Hunter Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 What are YOUR favorite public domain novels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 17, 2014 Author Share Posted September 17, 2014 I found this list of Children's Lit before 1923. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/20725.Children_s_Lit_Before_1923 Popular Public Domain Books. https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/public-domain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 17, 2014 Author Share Posted September 17, 2014 Has anyone read through the original Bobsey Twins series? I've never read an original or revised book? They are mysteries, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 17, 2014 Author Share Posted September 17, 2014 I'd like to make lists for the different genres, such as mysteries, adventure, science fiction. I guess first I'd need to select the genres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Has anyone read through the original Bobsey Twins series? I've never read an original or revised book? They are mysteries, right?Rivka warned against them and I looked them up. Definitely a nasty surprise there. But aren't the original Bobbsey Twins books (the kind that are available for free) even more dated than most dated children's books? I remember checking out the first book on Project Gutenberg and, in the first few chapters, coming across references to (a) little girls who jumped rope so much that they fell down dead, and (b ) Flossie carefully keeping her black doll segregated from her white dolls. Not to mention the horrible dialect that Dinah, the black cook, speaks in. I'd think the modernized Bobbsey Twins from the 70s or 80s would be okay, though. Wow, I will have to look those up! (ETA: Wow! You weren't kidding! "You turned the rope," went on Danny maliciously. "If she dies, they'll put you in prison, Nan Bobbsey." But luckily the girl just fainted. And someone wasn't a very good student of ebonics. "I do declar', it looks most tremend'us real," said the cook. "It's a wonder to me yo' chillun can make sech t'ings." and then "Fire enjuns, am it, Freddie? Reckon yo' is gwine to be a fireman when yo' is a man, hey?" -- I like that the one thing the author doesn't have her change into dialect is "it's a wonder" -- and I wonder myself, how is "declar'" pronounced any differently than "declare"? And "Gracious sakes alive, chile!" burst out Dinah, and without waiting to put anything on her head she rushed forth into the garden. "Gib me dat shovel quick! He'll be stuffocated fo' yo' know it." even though in the illustration she has on her trusty kerchief and looks downright slim, in contrast to the constant descriptions of her as fat. Segregation play is in chapter vii. I'll let you save my life, I just won't play with you. Lawdy.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 The Wizard of Oz is really the only public domain book my kids have really loved. We have done some others like Alice in Wonderland and some E. Nesbit stuff and we had a nice free edition of Grimm's on the Kindle as well that the kids both read parts of themselves. I also used Grammarland and the boys really liked it. I love the idea of all that public domain stuff for kids, but I find the library is a better resource in many cases. My kids like a lot of older books, but 1940's and 50's older mostly, not 1890's older... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 18, 2014 Author Share Posted September 18, 2014 Rivka warned against them and I looked them up. Definitely a nasty surprise there. Stripe, thank you so much for the review and the quotes by Rivka! The Wizard of Oz is really the only public domain book my kids have really loved. We have done some others like Alice in Wonderland and some E. Nesbit stuff and we had a nice free edition of Grimm's on the Kindle as well that the kids both read parts of themselves. I also used Grammarland and the boys really liked it. I love the idea of all that public domain stuff for kids, but I find the library is a better resource in many cases. My kids like a lot of older books, but 1940's and 50's older mostly, not 1890's older... As a child I read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on and sometimes it was slim pickings. I read a lot of what are now public domain books, but I did like the ones from the 40's-70's better. I need to reread Water Babies. I remember liking it, but I see strong warnings without details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 The Secret Garden, of course. Secret gardens are the most magical kinds of magical you can build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 18, 2014 Author Share Posted September 18, 2014 The Secret Garden, of course. Secret gardens are the most magical kinds of magical you can build. Stripe warned about a racist scene. This book is at the tippity top of my list to reread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 But The Secret Garden (and I forgot about that one, we did really love it!) is so good on its own. I also seem to remember a couple of scenes related to Mary's time in India that are problematic. But not problematic beyond the, "Hey, kids, this is how it was. That word(s) isn't okay. Here's why. Blah blah" and move on level. It's not the focus of the book. The focus of the book is all gardens and personalities and fake illnesses and friendships. It's so minor. And the writing is so lovely. That's like the opposite of something like the Bobbsey Twins, which, come on, isn't great literature. It's just some light reading from a different time. I think of it like a scale. On one side, it's quality. On the other side, it's problematic issues of messages about race, gender and sometimes morality and religion. You throw everything on the metaphorical scale and if it's points toward quality, even with the weight of a few problematic scenes, then you read it anyway and discuss the scenes. If all it takes to tip the book toward problematic is a few scenes, then it didn't have enough quality to begin with. Someone should mention Thornton Burgess. I'm not a fan, but I can see why many like his works. The other author that, for some inexplicable reason, is popular in the public domain is Henty, but gag. Talk about problems outweighing quality! Most of the other things out there are, to me, for upper middle and high school, like Huck Finn. Or they're good, but you'd probably want the sanitized version, which isn't in the public domain, like Doctor Doolittle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 We've read and enjoyed a lot of Nesbit and MacDonald. I was not a big fan of Waterbabies, it is one of the few I gave up as a read-aloud. The Marvelous Land of the Snergs is on my to read list as I've been reading about influential works for Tolkien and Lewis, it sounds delightful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 The Wizard of Oz is really the only public domain book my kids have really loved. We have done some others like Alice in Wonderland and some E. Nesbit stuff and we had a nice free edition of Grimm's on the Kindle as well that the kids both read parts of themselves. I also used Grammarland and the boys really liked it. I love the idea of all that public domain stuff for kids, but I find the library is a better resource in many cases. My kids like a lot of older books, but 1940's and 50's older mostly, not 1890's older... One of my kids liked Lang's fairy books. My kids read several Oz books on their ereaders. They also listened to tons of stuff from Librivox. Nesbit is a bit of a mixed bag; I didn't like the use of "nigger" as a color (Treasure Seekers??) or the scalping scene in Five Children and It, but the rest was so much fun it annoyed me. I am always so disappointed when I open a book and there's the n-word. That's why I always seem to be posting about it; I honestly can't believe how many times it's happened! Like every story that I blithely downloaded contained a random negress. It's like taking a bite of a cookie and getting a mouthful of baking soda. Mrs Molesworth's books are sort of interesting; I read The Cuckoo Clock aloud (which, by the way, features "mandarins" and I don't mean oranges -- see what I mean?!) and my daughter read The Carved Lions. My daughter adored Alice in Wonderland when we read with the Helen Oxenbury illustrations. It totally changed the experience for me from Tenniel's small black and white line drawings. So I bought those, rather than using public domain illustrations. I find the beginning of The Secret Garden depressing, because everyone dies off and the mother doesn't love her. Not just the weird colonialist/racist stuff. Anne of Green Gables has some anti-French and anti-Italian stuff in it, too. sigh. But, Hunter, did you mean books for kids or for adults?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 I've never yet seen a thread about people's FAVORITE public domain books. Books they just LIKED. There has always been another focus to our public domain book threads. Beyond just being curious about people's FAVORITES, I'm playing around with the idea of trying to put together some AO like pdf schedules using ALL free downloads. Yes, I would sometimes use them with my adult students, as some of my adult students have needs more like children than typical adults. Some still play with toys. Others just want to fill in the holes of what they missed out on. Some are afraid of adult books. Also, I'm not trying to just make the schedules for my own use. I don't know. I just want to see how good of a curriculum can be created. First, there is that. I'm curious to see it all planned out on a spread sheet. Then, there are people all the time that are putting together worse, than what I think I could put together. It might be a blessing for us all to have a totally free curriculum we could link people to that are in crisis, that for better and worse, have already chosen to go the free download route. I'd like to schedule it along a TWTM rotation, even if it makes it a little weaker, so that people can easily hop in and out. I don't know. It's a lot of work to do something like this. And a lot of work for something I'm not sure will be that good. It's pretty limiting to go ALL free downloads. I'm playing with the idea, though. I'm learning how to use my spread sheet app. I'm asking dumb questions that leave you are scratching your heads. I'm keeping busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Hunter, I think creating a solid free curricula using exclusively free resources is a really awesome project that would be really useful to many people. I wonder if you could also include options for things that would be available at the library for most people. Like, here's the free literature list, it's enough, but if you have a local library, you can try to use these other books as alternates... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeritasMama Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 My kids actually love the Lang books, I'm not a big fan but they are. I love The Secret Garden and Little Princess. I'm also a fan of Charlotte Yonge. Heidi is another book I love, though I'm not sure why. One of those ethereal qualities I can't put my finger on ;). Are you interested in just fiction, or are you interested in other genres as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I think Anne of Green Gabels became public domain this year. Are all The Little Women books in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Hunter, I think creating a solid free curricula using exclusively free resources is a really awesome project that would be really useful to many people. I wonder if you could also include options for things that would be available at the library for most people. Like, here's the free literature list, it's enough, but if you have a local library, you can try to use these other books as alternates... Yes! I sort of played with this for a while. I came to the conclusion that there are lots of free options, but often times a carefully bought current item works well too. (Math Mammoth on sale and .25 paperbacks for example). I would like to see a 21st century AO- type curriculum- or at least book list.This what I've played with http://beansblues.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/fools-errand/ HTH ETA, I eventually went to the spreadsheet /planner method I use because I was given a box of awesome books and wanted to be able to use them without going crazy b/c they didn't fit any schedule. I also wanted to be open and flexible to bunny trails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Hunter, I think creating a solid free curricula using exclusively free resources is a really awesome project that would be really useful to many people. I wonder if you could also include options for things that would be available at the library for most people. Like, here's the free literature list, it's enough, but if you have a local library, you can try to use these other books as alternates... Yes, I was thinking of doing that. I wouldn't want to SCHEDULE library books on the spread sheet, but I would want to definitely have detailed printable information about alternatives and supplements. I would want the main spread sheets to be doable by EVERYONE, though. A mom is crisis really likes to be able to cross item after item off a spreadsheet. It relieves anxiety. It feels good. I just wouldn't want ANYTHING on that spreadsheet that rub's a mom's nose in what she is NOT doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 My kids actually love the Lang books, I'm not a big fan but they are. I love The Secret Garden and Little Princess. I'm also a fan of Charlotte Yonge. Heidi is another book I love, though I'm not sure why. One of those ethereal qualities I can't put my finger on ;). Are you interested in just fiction, or are you interested in other genres as well? Coming up with a list of ENJOYABLE novels is ONE of my goals, but hit me with anything you have to share about free curriculum, or ANYTHING you just want to share, even if it's about what your dog ate for breakfast. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Yes, I was thinking of doing that. I wouldn't want to SCHEDULE library books on the spread sheet, but I would want to definitely have detailed printable information about alternatives and supplements. I would want the main spread sheets to be doable by EVERYONE, though. A mom is crisis really likes to be able to cross item after item off a spreadsheet. It relieves anxiety. It feels good. I just wouldn't want ANYTHING on that spreadsheet that rub's a mom's nose in what she is NOT doing. Yes, I get that. Like a second document that's like, if you have a little money, if you need an alternative, if you would like some enrichment options... You should put public domain poems on there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeritasMama Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Yes! I sort of played with this for a while. I came to the conclusion that there are lots of free options, but often times a carefully bought current item works well too. (Math Mammoth on sale and .25 paperbacks for example). I would like to se a 21st century AO- type curriculum- or at least book list. This what I've played with http://beansblues.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/fools-errand/ HTH HUFI could be described as an "updated" version of AO. She used AO's lists as a starting off point, she uses a lot of vintage texts but also some modern texts for history, geography, science, etc. It is Protestant like AO. http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/2009/07/books-and-schedules.html?m=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeritasMama Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Yes, I get that. Like a second document that's like, if you have a little money, if you need an alternative, if you would like some enrichment options... You should put public domain poems on there too. I agree this would be really useful for a lot of people. For anyone looking for poetry resources, I think the AO schedule for poetry is really great, it is one of the aspects of the curriculum we use. I appreciate that they focus on a different poet or several poets a term, it creates an appreciation for voice and style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Are all The Little Women books in there? I believe Little Women is. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/102 has Little Women, as well as 8 Cousins, Old Fashioned Girl, and so on. Or do you mean Little House?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeritasMama Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 My son loved Understood Betsy, that one was a surprise for me. We also enjoyed Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Growing up I loved Anne of Green Gables, and Little Women. My son also enjoyed The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and the Curdie. The Light Princess was also a hit, as was Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (that one surprised me as well). Milo Winter's version of Aesop is my favorite, but I've mostly read modern versions, if there is a better public domain version I'd love to hear about it. For more adult novels, I could go on all day :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 I think Anne of Green Gabels became public domain this year. Are all The Little Women books in there? Most of the Anne books have been public domain, but one is not? All the Alcott books are PD? And there will be no more public domain books in the USA until at least 2019, right? Korrale, do you LIKE these books? PERSONALLY do you ENJOY them? These are lower on my list to read myself, as it seems like people universally recommend them. I'd like to hear from people I admire and trust that they have read the book recently and PERSONALLY suggest it. Please, any PD books you are reading with your little man right now, I'd love a short review from you. I don't want to add books that people don't actually enjoy, but we all have labeled as "good for you". I want someone to be able to buy a mom in crisis a Kindle, load it with the books, and have the mom and children ENJOY themselves. If a mom and children have lost EVERYTHING in a flood/fire and are now all cramped into one bedroom of a grumpy mother-in-law's house, I don't want them subjected to "good for you" but unenjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 If anyone reads a book, likes it, and can give me a short review and any warnings, I trust you all more than just about anyone else in the entire world. Seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. A Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I love, love, love the Among the ...People books by Clara Dillingham Pierson -great natural history books that are so much fun. I also adore Padraic Colum's The Children of Odin and The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 You should put public domain poems on there too. I agree. I'm open to suggestions. Again, PERSONAL suggestions that you ENJOY are worth more than gold to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. A Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Oh, also Howard Pyle's Robin Hood. That was a really enjoyable read aloud here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Peter Pan? Tinkerbell says some bad words, but we liked it. Pinocchio. We had an old version, but it was illustrated. I was surprised she liked it. ETA we skipped the "Indian" part in PP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 HUFI could be described as an "updated" version of AO. She used AO's lists as a starting off point, she uses a lot of vintage texts but also some modern texts for history, geography, science, etc. It is Protestant like AO. http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/2009/07/books-and-schedules.html?m=1 I've been through her site and will continue to look at it, but…it wasn't enough of what I want. I want this to be a 4 year rotation. And there are bits of CM that I want to include, but this will not be the NEW type of CM, or even the old. It will be blue collar friendly, even though it follows the 4 year rotation. It will be more like Robinson on steroids, than AO style CM, or super rigorous classical, and there will be PD 3R books scheduled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I didn't finish Otto of the Silver Hand (had some thought we would read it together, but haven't yet.) So far, I liked it. Also, don't discount checking out ebooks from libraries. It's pretty easy to "beg" a library card number off of MIL if you don't already have a card for a system with eboooks. The selection of classic-but-not-old-enough-to-be-in-Public-Domain children's books is growing steadily. Honestly, I've done better with adult books for out of copyright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 I agree this would be really useful for a lot of people. For anyone looking for poetry resources, I think the AO schedule for poetry is really great, it is one of the aspects of the curriculum we use. I appreciate that they focus on a different poet or several poets a term, it creates an appreciation for voice and style. AO is VERY protective of their content right now. You cannot copyright list, but…I'm just going to not even look at their lists. I don't feel like I know good poetry from bad, but I need to look elsewhere for inspiration and validation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 If anyone reads a book, likes it, and can give me a short review and any warnings, I trust you all more than just about anyone else in the entire world. Seriously. Yeah, but for every person who hates Heidi, What Katy Did and Little Women, you'll find someone else who loves them. Like pagan little me here. They are about people who struggle and find their grooves and struggle a bit more and find their groove again, and so on, like life. I don't know what 'Just So Stories' by Rudyard Kipling is like to read oneself, but I very much enjoyed listening to the chap who read for Librivox. That was a hoot! I actually really enjoyed 'Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates' too. There is a lot of what should be "boring bits" but I didn't find them boring at all. I likes me a bit of history and travel writing. :) 'Treasure Island' was more fun than I thought it would be too. I can't imagine what sort of stories your mums and kids in crisis would like though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaughingCat Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I never cared much for Little Women, but I've read Eight Cousins and An Old Fashioned Girl by Alcott multiple times as an adult (not recently) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeritasMama Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 AO is VERY protective of their content right now. You cannot copyright list, but…I'm just going to not even look at their lists. I don't feel like I know good poetry from bad, but I need to look elsewhere for inspiration and validation. Well here is a great public domain poetry anthology: Poems Every Child Should Know http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16436 And here is an excellent anthology for English poetry up to 1900: The Oxford Book of English Verse https://archive.org/stream/oxfordbookengli03cougoog#page/n1046/mode/2up :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeritasMama Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I've been through her site and will continue to look at it, but…it wasn't enough of what I want. I want this to be a 4 year rotation. And there are bits of CM that I want to include, but this will not be the NEW type of CM, or even the old. It will be blue collar friendly, even though it follows the 4 year rotation. It will be more like Robinson on steroids, than AO style CM, or super rigorous classical, and there will be PD 3R books scheduled.I've daydreamed about something like this myself, I like the idea of Robinson, reading challenging books and learning independent study skills that will be useful in college and beyond, but with an updated booklist and 4 year history rotation. It would be interesting. ETA: Just so you know, HUFI is a four year history rotation, it's one of the things she changed from the AO schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 My son loved Understood Betsy, that one was a surprise for me. We also enjoyed Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Growing up I loved Anne of Green Gables, and Little Women. My son also enjoyed The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and the Curdie. The Light Princess was also a hit, as was Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (that one surprised me as well). Milo Winter's version of Aesop is my favorite, but I've mostly read modern versions, if there is a better public domain version I'd love to hear about it. For more adult novels, I could go on all day :). VeritasMama, thank you for these personal recommendations. I've been wondering about these titles. adelaide.udu.au lists 3 PD translators for Aesop. I haven't chosen which one to use yet. Aesop and everything on the Dirda Patterning Works Reading list will be given special consideration. https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/a/aesop/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 I love, love, love the Among the ...People books by Clara Dillingham Pierson -great natural history books that are so much fun. I also adore Padraic Colum's The Children of Odin and The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles. Very good to know! I've been looking at all these books. Do you like Parables of Nature? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Oh, also Howard Pyle's Robin Hood. That was a really enjoyable read aloud here. Where there any difficult to understand parts for lower functioning students? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Peter Pan? Tinkerbell says some bad words, but we liked it. Pinocchio. We had an old version, but it was illustrated. I was surprised she liked it. ETA we skipped the "Indian" part in PP. There was a recent thread where some people thought the movie was necessary for cultural literacy, but the book better skipped. I'm putting Peter Pan back on my reading list, and moving Pinocchio back up to the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Most of the Anne books have been public domain, but one is not? .... I don't want to add books that people don't actually enjoy, but we all have labeled as "good for you". I adored Jane of Lantern Hill but it's not PD yet in the US. I have the paperback I owned as a girl, though. I was fond of Anne as a kid, but I was heavily influenced by the tv movie. I reread Jane, and I still think it's good. I read the Emily series, but it didn't strike a cord when I was young. I keep meaning to reread it but haven't gotten around to it. I remember liking An Old Fashioned Girl (Alcott) as a girl (PD) and I think it's the book that inspired me to make molasses candy when I was home alone after school. Er. Yeah. I made a lot of candy. I liked Girl of the Limberlost, which is PD. I liked the conflict and struggles of Elnora. It wasn't so syrupy as some books are. I have a poetry collection that's PD that I use occasionally and seems pretty good; I can post later. It's not all superserious stuff. I think AO is a bit too serious. There is some grim CM quote about not encouraging a boy to do stuff that's not appropriate for a man that guides their selection, I think. I just love Wind in the Willows. Apparently I am the only one on the board who feels that way! East O the Sun, West of the Moon is a great collection, and the stories feature very strong women. Different from the German/French fairy tales. I don't know if this listing is helpful http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 I didn't finish Otto of the Silver Hand (had some thought we would read it together, but haven't yet.) So far, I liked it. Also, don't discount checking out ebooks from libraries. It's pretty easy to "beg" a library card number off of MIL if you don't already have a card for a system with eboooks. The selection of classic-but-not-old-enough-to-be-in-Public-Domain children's books is growing steadily. Honestly, I've done better with adult books for out of copyright. Library cards are getting more and more difficult and I think we have just started to see the crack downs. That is a topic for another thread, but due to my city's new crackdowns, people are losing their cards that even live in the city, just because they are trying to crack down on out of towners borrowing ebooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Yeah, but for every person who hates Heidi, What Katy Did and Little Women, you'll find someone else who loves them. Like pagan little me here. They are about people who struggle and find their grooves and struggle a bit more and find their groove again, and so on, like life. I don't know what 'Just So Stories' by Rudyard Kipling is like to read oneself, but I very much enjoyed listening to the chap who read for Librivox. That was a hoot! I actually really enjoyed 'Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates' too. There is a lot of what should be "boring bits" but I didn't find them boring at all. I likes me a bit of history and travel writing. :) 'Treasure Island' was more fun than I thought it would be too. I can't imagine what sort of stories your mums and kids in crisis would like though. I don't even have to reread Heidi to know I will add that. It has a lot of content in it. I received little explicit instruction in most of the schools I attended, but I know that Heidi was an important peg that I hung lots of new information on. Silver Skates, too. I want this to be a novel heavy curriculum, for reasons I will explain when I have more time. Many of these novels can be pegs. As for my imaginary target family, I am going to create a collage of pictures and hang it above my computer. I'll be winging it, but still, there will be some "good for you" books that I don't think will make the cut, and will not end out on the main SCHEDULE. Plutarch will be on the supplements list and get a link to the AO website, but will not be on the schedule. If I actually make the collage, I'll scan it and post it. :lol: I see a tween boy, sitting on the floor, that says, "NO!" to Plutarch. And a tired mom that needs another way to cover character/citizenship with her brood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 I never cared much for Little Women, but I've read Eight Cousins and An Old Fashioned Girl by Alcott multiple times as an adult (not recently) Little Women wasn't my favorite. I remember liking other of her books though. Little men. Jack and Jill. I think I read 8 cousins but am not sure. One book had a basket of apples in a boy's room. I remember that. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Well here is a great public domain poetry anthology: Poems Every Child Should Know http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16436 And here is an excellent anthology for English poetry up to 1900: The Oxford Book of English Verse https://archive.org/stream/oxfordbookengli03cougoog#page/n1046/mode/2up :) Thank you. I will check these out. Collections are what I want. I think there are some volumes collected for teachers, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 I've daydreamed about something like this myself, I like the idea of Robinson, reading challenging books and learning independent study skills that will be useful in college and beyond, but with an updated booklist and 4 year history rotation. It would be interesting. ETA: Just so you know, HUFI is a four year history rotation, it's one of the things she changed from the AO schedule. Thank you. I will look again. I have skimmed SO many websites and PD books in the past couple weeks, my head is swimming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 I adored Jane of Lantern Hill but it's not PD yet in the US. I have the paperback I owned as a girl, though. I was fond of Anne as a kid, but I was heavily influenced by the tv movie. I reread Jane, and I still think it's good. I read the Emily series, but it didn't strike a cord when I was young. I keep meaning to reread it but haven't gotten around to it. I remember liking An Old Fashioned Girl (Alcott) as a girl (PD) and I think it's the book that inspired me to make molasses candy when I was home alone after school. Er. Yeah. I made a lot of candy. I liked Girl of the Limberlost, which is PD. I liked the conflict and struggles of Elnora. It wasn't so syrupy as some books are. I have a poetry collection that's PD that I use occasionally and seems pretty good; I can post later. It's not all superserious stuff. I think AO is a bit too serious. There is some grim CM quote about not encouraging a boy to do stuff that's not appropriate for a man that guides their selection, I think. I just love Wind in the Willows. Apparently I am the only one on the board who feels that way! East O the Sun, West of the Moon is a great collection, and the stories feature very strong women. Different from the German/French fairy tales. I don't know if this listing is helpful http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/ Is Old Fashioned Girl the one where they dress up like stuffed dolls. I think the dressed up like stuffed dolls for Halloween was in a book with molasses candy. I want to read Wind in the Willows. So many books so little time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I loathe and despise Pinocchio :lol: I've just been looking through my collection of Librivox downloads and found 'The Sun's Babies' by Edith Howes. I remember that as absolutely delightful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeritasMama Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I want to read Wind in the Willows. So many books so little time. Version 2 and Version 3 of The Wind in the Willows on librivox are both quite pleasant. I listen to PD books on my Kindle or iPod while I clean the house :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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