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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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Reference & Learning Aids
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110 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 2nd grade (Ages 7-8), Trade Paperback
10 Days to Addition Mastery
from Learning Wrap-Ups
for 1st-3rd grade
in Addition (Location: MATR-AR1AD)
$5.99
10 Days to Multiplication Mastery
by Marion Stewart
from Learning Wrap-Ups
for 2nd-4th grade
in Multiplication (Location: MATR-AR3MU)
10 Days to Multiplication Mastery - Teacher Edition
by Marion W. Stuart
from Learning Wrap-Ups
for 2nd-4th grade
in Multiplication (Location: MATR-AR3MU)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
10 Days to Multiplication Mastery - Workbook
by Marion W. Stuart
from Learning Wrap-Ups
for 2nd-4th grade
in Multiplication (Location: MATR-AR3MU)
10 Days to Subtraction Mastery
from Learning Wrap-Ups
for 1st-3rd grade
in Subtraction (Location: MATR-AR2SU)
Africa Is Not A Country
by Margy Burns Knight
unknown from Millbrook Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
Animals in Winter
by Henrietta Bancroft
Revised from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Ant Cities
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Arthur Dorros
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$5.99
Archaeologists Dig For Clues
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Kate Duke
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Archaeology (Location: HISRF-ARCH)
$5.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Behind the Mask
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 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
Birds, Nests and Eggs
Take-Along Guide
by Mel Boring
from Northword Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
But and For, Yet and Nor
Words Are CATegorical
by Brian P. Cleary
from Millbrook Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
Cache of Jewels
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99
Cache of Jewels and Other Collective Nouns
by Ruth Heller
from Scholastic Reference
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Caught'ya Again!
by Jane Bell Kiester
1st edition from Maupin House Publishing
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
Chocolate Moose for Dinner
by Fred Gwynne
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Colonial Town: Williamsburg
by Bobbie Kalman
Revised from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Complete Rhyming Dictionary
from Dell Publishing
for 1st-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$8.99
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)
Desk Atlas of the United States
1st edition from Geography Matters
for 2nd-8th grade
in World & U.S. Atlases (Location: GEO-ATLAS)
Digging Up Dinosaurs
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Dinosaur Bones
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$5.99
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)
Duel of the Ironclads
by Patrick O'Brien
from Walker and Company
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
Eureka! It's an Airplane
by Jeanne Bendick
from Millbrook Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Aviation History (Location: HISV-AVIA)
Fantastic! Wow! and Unreal!
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
First Book of America
by L. Somerville
from Usborne
for 1st-5th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$2.25 (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 Science
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Rachel Firth
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$5.00 (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)
Fossils Tell of Long Ago
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
From Caterpillar to Butterfly
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out-Science Stage 1
by Deborah Heiligman
from HarperCollins
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
From Caterpillar to Butterfly
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out-Science Stage 1
by Deborah Heiligman
from HarperCollins
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$6.99
Games for Writing
by Peggy Kaye
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Great Pyramid
Wonders of the World
by Elizabeth Mann
Reprint from Mikaya Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$14.95
Guide to Egypt
by Michael March
from Highlights for Children
for 1st-6th grade
in Near & Middle East (Location: HISMC-NME)
$1.50 (2 in stock)
Guide to South Africa
by Michael March
from Highlights for Children
for 1st-6th grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$1.50 (3 in stock)
How a Seed Grows
by Helene J. Jordan
Revised from HarperCollins
for 1st-3rd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
How Mountains Are Made
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Geology (Rocks & Minerals) (Location: SCI-GEO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
How We Use Plastic (Using Materials)
by Chris Oxlade
from Heinemann Educational Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
I and You and Don't Forget Who
Words Are CATegorical
by Brian P. Cleary
from First Avenue Editions
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution
If You Were There
by Kay Moore
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War
If You Were There
by Kay Moore
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
If You Lived At The Time Of The Great San Francisco Earthquake
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Titanic & 20th Century Disasters (Location: HISW-20DIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived in Colonial Times
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (4 in stock)
If You Lived With the Iroquois
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-5th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived With the Sioux Indians
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
If You Sailed On the Mayflower in 1620
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution
If You Were There
by Elizabeth Levy
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine & Wayne Parmenter
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
$6.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Illustrated Dictionary of Biology
by Corinne Stockley
from Usborne
for 2nd-4th grade
in Biology (Location: SCI-BIO)
Illustrated Elementary Science Dictionary
by Lisa Jane Gillespie, Sarah Khan
from Usborne
for 1st-3rd grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
International Children's Bible Dictionary
by Lynn Waller
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIB-STU)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
International Children's Bible Handbook
by Lawrence Richards
from Word Publishing
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIB-STU)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
King Who Rained
by Fred Gwynne
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Kingfisher First Encyclopedia of Animals
by Camilla Reid
from Kingfisher
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Kingfisher First Encyclopedia of Animals
by Camilla Reid
from Kingfisher
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
Kites Sail High
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Kites Sail High
by Ruth Heller
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Let the Authors Speak
by Carolyn Hatcher
Revised
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
Life in a Greek Trading Port
Picture the Past
by Jane Shuter
from Heinemann Educational Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$7.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Little Pigeon Toad
by Fred Gwynne
from Scholastic Reference
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Making of a Knight
by Patrick O'Brien
from Charlesbridge
Picture Books/Historical Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$7.95 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Many Luscious Lollipops
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99
Many Luscious Lollipops
by Ruth Heller
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Medieval Feast
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-5th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Merry-Go-Round
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Mine, All Mine
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99
Moon Seems to Change
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Franklyn M. Branley
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Our Solar System (Location: SCI-AST)
$3.00 (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)
Native Homes
by Bobbie Kalman
from Crabtree Publishing
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$6.00 (2 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)
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)
One Small Square: African Savanna
One Small Square
by Donald M. Silver & Patricia Wynne
1st edition from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$11.00
One Small Square: Arctic Tundra
One Small Square
by Donald Silver & Patricia Wynne
from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$15.00
One Small Square: Backyard
One Small Square
by Donald Silver, Patricia Wynne
1st edition from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$15.00 $7.50 (1 in stock)
One Small Square: Cactus Desert
One Small Square
by Donald Silver & Patricia Wynne
from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$13.00
One Small Square: Cave
One Small Square
by Donald Silver & Patricia Wynne
from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$13.00
One Small Square: Coral Reef
One Small Square
by Donald Silver
from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$13.00
One Small Square: Pond
One Small Square
by Donald Silver & Patricia Wynne
1st edition from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$15.00
One Small Square: Seashore
One Small Square
by Donald Silver & Patricia Wynne
1st edition from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$15.00
One Small Square: Swamp
One Small Square
by Donald Silver, Patricia Wynne
from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$11.00
One Small Square: The Night Sky
One Small Square
by Donald Silver, Patricia Wynne
1st edition from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$11.00
One Small Square: Tropical Rain Forest
One Small Square
by Donald Silver, Patricia Wynne
from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$13.00
One Small Square: Woods
One Small Square
by Donald Silver, Patricia Wynne
1st edition from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$15.00
Organizing Thinking Book 1: Graphic Organizers
by Howard Black, Sandra Parks
from Critical Thinking Books
for 2nd-4th grade
in Old Edition Logic (Location: ZCLE-LOG)
$16.50 (1 in stock)
Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Egypt
by Bill Manley
from Penguin Putnam
Atlas for 2nd-7th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$16.95 $11.00 (2 in stock)
Planets in Our Solar System
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Franklyn M. Branley
from HarperTrophy
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Our Solar System (Location: SCI-AST)
Presidency From A to Z
by Kathryn Leventis-Molesa & Helen L. Hess
from Univ Editions
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$3.00 (3 in stock)
Presidential Scrapbook
by Joel King
from Knowledge Quest
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
Seeker of Knowledge
by James Rumford
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$7.99
Silk Route
by John S. Major & Stephen Fieser
from HarperCollins
Asia History Reference for 2nd-4th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$7.99
Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk
Words Are CATegorical
by Brian P. Cleary
from Millbrook Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
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)
Slide and Slurp, Scratch and Burp
Words Are CATegorical
by Brian P. Cleary
from Millbrook Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
Smart About the Presidents
by Jill Weber, Jon Buller, Susan Schade
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 2nd-3rd grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Sun, Moon and Planets
by Lynn Myring
from Usborne
for 1st-4th grade
in Our Solar System (Location: SCI-AST)
$1.80 (1 in stock)
Tools and Gadgets (Historic Communities)
by Bobbie Kalman
from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Train of States
by Peter Sis
Reprint from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$8.99
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