Narnian Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 I have a few books that I love (Books Children Love, Honey For a Child's Heart, and of course the SOTW Activity Guides and All Through The Ages) for finding great recommendations to supplement our studies in history and science. But, with the exception of Books Children Love, the descriptions of the recommended books are limited. Sometimes I wish there was a little more information so that I would know if it was something that we will actually wind up reading before going to the trouble of placing a hold through the library. Anyway, does anyone know of a website/blog that reviews history/science books for kids (whether or not it is geared towards homeschoolers)? I've found a few that offer a handful of recommendations, but nothing really thorough or comprehensive. And if there isn't anything like this, would any of you USE a website like this if it did exist? I'm thinking about starting a blog with regular reviews if I can't find one (I'm a glutton for punishment). That is, unless I'm the only one who would like an online resource like this because I'm an especially picky homeschooler when it comes to reading material -- and if that's the case, I'm really in trouble, as homeschoolers tend to be selective as it is. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 I think your idea of a blog is a great one. Good wishes if you decide to pursue it! One book that I enjoy is: Books to Build On: A Grade-by-Grade Resource Guide for Parents and Teachers by E. D. Hirsch of Cultural Literacy fame and author/editor of the What Your Xth grader Needs to Know. Also, take a look at Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook. Another favorite of mine (now out of print, but perhaps your library has it) is Michele Landsberg's Reading for the Love of It: Best Books for Young Readers. The Rainbow Resource catalog also has comprehensive reviews of a number of books; it's good for ideas. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Anyway, does anyone know of a website/blog that reviews history/science books for kids (whether or not it is geared towards homeschoolers)? I've found a few that offer a handful of recommendations, but nothing really thorough or comprehensive. HomeschoolReviews reviews various publishers' programs, and SimplyCharlotteMason has a living books searchable database. I think such a blog as you propose would be helpful if it reviewed only books, not programs or texts, and if each review included a high minimum of info. Another list of living books with four or five sentence descriptions wouldn't be helpful to me, but in-depth reviews with photos would be useful, especially if I could comment on the reviews with questions and actually get them answered by the original reviewer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narnian Posted August 13, 2008 Author Share Posted August 13, 2008 Books to Build On: A Grade-by-Grade Resource Guide for Parents and Teachers by E. D. Hirsch of Cultural Literacy fame and author/editor of the What Your Xth grader Needs to Know. Also, take a look at Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook. Another favorite of mine (now out of print, but perhaps your library has it) is Michele Landsberg's Reading for the Love of It: Best Books for Young Readers. The Rainbow Resource catalog also has comprehensive reviews of a number of books; it's good for ideas. Oh, I forgot about The Read-Aloud Handbook. That's a good one. Thanks for the other recommendations, too. I could easily amass a whole collection of these kinds of books; mercifully (for our book shelves), I don't have the budget to do that. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narnian Posted August 13, 2008 Author Share Posted August 13, 2008 HomeschoolReviews reviews various publishers' programs, and SimplyCharlotteMason has a living books searchable database. I think such a blog as you propose would be helpful if it reviewed only books, not programs or texts, and if each review included a high minimum of info. Another list of living books with four or five sentence descriptions wouldn't be helpful to me, but in-depth reviews with photos would be useful, especially if I could comment on the reviews with questions and actually get them answered by the original reviewer. Rose, what you described is exactly the kind of book review site I would love to find (or start). Book reviews that only have a few lines of description are in abundance, and while these are certainly helpful, all-inclusive reviews would be more helpful. :) I like the format used @ pluggedinonline.com -- something like that would be perfect for (objectively) giving information about a book, with a review in summary. And weblogs lend themselves to discussion, so asking questions of the reviewer would be a piece of cake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 ... I could easily amass a whole collection of these kinds of books; mercifully (for our book shelves), I don't have the budget to do that. :D I have to admit to being a sucker for books about books. A couple I'm reading now are: The Solitary Vice: Against Reading by Mikita Brottman and 1001 Books for Every Mood: A Bibliophile's Guide to Unwinding, Misbehaving, Forgiving, Celebrating, Commiserating by Hallie Ephron. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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