We're just finishing up SOTW with a 1st and a Ker. Here are the books that contributed to our study (as opposed to the ones that we read and promptly forgot!) They are roughly in chronological order: Living in Prehistoric Times (Jane Chisholm) The Last Quest of Gilgamesh and others (Zeman) Bill & Pete Go Down the Nile (DePaola) Cat Mummies (Trumble) Tale of Alia Baba & the 40 Thieves (Kimmel) The Three Princes (Kimmel) Sinbad (Zeman)** The Gifts of Wali Dad (Aaron Shepard)** One Grain of Rice (Demi) The Five Chinese Brothers (Bishop) The Peacock's Pride (Kajpust) Anansi stories (Kimmel)** Pepi & the Secret Names (Walsh)** In Search of Knossos (Caselli) Atlantis The Hero & the Minotaur (Byrd) Hercules (Lasky) D'Aulaires Greek Myths** Hercules (Burleigh) Perseus (Hutton) Pegasus (Mayer) The Trojan Horse (Hutton) Librarian Who Measured the Earth (Lasky) The Persian Cinderella (Climo) The King & the Three Thieves (Balouch) Queen Esther Saves Her People (Gelman) The Red Lion (Wolkstein)** King Midas & the Golden Touch (Craft)** Alexander the Great (Bingham) The Great Alexander the Great (Lasker)** The starred ones are the books my children asked for repeatedly. We're just now starting Rome, so I can't give too many recommendations there yet.

We're just finishing 1st grade. Here are some of our favorite RA: Freddy the Pig series (Freddy goes to Florida, Freddy the Detective, Freddy and the Ignormus) Charlotte's Web Verdi/Stellaluna The Water Horse My Father's Dragon Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Farm Mr. Popper's Penguins Babe the Gallant Pig Henry & Ribsy series (Henry Huggins and others) The Tale of Despereaux and lots and lots of picture books from the library!!! Good luck!:D

I said No, because I would rather wait until my kids are older and read classics. (There are so many good classics that younger children can enjoy.) Then I remembered that we have read TWO abridged versions of Black Beauty! Oops!:D And we have read the abridged versions of Iliad/Odyssey/Gilgamesh, which coincided with history. Guess I need a re-vote.

I don't have an answer, because I'm in the same boat! So I will be interested to hear other's replies. It drives me up a wall when I try narration, and I get "I don't knows", which I think is a lazy answer. Anyway- just commiserating with you! :) I remember long, long ago that someone had posted a page with leading questions to ask for narration. I can't seem to find it, perhaps someone else out there has it??

We have on our bookshelf: Pocahontas George Washington Greek Myths (to go along with SOTW ancients) My kids enjoy them (daughter especially likes Pocahontas). I can't sit and read them in one sitting, though. I usually take a couple of days to get through them. The illustrations are great, the stories vary. Some of them (George Washington in particular) can be a little like: this happened, then this happened, then this... it can be a little fact, fact, fact with not a lot of narrative tying it together. We also enjoyed Leif the Lucky. All in all, I give them a thumbs up- but I have found my books used and much cheaper than the going rate. (Yeah for library book sales!!:))

I tried them with my 7 & 5 yo, and they just wouldn't sit still. (They are used to sitting for a long time during read alouds) I think I'm going to try it again in a year and see if they are more ready.

I read "Honey for a Child's Heart", and found some winners there. I'll list a few: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel/Little House/Katy and the Big Snow (Burton) old classics, kids have returned to them over & over Little Tim Books- Edward Ardizzone (OOP, I think. STories of a little boy who lives by the English seashore, and his adventures there.) Dr DeSoto (Steig) We enjoy this one the best of all the Steig books Stellaluna/Verdi (Cannon) Saint George and the Dragon (Hodges) Anansi stories (Kimmel) folk tales from Africa The Gifts of Wali Dad (Shepard) found at our library, we love the humor in this tale!! I think it's an Indian folk tale. Five Chinese Brothers (Bishop) The Red Lion (Wolkstein) King Midas and the Golden Touch (Craft) amazing illustrations The Firebird (Spirin) It Could Always Be Worse (Zemach) Hope these help!! They've been some that we've enjoyed this year. Can you tell that my kids are sleeping late???:D

I'm in agreement here. I tried reading Pooh several times, and my kids just seemed bored with it. No amount of vocal gymnastics on my part could bring it to life. Then we got Jim Broadbent's version from the library- bang! Now the kids "get" it! They even laugh at appropriate parts! (Instead of yawning while I read...:D)

Along with the above mentioned books, here are some that my son enjoyed this past year for 1st grade: Lots and Lots of Let's-Read-and-Find-Out science series books Billy and Blaze series (CW Anderson)*** Julius (Syd Hoff) Harry the Dirty Dog*** Magic Tree House Series (not great literature, but he voraciously read these and they gave him lots of confidence to enjoy reading) Geronimo Stilton (he's only read a few of these) Frog & Toad books (Arnold Lobel)*** Andrew Lost series Secret Agent Jack Stalwart series (Elizabeth Singer Hunt) Spiderwick series These are all free time reading, I've marked the books that are higher quality with ***. The others are just freebies. But he's a good reader, and we have done lots and lots of non-fiction as well. Check at your local library if you can, they should have some readers in various levels. Good luck!

Thank you again, Jessica. I'm sure I speak for many on this board who appreciate how freely you share your resources. I'm sooo glad that I'm one year behind you.:D While I don't use all your stuff, it does give me a good jumping-off place!

Oh, I also forgot the Beverly Cleary books. Both enjoyed Henry Huggins and Henry and Ribsy. You have great chapter books, but don't give up on picture books yet! :) There are so many good ones out there. I have to remind myself that reading literature isn't a race. And there are lots of picture books that are great reads. You've got a fun year ahead of you!

I have a 5 & 7 yo, and we enjoyed many of these read alouds this past year. I highlighted my favorites: We are also just now finishing the Tale of Desperaux. Both of mine are really enjoying it, and begging, "Just one more chapter, mom..." Always a good sign around here! :)

Blogs are one of those things that I'm staying away from. I already have to monitor my time on the computer. (Plus I just set up a facebook account to keep up with the goings-on with some old friends) When I have looked at blogs, I know I would love wasting time there! But I gotta pare things down, and I get so much information from this forum. So, it's forum for me! (And sometimes a tv forum):blush:

We're huge library users here. I buy very little, and what I do buy is usually used from library sales! But we have been blessed that the two library systems I have used (Boston and NYC) are wonderful. They don't always have everything I would like, but usually there is something comparable. I'm such an enthusiastic library user that I often remind my kids that paying taxes is not always a bad thing, as taxes support things like our local libraries. :D