Puffin Secret Garden http://www.amazon.com/The-Secret-Garden-Puffin-Classics/dp/0141336536/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331504215&sr=1-1

[Chrysalis Academy]

Ok, I'll play. Truth be told, I could never do just 3 - much as I respect the multum non multa thing, I also have MCT sitting on my other shoulder, saying that we do our kids a disservice if we fail to expose them to many, many classics. But, if I had to pick just 3 a year for dd:

 

4th grade - starting early modern period

1. The Wind in the Willows
   
2. Tom Sawyer
   
3. Alice in Wonderland
   

5th - finish early modern

1. The Hobbit
   
2. Great Expectations
   
3. Les Miserables
   

6th - modern

1. Animal Farm
   
2. Diary of Anne Frank
   
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
   

7th - ancients - not entirely sure here, because I don't know if she will be ready for originals, but something like:

1. Illustrated Children's Bible - Selena Hastings
   
2. A retelling of the iliad/odyssey, not sure which one
   
3. Julius Caesar - Shakespeare
   

8th - medieval & renn. same caveat as above

1. Tales from Shakespeare - Lambs
   
2. The best King Arthur version I can find (which??)
   
3. THe Inferno of Dante - Pinsky
   

9th - early modern

1. Pride & Prejudice
   
2. Jane Eyre
   
3. Middlemarch
   

10th - modern

1. The Life of Fredrick Douglas
   
2. The Age of Innocence
   
3. The Grapes of Wrath
   

11th - critical analysis/evaluation of history/literature

1. Gulliver's Travels
   
2. Walden & Civil Disobedience
   
3. 1984
   

12th - Synthesis/Great Books

1. Oedipus Rex
   
2. The Republic
   
3. Leaves of Grass - Whitman
   
4. 
   
5. 
   

[aggieamy]

Think of the three that you would like to invest in nice hardcover copies, that you intend for your child to bring along into adulthood. The three that you intend to carve out time to savor and fully explore, instead of quickly reading to finish up on Friday, to make room for a new book on Monday.

 

If I pick Narnia, I'm not sure if I just want a nice copy of the 1st one, or a bulkier anthology. I think just the 1st one. Some anthologies are so awkward and long, that it no longer is saving my purpose of non multa, sed multum. Do you like an anthology or just the 1st book?

 

I've been eying the Puffin Secret Garden http://www.amazon.com/The-Secret-Garden-Puffin-Classics/dp/0141336536/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331504215&sr=1-1

 

I still have my beautiful copy of The Secret Garden from when I was a kid. It's sitting next to Little Librarian's copy. This is the version I pruchased for her. Beautiful illustrations.

 

Of the books I mentioned earlier (and borrowed from regentrudes list) the ones I would buy in hardback to pass onto my kid when they leave home are:

 

Harry Potter - all books

Narnia - all books

Lord of the Rings - all books

The Secret Garden

Grimm's fairy tales

a good collection of Norse Mythology retellings (d' Aulaire's or similar)

a good collection of Greek Mythology retellings (d'Aulaire's or similar)

a collection of children's poetry

James Herriot's Treasury For Children

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Little House in the Prairie - first five books only

Wizard of Oz

[lmrich]

I can't do it!

 

I agree that mythology and fairy tales are must as are folktales and religious texts.

 

However, I can't imagine not spending quality time with my child every night reading such great books such as:

 

The Little Princess

Heidi

The Jungle Book

Mary Poppins

The Secret Garden

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Pollyanna

Peter Pan

Alice in Wonderland

Charlotte's Web

The entire Little House series (including The Long Winter during the full heat of the summer) with my girls in full Prairie costumes

The Narnia series

Anne of Green Gables

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry

Stuart Little

The Best/Worst Christmas Pageant Ever

and my favorite...The Harry Potter Series.... Plus so much more....

 

If you are looking for three books to teach from that is different... but to only read and escape into three books a year. I can not help you.

 

You do not need to analyze each and every book. Just enjoy it.

[In2why]

I don't have the time or ability on my Kindle to make an entire list but other than the obvious history reads that are compiled I wouldn't want my boys to miss:

 

Dr. Doolittle

To kill a Mockingbird

The Giver

My side of the Mountain

Where the Red Fern Grows

 

Another middle school /high school book that they must read eventually is Flowers of Algernon. This book probably impacts bullying and empathy more than anything I ever read.

[Joyofsixreboot]

My children's favorites have not been classics. Would I bring what I choose or what they would like? Pondering:confused:

 

Preschool-I'd choose a fairy tale book but dd would pick Peter Rabbit.

 

2nd grader-I'd pick Little House books. Her favorite book has been Stone Fox.

 

5th grader-I would choose Tom Sawyer. He would pick D'Aulaires Greek Myths. (Well, actually he'd pick manga but I'd say no.)

 

7th grader-I would pick Anne of Green Gables. She would pick the Hunger Games books.

[Hunter]

Ok, I'll play. Truth be told, I could never do just 3 - much as I respect the multum non multa thing, I also have MCT sitting on my other shoulder, saying that we do our kids a disservice if we fail to expose them to many, many classics. But, if I had to pick just 3 a year for dd:

 

Thanks so much for playing along :-)

 

Has anyone seen a nice edition of Lambs? Or think another children's version of Shakespeare is better?

 

As well as picking the story, I personally want to invest in some specific editions that feel lovely in the hands, and are pretty to look at.

 

One of the reasons, I am only thinking of 3 per year is that 10+ years of books X3 is 30 books. At an average of $15.00 to $20.00+ a piece for nice editions, we are talking about a major financial investment. And if also investing in professionally read audio for each titles too. I think short lists can be useful for many reasons, and I never see any.

Edited March 11, 2012 by Hunter

[Aurelia]

Let's see, mine's based on my experience as a girl, teaching my only child, also a girl:

 

Pre-K: Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales, Oxford Treasury of Fairy Tales, some version of Mother Goose - I grew up with Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever, as well as the one illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa. If I had to choose between those versions, I'd get the second. It has more poems.

Kindergarten: Favorite Poems, Old and New (to be read for multiple years), Winnie-the-Pooh, Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales

First Grade: The Aesop for Children, Little House on the Prairie, The Red Fairy Book

Second Grade: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Pippi Longstocking, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Third Grade: Charlotte's Web, The Secret Garden, The Wind in the Willows

Fourth Grade: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, The Chronicles of Narnia, Treasure Island

Fifth Grade: Anne of Green Gables, The Hobbit, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Sixth Grade: Little Women, The Westing Game, To Kill a Mockingbird

Seventh Grade: Flowers for Algernon, King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, Oliver Twist

Eighth Grade: The Diary of Anne Frank, Great Expectations, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

 

Don't ask about high school, I've got smoke coming from my ears already, though it would include Shakespeare, Chaucer, Dostoyevsky, Homer, and A Tale of Two Cities.

[Hunter]

I can't do it!...I can not help you.

 

:lol: This is just a fun Sunday chat topic. :lol:

 

I love reading through long lists, but I think there are many valuable reasons to read through short lists too. And WHY people pick the books on short lists fascinates me.

[stripe]

Isn't an anthology a bit of a cheat, though? Like all Beatrix Potter books in one?

 

As always an interesting topic. I'm not sure.

[Hunter]

 

Another middle school /high school book that they must read eventually is Flowers of Algernon. This book probably impacts bullying and empathy more than anything I ever read.

 

I never heard of this. It does sound like a must read.

[Hunter]

 

7th grader-I would pick Anne of Green Gables. She would pick the Hunger Games books.

 

Your entire list made me chuckle, but this is hysterical. :lol:

[Hunter]

Let's see, mine's based on my experience as a girl, teaching my only child, also a girl:

 

Pre-K: Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales, Oxford Treasury of Fairy Tales, some version of Mother Goose - I grew up with Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever, as well as the one illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa. If I had to choose between those versions, I'd get the second. It has more poems.

Kindergarten: Favorite Poems, Old and New (to be read for multiple years), Winnie-the-Pooh, Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales

First Grade: The Aesop for Children, Little House on the Prairie, The Red Fairy Book

Second Grade: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Pippi Longstocking, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Third Grade: Charlotte's Web, The Secret Garden, The Wind in the Willows

Fourth Grade: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, The Chronicles of Narnia, Treasure Island

Fifth Grade: Anne of Green Gables, The Hobbit, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Sixth Grade: Little Women, The Westing Game, To Kill a Mockingbird

Seventh Grade: Flowers for Algernon, King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, Oliver Twist

Eighth Grade: The Diary of Anne Frank, Great Expectations, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

 

Don't ask about high school, I've got smoke coming from my ears already, though it would include Shakespeare, Chaucer, Dostoyevsky, Homer, and A Tale of Two Cities.

 

I can see a great deal of thought went into this list. Don't worry, I didn't ask about high school :-) High school is...well..just very individual and such a product of our personal world views, that it is a whole other topic for another Sunday :-)

[nmoira]

This is the Wind in the Willows I'm looking at. http://www.amazon.com/Willows-Puffin-Classics-Kenneth-Grahame/dp/0141329823/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2BXJJT60PCKKE&colid=1TPK0RNM835UG The new hardcover Puffin Classics are adorable.

They may be adorable, but there are some gorgeously illustrated editions of The Wind in the Willows.

 

We have Foreman, but it's OOP.

 

Ingpen:

 

Michael Hague:

 

Tasha Tudor:

 

E.H. Shephard:

 

 

The Annotated edition uses a number of illustrators:

 

Who am I missing besides Arthur Rackham?

Edited March 12, 2012 by nmoira

[Hunter]

Isn't an anthology a bit of a cheat, though? Like all Beatrix Potter books in one?

 

As always an interesting topic. I'm not sure.

 

I've been giving that a lot of thought. Fairy tales are an anthology. Myths and Aesops are anthologies. Lamb's Shakespeare is an anthology.

 

For me PERSONALLY and I'm not applying that to anyone else's list, I'm going to limit my anthologies for my list, to a single author of short stories that fit into a book that is comfortable to hold, and in most cases in some way seems incomplete as individual stories.

 

My primary consideration is going to be how comfortable the book is to hold. No big, bulky books.

 

I like the Children's hardcover Everyman's library anthologies. They are smaller than most hardcover books. I really like the small size of both the Puffin and Everyman's books.

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=everyman%27s+library&sprefix=everyman%27s%2Cstripbooks%2C198#/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_23?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=everyman's+library+hardcover+classics+children's&sprefix=everyman's+library+hard%2Cstripbooks%2C162&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Aeveryman's+library+hardcover+classics+children's

[In2why]

I never heard of this. It does sound like a must read.

 

 

Everyone should read this book! I would suggest prereading though because it is an intense story. I read it as a preteen, again as a young adult, and then with my oldest child. I will read it at least one more time when my youngest get older.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Flowers-Algernon-Daniel-Keyes/dp/015603008X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1331509535&sr=8-3

[Hunter]

They may be adorable, but there are some gorgeously illustrated editions of The Wind in the Willows.

 

 

I think you have sold me on Wind in the Willows, but just not which one.

[Walking-Iris]

I'll play this is fun. And also makes me think---because even if I didn't have children I would probably still surround myself by children's lit. I'm a fan of the stuff! :001_smile:

 

I'm going to take it a step further and put a step before preschool in here for the infant/toddlers in a family. Before I think about my list I wanted to say that it was Jim Trelease who said that there are only 44 sounds in the English language and every sound can be found in Good Night Moon, Make Way For Ducklings and Charlotte's Web. I've never forgot that and do use those three books as reading benchmarks.

 

So my list(this is going to kill me by the way) I'm also assuming that the child would have the books from the previous years still available?

 

Infant/Toddlers: Goodnight Moon (this plus Runaway Bunny and Big Red Barn is a trinity I would hate to break up :tongue_smilie:), Eric Carle (toss up between Hungry Caterpillar or Busy Spider), and I'm tempted to put a Dr. Seuss here, but for this age I'm going to go with P.D. Eastman's Are You My Mother?

 

prekinders (age 2 and 3): Little Bear (the whole series is great), Dr. Seuss (seriously how do you choose?), and a good volume of Mother Goose possibly The Real Mother Goose.

 

K (age 4 and 5): a good collection of fairy and folktales. There's so many good collections available. Unfortunately no one book will feel complete. So this is hard. Sing a Song of Popcorn and Winnie The Pooh and House at Pooh Corner. I'm only sort of cheating since you can find both books in one volume :tongue_smilie: (weighing in on a Beatrix Potter collection vs. A.A. Milne--hard choice but I find Pooh Bear more important at this age than Peter Rabbit---still a hard decision.)

 

1st grade: Make Way for Ducklings, a good collection of Aesop stories (Milo Winter's is a good choice) and Frog and Toad.

 

2nd grade:Charlotte's Web, How Many Spots Does A Leopard Have?, and a good collection of tall tales (possibly the one by Mary Pope Osbourne)

 

3rd grade: Just So Stories, D'Aulaire's greek myths, and Andrew Langs Arabian Nights (or Pinocchio---maybe have to go with Pinocchio)

 

4th grade: James and the Giant Peach (hard to choose between this and Chocolate Factory---that's just brutal), Peter Pan, and I would need a good collection of poetry (Joanna Cole edited a good one and Oxford has a collection as well)

 

5th grade: The Wind in the Willows (Ernest Shepard illustration only), Little House on the Prairie ( I don't know how you could get away with this without having the whole series), A Wrinkle in Time

 

6th grade: The Chronicles of Narnia (we actually do have a book that has the entire collection in one volume), Harry Potter series ( I almost hate to put this here because all 7 books really need to be read---), and possibly some Shakespeare (Tales From Shakespeare maybe)

 

7th grade: Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (in one volume), The Hobbit, Where The Red Fern Grows

 

8th grade: The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories by O. Henry, The Call of the Wild, The Little Prince (or Jonathan Livingston Seagull)

 

9th grade: The Iliad and The Odyssey, Great Expectations, Lord of the Rings (do they have these in one volume?---these are non negotiable though).

 

10th grade: To Kill A Mockingbird, Diary of Anne Frank, Mark Twain (probably have to go with Huck Finn)

 

11th grade: Catcher in the Rye, Animal Farm, a collection of Edgar Allen Poe

 

12th grade: Leaves of Grass, Moby Dick, and On The Road

 

This list leaves out waaaay too much of course. And I don't think it would be wise to limit children to just what's on this list---but it was fun to narrow my priorities a bit. Also it leaves out a lot of poetry and drama---necessities in my opinion.

 

And as far as financial investments---well used book stores, consignment shops, garage sales and libraries are your friend. My husband has a very good quote "poor people have big tvs, rich people have big libraries" If we as adults can afford technology (computers and Kindles etc.) we sure as heck can find a way to surround our children with books.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Walking-Iris

[Hunter]

Everyone should read this book! I would suggest prereading though because it is an intense story. I read it as a preteen, again as a young adult, and then with my oldest child. I will read it at least one more time when my youngest get older.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Flowers-Algernon-Daniel-Keyes/dp/015603008X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1331509535&sr=8-3

 

Many of the people I tutor, have mental disabilities. I think this might be a valuable text. I'm not sure if I'm going to move this to my high school list, to be thought about for another day though.

 

I'm not sure what I want to focus on for middle school, and what my priorities are. I think I will read this free African/Christianized Waldorf pdf on child development again, before I even think about the middle school years. I feel myself automatically and exclusively drifting towards ancient and medieval classics at that age level, but know I need to think a little wider.

[nmoira]

Isn't an anthology a bit of a cheat, though? Like all Beatrix Potter books in one?

 

As always an interesting topic. I'm not sure.

I would differentiate between a collection, which implies the idea of curation and common theme (e.g. Grimm); an anthology, which implies curation and belonging to some more abstract theme (even as general as "an overview of children's literature) but often with parts the feel incomplete (rarely are all the pictures included in picture book anthologies); and an omnibus edition. I tend to avoid omnibus editions because they're often a clumsy size and poorly laid out. Beatrix Potter is an egregious example, as she wanted her books to be a friendly in size to a child's hands.

 

The way around this is to count series as multi-volume single works. ;)

[stripe]

I had the copy of Wind in the Willows with Hague's illustrations as a child!

[Pen]

This is more of a personal list of what got read over and over...in theory I'd put on things like The Little Prince and Aesop's Fables, fairy tales and what not, but in reality we have some lovely editions of those...and they sit on the shelf. While many a lowlier mere paperback has been read and read and read... A Dr. Seuss anthology that did not fit in the hand, did get read and read and read. Also one I cannot well recall title of The Mountain that Loved a Bird or some such got a lot of use.

 

Pre: Beatrix Potter, Winnie the Pooh, Dr. Seuss Anthology

K: non "literature" favorites: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Make Way for Ducklings, A Mothers Journey (I believe was title--it was about Emperor Penguins)-- not in any fine bindings, but read over and over and over.

Literature: The Trumpet of the Swan (over and over on into 2nd grade), Narnia, The Reluctant Dragon.

1st: E.B. White, C.S. Lewis ctd. plus Little House on the Prairie and the Rose Years (continuing into 3rd grade)

2nd: the above being read and reread, and A Wrinkle in Time, The Incredible Journey, Lassie Come Home

3rd: the above being reread and: classic literature would be: Oliver Twist, (and other Dickens but it would exceed the 3 limit), A Midsummer Night's Dream (and other Shakespeare, but also would exceed the 3 limit--I have my college complete works and we use that, as well as some Signet classics),

________ this is an open space since 3rd is not over yet... right now I might give the spot to Everything for a Dog, which is the first novel my son is reading for himself, that alone will make it special. But I think my son might give the honors to Mary Poppins.

 

you mentioned audio--we've had access to Incredible Journey, Narnia books, Stuart Little, Trumpet of the Swan, and some Little House books which has been very helpful.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Pen

[nmoira]

 

I had the copy of Wind in the Willows with Hague's illustrations as a child!

I had a cruddy abridged edition that didn't contain "Piper at the Gates of Dawn." Pink Floyd gets the thanks for enlightening me on that one. :001_smile:

[Hunter]

I'll play this is fun. And also makes me think---because even if I didn't have children I would probably still surround myself by children's lit. I'm a fan of the stuff! :001_smile:

 

I'm going to take it a step further and put a step before preschool in here for the infant/toddler's in a family. Befor eI think about my list I wanted to say that it was Jim Trelease who said that there are only 44 sounds in the English language and every sound can be found in Good Night Moon, Make Way For Ducklings and Charlotte's Web. I've never forgot that and do use those three books as reading benchmarks.

 

So my list(this is going to kill me by the way) I'm also assuming that the child would have the books from the previous years still available?

 

This list leaves out waaaay too much of course. And I don't think it would be wise to limit children to just what's on this list---but it was fun to narrow my priorities a bit. Also it leaves out a lot of poetry and drama---necessities in my opinion.

 

Walking Iris, thank you for this list. I really do think these lists are valuable, even if just used as gift lists. There are just so many reasons a mom, tutor, grandmother, might want to consult a short list, of the best of the best.

 

Your Jim Trelease comments are very interesting. Andrew Lang is the Arabian Nights you chose?

[nmoira]

:001_smile:

 

I must admit I didn't think that chapter fit well with the rest of the book. :p I'm always happening when we are listening to it in audio so I could sort of tune out / dream away that chapter.

I'm the opposite -- it brings me to tears. Every time.

[Walking-Iris]

[quote name=Pen;3702057

K: non "literature" favorites: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie' date=' Make Way for Ducklings,

.

 

Why the phrase "non-literature"??? Especially when you're talking about McClosky?

 

Hunter---yes i do really love the books by the Langs. There's also Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

Edited March 12, 2012 by Walking-Iris

[Homemama2]

I think you have sold me on Wind in the Willows, but just not which one.

 

Well, I try to have my kids pick either at the library or at a bookstore because often they like different illustrations than I do. But we both liked Wind in the Willows and Alice in Wonderland illustrated by Ingpen.

[nmoira]

This is our Arabian Nights. It's adapted, but strives to keep the feel of the original. It may not be sanitized enough for some.

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Arabian-Nights-Sheherezade-Thousand/dp/0688142192/r

 

[Hunter]

I would differentiate between a collection, which implies the idea of curation and common theme (e.g. Grimm); an anthology, which implies curation and belonging to some more abstract theme (even as general as "an overview of children's literature) but often with parts the feel incomplete (rarely are all the pictures included in picture book anthologies); and an omnibus edition. I tend to avoid omnibus editions because they're often a clumsy size and poorly laid out. Beatrix Potter is an egregious example, as she wanted her books to be a friendly in size to a child's hands.

 

The way around this is to count series as multi-volume single works. ;)

 

Thank you for this! I needed to have my vocabulary expanded and clarified. I generally don't like omnibus editions at all. Collections are more what I like. Is there anything decent for Beatrice Potter other than single copies? I saw some nice Winney the Pooh anthologies, that were still little. Sometimes just the availability of a nice hardcover edition will affect whether I add a book to my short list.

 

Sometimes the illustrations are not as important to me as how the book FEELS.

 

I've been studying a bit about story telling, and I have been reading out loud a lot lately. I found out that adults respond as well to read alouds as children do. Even adults like to be read to while they knit :-) And some of them want to revisit, or hear for the first time, books that many of us think of as children's books.

 

How important are illustrations to your choices? Or the size of the books? How about how well they function as a read aloud? I'm finding lately that I prefer books that are capable of functioning without illustrations at all, if necessary.

[momofsbandeg]

:lurk5:

[sagira]

If I had to, I would choose from this list

 

Kindergarten / Grade 1

 

Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey

The Little House, by Virginia Lee Burton

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, by Virginia Lee Burton

Curious George, by H.A. Rey

The Little Engine that Could, by Watty Piper

Stone Soup, by Marcia Brown

 

Grade 2

 

Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White

The Velveteen Rabbit, by Marjery Williams

Trumpet of the Swan, by E.B. White

 

Grade 3

Pinocchio by Carlo Colodi

Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by E. Nesbitt

Peter Pan by J.M Barrie

 

Grade 4

 

Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame

 

Grade 5

 

Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell

Heidi, by Johanna Spyri

Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne

 

Grade 6

 

The Call of the Wild, by Jack London

The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling

Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

 

Grade 7

 

The Divine Comedy, by Dante

Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes

Paradise Lost, by John Milton

 

Grade 8

 

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe

[Hunter]

I've been making banana bread and thinking about this topic. I don't have a loaf pan and just cooked it in the lid of my case iron dutch oven. It is yummy, despite being cooked in a lid :-)

 

I've heard Waldorf moms talk about introducing the curriculum literature for each grade and refusing to allow the younger children to participate. The children look forward to the day they are developed enough to fully appreciate the story and get to have special one on one time with mom reading it.

 

I was also thinking about series of books. I think I want to list the 1st book only of many series, and preferable when the main character is the age of the child.

 

Laura Ingalls turns 5 in Little House in the Big Woods. I think I will list this for pre-K. And then leave it up to chance and to the child, to finish the rest of the series somehow someway, independent of the big 3.

 

I think I also want to include Lucy Fitch Perkins' The Dutch Twins somewhere in preschool, to whet the child's appetite for the rest of the series, but again not list the rest of the series as any of the big 3.

[Hunter]

If I had to, I would choose from this list

Grade 3

Pinocchio by Carlo Colodi

Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by E. Nesbitt

Peter Pan by J.M Barrie

 

 

Thank you for the link. After looking at it, I know Pilgrim's Progress is a definite for me. Maybe Swiss Family Robinson.

 

From your list, the Velveteen Rabbit is soooo tempting, but...I don't think I have room.

 

Can you share why you picked Nesbit's Shakespeare over Lamb's?

 

Can anyone compare Jungle Book to The Just So Stories? Is Rikki Ticki Tavi one of the Just So Stories?

Edited March 12, 2012 by Hunter

[Hunter]

What do you all think about picking literature according to YOUR ideas of child development? What do you think about Waldorf's idea of grade 1 child development and literature?

 

Fairy Tales

Rudolf Steiner has recommended the telling of fairy tales as material that is psychologically appropriate for the phase of development for Grade 1 children. He used the Grimm’s fairy tales from Germany, but many countries around the world have their own fairy tales. It is important to look at the hidden wisdom behind Grimm’s collection and relate it to the development of the Grade 1 children in order to understand the reason for his choice and then to look for similar types of stories from other countries.

 

A recurring theme in the Grimm’s stories is that of the young prince or princess being sent off to perform a seemingly impossible task. With the help of a dwarf, wild animal or wise woman they go through various adventures. Sometimes there is a spell to beundone, an evil witch or dragon that must be overcome, or something precious to find before they can return home successfully. Often it is the youngest son or a simple woodcutter’s boy or girl who becomes the hero of the story.

 

If we remember that children in Grade 1 live in a state of oneness with the world around them, they naturally identify with the little prince or princess in the story. The truth is that everyone is a child of God, and as a son or daughter of a king and queen, children unconsciously recognise their divine origin and innate nobility.

 

All the characters represent aspects of the human being, and the young hero is in fact an immature soul who must go through the trials of life as he or she grows up. The ‘helpers’ represent the children’s instinctive nature and their own inner wisdom that can guide them if they are willing to listen. The evil characters are warped or one-sided qualities of soul, usually lacking in feeling. The message is that the ‘pure of heart’ will overcome evil in any form and reach the goal. This encourages children to go forward in life, knowing that all will be well and in becoming the hero of their own story, they will live ‘happily ever after’.