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Reference & Learning Aids

A lot of education is filling in gaps. Even more is simple fact-memorization, the primary building block leading to the ability to regurgitate ideas, analyze them, and form original ones. Either way, there often isn't a better solution than stuffing names, dates, and figures in kids' heads until they can recall them at will. They hate this, generally, but it's a necessary evil.

In no way as unpleasant, but just as educational, is something most kids love to do: getting comfy with a big compendium of knowledge and turning each page, learning little tidbits about history, the world around them, how their body works, or who's been in outer space until they've had enough and go outside to hunt trolls or dig up buried treasure.

The best word to describe such books is one that every college student learns to dread: reference. If you don't get an F on your paper because you wrote it two hours before class, you definitely will because you forgot to cite your references. It's important to remember, however, that the enemy isn't reference; the enemy (for lack of a better term) is a system that places more value on following arbitrary guidelines than presenting and commenting on thoughts and information.

We're here to put the RAD back in reference. And memorization—there's nothing that says learning the times tables has to be boring. It often is, but usually only because we look at it as a chore, and not a privilege or exciting activity. This attitude often starts with parents: we didn't like math in school, so we kind of groan along with our kids whenever the ol' numbers chart comes out. If we get excited instead, our children are likely to do the same.

Below you'll find a long list of books crammed with facts. Some of them aren't important facts (usually the most fun), some of them are essential; we're not sure where the distinction should or does lie all the time, so we'll leave you to sort that out for yourselves. We would simply encourage, whether you're teaching the tens chart in math, or adding nuance to a study of the Old West by reading a short bio of female outlaw Belle Prater, that you approach "just the facts" with as much joy and anticipation as you'd like to see your children exhibit.

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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Active Filters: Preschool (Ages 4-5)
Addition Songs with CD
Audio Memory CDs
by Kathy Troxel
from Audio Memory
for Preschool-1st grade
in Addition (Location: MATR-AR1AD)
$12.95
America: A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne Cheney
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
America: A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne Cheney
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
American Heritage Picture Dictionary
by Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries
newly updated from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-1st grade
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Animals in Winter
by Henrietta Bancroft
Revised from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature
by Stan & Jan Berenstain
from Dover Publications
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$15.99
Bible Songs - DVD
by Kathy Troxel
from Audio Memory
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Miscellaneous Bible Curriculum (Location: BIB-MISC)
$15.00 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Children's First Encyclopedia
by Neil Morris
from Backpack Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Encyclopedias (Location: REF-ENC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Creepy, Crawly Caterpillars
by Margery Facklam
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Curious George's Dictionary
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Digging Up Dinosaurs
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness Explorers: Insects
by Steve Parker
from DK Publishing
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
DK First Animal Encyclopedia
Revised from DK Children
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$17.99
Dr. Seuss's ABC
by Dr. Seuss
Book Club from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-1st grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
EyeLike Letters
from Play Bac
for Preschool-2nd grade
$6.00 (1 in stock)
First Encyclopedia of Animals
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Paul Dowswell
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$6.30 (2 in stock)
First Encyclopedia of the Human Body
by Fiona Chandler
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$5.40 (1 in stock)
First Fun Thesaurus
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
First Thousand Words in German
by Stephen Cartwright
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in German (Location: FL-GEN)
First Thousand Words in Italian
by Heather Amery & Stephen Cartwright
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Italian (Location: FL-ITA)
First Thousand Words in Japanese
by Heather Amery & Stephen Cartwright
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Japanese (Location: FL-GEN)
First Thousand Words in Latin
by Stephen Cartwright
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Latin Resources & Reference (Location: FL-LATREF)
First Thousand Words in Russian
by Stephen Cartwright
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Russian (Location: FL-GEN)
Flash, Crash, Rumble, and Roll
by Franklyn Mansfield Branley
Revised from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
in Meteorology (Weather & Climate) (Location: SCI-WEA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Golden Book of Space Exploration
by Dinah L. Moche
from Golden Books
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Space Race & Exploration (Location: HISA-20SPR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Houghton Mifflin Picture Dictionary
An American Heritage Dictionary
by Robert L. Hillerich, illustrated by Maggie Swanson
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Kingfisher First Encyclopedia
by Ruth Thomson and Anne Civardi
from Kingfisher
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Encyclopedias (Location: REF-ENC)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Little Pigeon Toad
by Fred Gwynne
from Scholastic Reference
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Mesmerized
by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
My First Picture Dictionary
by Katherine Howard
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$1.50 (2 in stock)
My Very First Word Book
by Angela Wilkes
from DK Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 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)
Nave's Compact Topical Bible
by God
from Zondervan
for All Ages
in Bible Reference (Location: XBI-REF)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Nelson's 3-D Bible Mapbook
by Simon Jenkins
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for All Ages
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Nest Full of Eggs
by Priscilla Belz Jenkins
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
New Golden Dictionary
by Bertha Morris Parker, illustrated by Aurelius Battaglia
from Golden Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Numbers Flipper
from Christopher Lee Publications
for Nursery-Kindergarten
Oil Spill!
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by written by Melvin Berger; illustrated by Paul Mirocha
1st edition from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Environment & Conservation (Location: SCI-ENV)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Old Hat New Hat
Bright & Early Books
by Jan Berenstain, Stan Berenstain
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99
Phonics Flipper
from Christopher Lee Publications
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Miscellaneous Phonics (Location: PHO-MISC)
Richard Scarry's ABC Word Book
by Richard Scarry
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
Richard Scarry's Best Little Word Book Ever! (Little Golden Book)
by Richard Scarry
2nd edition from Golden Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever (Giant Golden Book)
by Richard Scarry
De Luxe edition from Golden Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$16.99
Richard Scarry's Busy, Busy Town
by Richard Scarry
from Golden Books
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$17.99
Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go
by Richard Scarry
from Golden Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$17.99
Seeker of Knowledge
by James Rumford
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$7.99
Sky Is Full of Stars
by Franklyn M. Branley
1st edition from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Stars & Constellations (Location: SCI-AST)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Subtraction Songs with CD
Audio Memory CDs
by Kathy Troxel
from Audio Memory
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Subtraction (Location: MATR-AR2SU)
$12.95
Train of States
by Peter Sis
Reprint from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$8.99
Usborne Flip-Flap Body Book
by Alastair Smith, Judy Tatchell
from Usborne
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
Usborne Pocket Nature
by Barbara Cork
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$4.05 (1 in stock)
Usborne Starting Point Science - Volume 1
by Susan Mayes
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$5.40 (1 in stock)
What Do People Do All Day?
by Richard Scarry
from Random House
Richard Scarry Picture Book for K-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$17.99
What Is the World Made Of?
by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld & Paul Meisel
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
What Makes You Ill?
Starting Point Science
by Mike Unwin & Kate Woodward
Revised from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
What's Inside? Boats
What's Inside?
from DK Publishing
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Ships, Boats & Submarines (Location: HISV-SHIP)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Why Do People Eat?
Starting Point Science
by Kate Needham
Revised from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$2.70 (1 in stock)
Why Do Sunflowers Face the Sun?
by Terry Martin
from DK Publishing
for Preschool-1st grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Young Naturalist
An Usborne Guide
by Andrew Mitchell
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$6.29 $3.15 (1 in stock)
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