dragons in the flower bed Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I read George Washington to my 8 yr old son today, because he spotted it on the shelf and asked for it. My son liked it and remained engaged the whole time. I will say it was a pleasant read, except for the part where Washington's slaves beamed to see him return home. Yes, the pictures are pretty. But I don't understand why homeschoolers think these books are so fabulous. What is the magic? What makes these less twaddle and more spectacular than the gazillion other picture-book bios of American legends? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I read George Washington to my 8 yr old son today, because he spotted it on the shelf and asked for it. My son liked it and remained engaged the whole time. I will say it was a pleasant read, except for the part where Washington's slaves beamed to see him return home. Yes, the pictures are pretty. But I don't understand why homeschoolers think these books are so fabulous. What is the magic? What makes these less twaddle and more spectacular than the gazillion other picture-book bios of American legends? This. At least in my house the D'aulaire books are greatly enjoyed, much more so than any other bio book I bring home. I think it's the larger size of the book combined with the almost crayon-like drawings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roanna Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 My son loves them also. Even my then 3 year would sit through the book. I've stated before that I stop and discuss awkward things with my son that he might not yet understand about the way things were regarding slavery etc. I wish I had all the D'aulaire books. I think the fact that they are written for a child but not dumbed down is very smart. In similar fashion, David Adler, writes great biographies that also have great drawings. They are more like 8 1/2 x 11 landscape books. I go to those two writers for biographies if they are available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy M Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Also the font is nice and big and not too many words on a page to intimidate a 2nd or 3rd grade emerging reader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 The drawings. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyJo Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I don't like them, either. We love the books of myths, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I bought them all when ds was around 1st grade and quickly realized that I couldn't stand them due to the racism and inaccuracy. I do have the Myths book and it seems to be ok though. I did love the pics but I cannot excuse the actual info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 We like their Norse Myths and Greek Myths. They have been pored over consistently. They still, after several years, see lots of use and this in spite of the myriad of other mythology books we have which also see a lot of use :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 The Greek myths book is the only one I've read to ds2 and he loved it so much he's getting his own copy for his birthday and the Norse myths when I find a good price. The drawings are amazing and there's just the right ratio of pictures to text. I also think they do an excellent idea of toning down the sex and violence to make it age appropriate without dumbing it down. My olders were every bit as enthusiastic about the biographies at this age but I'm sticking with the ancients until ds2 is considerably older, although I'll freely admit that sometimes I wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Yep, we don't all love them. Myths, yes. Bios, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Yep, we don't all love them. Myths, yes. Bios, no. Yep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I read George Washington to my 8 yr old son today, because he spotted it on the shelf and asked for it. My son liked it and remained engaged the whole time. I will say it was a pleasant read, except for the part where Washington's slaves beamed to see him return home. Yes, the pictures are pretty. But I don't understand why homeschoolers think these books are so fabulous. What is the magic? What makes these less twaddle and more spectacular than the gazillion other picture-book bios of American legends? I think the style of art might be the appeal? I don't care for their bios, but have read some of their myth books, as KathyJo said. I think this myth of the beloved slaves of George Washington has a lot of believers. I saw an interesting bit about one of GW's slaves, named Harry, who ran away and fought with British loyalists. You can see a summary at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/george-washingtons-runaway-slave-harry/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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