History

History CurriculumHistory Resources

As with most things, C.S. Lewis had a unique view of history. For him, the really important bits were the stories—he makes a distinction between actual historical realities and the idealized versions of them handed down which make heroes and villains of mere men and women. It's not that the stories are completely false, but their value is for character-building, not as factual data.

The tales of George Washington's bravery in battle, coolness under pressure, rigorous truthfulness, and unflagging piety may accurately preserve the essence of his temperament and nobility, but not all of them are strictly historical. The point of these stories isn't to impart facts, however, it's to offer an example of goodness for the rest of us to emulate.

Getting the facts right is still important, though. As Christians, we can't afford to have a false understanding of "the old days." Mankind is fallen, and the story of his sojourn on Earth is filled with war, suffering, disease, unfaithfulness, pride and envy; a study of history that omits those elements is both false and useless. False, because it is incomplete, and useless, because it tells us nothing of the human condition or our current situation.

It's a bit of a mystery to us why non-Christians are motivated to study the past. For believers, the end goal isn't just acquisition of facts about events and cultures, it's the instillation of a thoroughly Christian worldview, an understanding of the course of the human endeavour as decreed and guided by God Himself.

The story of Jesus Christ is central. It is the only history story that fulfills the character-building element Lewis looked for, while remaining absolutely true in every detail. Man is fallen and he does struggle against God, but through Christ there is hope of redemption, a chance to connect heaven and earth through the Atonement. Christ is the ultimate example of God's providence.

In the Reformed tradition, God's sovereignty is a very big deal. According to the doctrine of divine decree, God has ordered all things that were, are and will come to be for His own good pleasure and glory. His hand is thus present everywhere, in the privatest private life and the most public and widespread crisis. God is in control, providentially guiding nations, men, and the entire cosmos.

This very doctrine is perhaps what best explains the humanist's interest in history (whether he be atheist, agnostic, pagan). Man's natural bent is to make himself the hero of the story, to show how people can sway the trajectory of all things. God's version is quite different, and the two are naturally in conflict. Resolution may only be found in Christ.

For, while God decrees and guides all things, He has also (paradoxically) decreed man's free will and personal responsibility. Men do change the course of kingdoms, but it is only through God's agency. A proper Christian study of history takes both truths into account, and tells the stories of good guys and bad guys through the light of everything God's Word says about human nature and divine control.

We encourage you to take great comfort and joy in your study of history. Read books, watch movies (carefully noting that a lot of the story is likely to be inaccurate in detail), go on fieldtrips to forts and battlefields and birthplaces. Most of all, talk about these things. The end goal, after all, isn't to know a bunch of trivia, but to understand what God has done and continues to do.

No one knows for sure what the end of history will look like, except that every knee in heaven and on earth will bow to the returned glorious Christ, who comes to judge the living and the dead. What we believe about Him will determine whether that culmination will be filled with joy or loathing (everyone will be terrified). He is the author of history, and its centerpiece; honor Him in your study of it.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.

 

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Adelita
by Tomie DePaola
Reprint from Puffin Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Adventures of Paddy the Beaver
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #19
by Thornton W. Burgess
Unabridged from Dover Publications
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Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear
by Hans de Beer
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Alexander the Great
by Andrew Langley
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$6.99
Always Room for One More
by Sorche Nic Leodhas
from Henry Holt and Company
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1966 Caldecott Medal winner
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Anatole
by Eve Titus
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1957 Caldecott Honor Book
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Angel Child, Dragon Child
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Apples to Oregon
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$8.99
Archaeologists Dig For Clues
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
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Art Coloring Book
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$5.40 (1 in stock)
Baseball Saved Us
by Ken Mochizuki
from Lee & Low Books
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$9.95
BFB Early American History - K-3 Pack
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$260.93
Biggest Frog in Australia
by Susan L. Roth
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$10.99
Children of the Earth and Sky
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Children's Color Book of Jamestown in Virginia
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Civil War Artist
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Coming On Home Soon
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Coming to America
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Crow Boy
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1956 Caldecott Honor Book
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$8.99
Daniel Boone
by Carol Greene
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Diary of a Wombat
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Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velasquez
Art For Children
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Discovering Great Artists (old)
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Edward the Emu
by Sheena Knowles
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El Chino
by Allen Say
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Elizabeth Fry
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$11.99
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1968 Caldecott Honor Book
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$6.99
Empty Pot
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Everybody Cooks Rice
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by Jo E. Moore
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Famous Figures of the American Revolution
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$10.00
First Thanksgiving
by Jean Craighead George
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$7.99
Fortune-Tellers
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Freedom on the Menu
by Carole Boston Weatherford
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$6.99
From Akebu to Zapotec
by June Hathersmith
from Wycliffe Bible Translators
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$6.00 (3 in stock)
Funny Little Woman
by Arlene Mosel & Blair Lent
Reissue from Puffin Books
1973 Caldecott Medal winner
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$5.99
Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
by Paul Goble
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Native American Legends for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1979 Caldecott Medal winner
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Going West!
Kalideoscope Kids Book
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from Williamson Publishing Company
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Granny Han's Breakfast
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Hanna's Cold Winter
by Trish Marx & Barbara Knutson
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$11.95
Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King
by Jean Marzollo, illustrated by J. Brian Pinkney
from Scholastic Inc.
Picture Book Biography for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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Hiawatha
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Hidden Tales from Eastern Europe
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Honey... Honey... Lion!
by Jan Brett
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$8.99
Horn for Louis
Stepping Stones
by Eric A. Kimmel
from Penguin Random House
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
How My Parents Learned to Eat
by Ina R. Friedman
from Sandpiper Books
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$7.99
Hush!
by Minfong Ho & Holly Meade
Reprint from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
1997 Caldecott Honor Book
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$6.99
Ian and the Gigantic Leafy Obstacle
by Sheila Miller
from OMF
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$3.00 (2 in stock)
In 1492
by Jean Marzollo
from Scholastic Inc.
Picture Book Biography for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
In Search of the Lost Colony
Outer Banks Animals Adventure Series
by Mary Maden
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in New World Colonization (Location: HISA-17NW)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Jambo Means Hello
by Muriel Feelings, Tom Feelings (Illustrator)
from Puffin Books
Alphabet Books for Preschool-1st grade
1975 Caldecott Honor Book
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.99
Jamestown
Adventures in Colonial America
by James Knight
from Beautiful Feet Books
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$6.95 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Johnny Appleseed
by Steven Kellogg
from HarperTrophy
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$8.99
Johnny Appleseed
by Gini Holland
from Steck-Vaughn Company
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$10.95 $5.00 (3 in stock)
Joshua in the Promised Land
by Miriam Chaikin
from Clarion Books
for Preschool-4th grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
King Midas and the Golden Touch
by Charlotte Craft, Illustrated by K. Y. Craft
from HarperCollins
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$8.99
King's Chessboard
by David Birch & Devis Grebu
Reprint from Puffin Books
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Kings of Rome - Cycle 1
Copper Lodge Library
by Stephanie B. Meter (editor)
from Classic Conversations Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$14.95
Let's Learn to Count in Hawaiian
by Keiki C. Kawai'ae'a
from Island Heritage Publishing
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in Foreign Language (Location: FL-GEN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Liberty!
by Lucille Recht Penner
from Random House
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$8.99
Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!
Passport to Reading Level 3
by Grace Lin
Passport to Reading Level 3
for Preschool-1st grade
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor Book
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$4.99 $3.00 (3 in stock)
Little Pear and His Friends
by Eleanor F. Lattimore
from HMH Books for Young Readers
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$10.95
Little Polar Bear
by Hans de Beer
from NorthSouth
for Preschool-3rd grade
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$7.95
Little Polar Bear
by Hans de Beer
from NorthSouth
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Lotus Seed
by Sherry Garland
from HMH Books for Young Readers
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$7.99
Magic Fan
by Keith Baker
from Sandpiper Books
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$8.00
Mama, Do You Love Me?
by Barbara M. Joosse
Reprint from Chronicle Books
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$7.99
Mary McLean and the St. Patrick's Day Parade
by Steven Kroll
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Me on the Map
by Joan Sweeney & Annette Cable
from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Introductory Geography (Location: GEO-INTRO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Me on the Map
by Joan Sweeney, Illustrated by Qin Leng
from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Introductory Geography (Location: GEO-INTRO)
$7.99
Meet Thomas Jefferson
by Marvin Barrett
from Random House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$1.50 (3 in stock)
Ming Lo Moves the Mountain
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Monkey and the Crocodile
by Paul Galdone
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
More Than Moccasins
by Laurie Carlson
from Chicago Review Press
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
My Little Island
by Frane Lessac
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
My Story 1
by Craig Froman & Andrew Froman
1st edition from Master Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Master Books History (Location: HISCUR-MB)
$39.19 $29.00 (2 in stock)
Native Homes
by Bobbie Kalman
from Crabtree Publishing
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Old Ironsides
by David L. Weitzman
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Ships, Boats & Submarines (Location: HISV-SHIP)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
One Grain of Rice
by Demi
from Scholastic Press
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$21.99 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Opossum and the Great Firemaker
Legends of the World
by Jan M. Mike; illustrated by Charles Reasoner
from Troll Publishing
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Over in Australia
by Marianne Berkes
from Dawn Publications
for Preschool-1st grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$8.95
Paper Crane
by Molly Bang
from Mulberry Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Patchwork Quilt
by Valerie Flournoy
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland
by Tomie dePaola
from Holiday House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
People
by Peter Spier
from Dell Publishing
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$12.95
Persian Cinderella
by Shirley Climo & Robert Florczak
Reprint from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Peter the Great
by Diane Stanley
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
Biography for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Pledge of Allegiance
by Scholastic, Scholastic Inc.
Cmv from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Landmarks & Symbols of the United States (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Possum Magic
by Mem Fox
1st edition from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Prehistory to Egypt
by Gloria Verges, Maria Rius, Oriol Verges
1st edition from Barron's
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Rain Player
by David Wisniewski
from Clarion Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.95
Rainforest Grew All Around
by Susan K. Mitchell
from Sylvan Dell
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.95
Renaissance - Coloring Book
from Bellerophon Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Rumpelstiltskin
by Paul O. Zelinsky
from Puffin Books
1987 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Samuel Eaton's Day
by Kate Waters
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-fiction for Nursery-2nd grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
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