Teaching the Classics Booklist

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Some of the best things are born of necessity. While no one twisted Adam and Missy Andrews' arms to get them to create Teaching the Classics, a number of local home school parents (knowing the Andrews' academic backgrounds) did ask repeatedly to be shown how to teach their kids to appreciate and analyze literature. The Andrews eventually complied, distilling what parents need to know to lead Socratic-style discussions about great books into a relatively short lecture series and syllabus.

Teaching the Classics isn't a curriculum. There are no assignments, no lesson plans, and no workbooks, and you certainly can't hand anything to your kids and have them work on their own. Instead, it's a lifestyle tool, providing you and your children the necessary tools to understand literature, and by extension any ideas that make their way into your home, whether through the newspaper, movies, or talk radio. In his engaging DVD lectures, Adam Andrews shows the importance of reading quality fiction, and then equips you to do so.

Because it's not a curriculum, there's no required reading list, but there is an appendix in the teacher syllabus offering a book list of recommended titles for young children, elementary and middle school kids, and high school students. Each title is arranged alphabetically by author, with a brief description of the listed book. We carry about 90% of these titles (we're working on bringing all of them in), and they're listed below. Remember, these aren't required reading, but they do make an excellent place to start.

We're very impressed with Teaching the Classics, as well as the other products developed by Adam and Missy Andrews. Good books are important to us, but we see no point in reading them only for entertainment purposes. Literature needs to be engaged, and as Christians we have a responsibility to engage it in a particular way, a way the Andrews are willing and able to share with those of us who didn't major in English. The variety of titles in the list below shows how versatile their approach really is, though we encourage you to start with picture books no matter what age your kids are, as they offer a non-threatening venue for putting somewhat foreign concepts into practice.

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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Teaching the Classics Booklist

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	Aeneid by Virgil, translated by Robert Fitzgerald from Vintage Classics Ancient Literature/Epic Poetry for 10th-Adult in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC) $16.00 $8.50 (1 in stock)
	Amos and Boris by William Steig from Square Fish Publishing Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Animal Farm by George Orwell from Plume Books Utopian/Dystopian Literature for 6th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.00
	Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Beowulf A Verse Translation by Anonymous (translation by Frederick Rebsamen) from HarperCollins Medieval Poetic Epic for 8th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $9.99
	Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward from Sandpiper Books Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade 1953 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Biggest House in the World by Leo Lionni from Dragonfly Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Book of Three Prydain Chronicles #1 by Lloyd Alexander from Henry Holt and Company Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Brave Irene by William Steig from Square Fish Publishing Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare from Houghton Mifflin Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade 1962 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Caps for Sale A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business by Esphyr Slobodkina from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for Nursery-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss & Crockett Johnson from HarperCollins Humorous Book on Botany for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.50 (5 in stock)
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Chanticleer and the Fox by Barbara Cooney from HarperCollins Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade 1959 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Cheaper By the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey from HarperCollins Family Stories for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.99
	Cinderella by Marcia Brown (translator) from Aladdin Paperbacks Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1955 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Dandelion by Don Freeman from Puffin Books Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Divine Comedy - Dorothy Sayers trilogy Inferno (Hell), Purgatory, and Paradise Penguin Classics by Dante Alighieri, translated by Dorothy Sayers and Barbara Reynolds from Penguin Putnam Medieval Allegory/Poetic Epic for 10th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $39.95
	Frances Collection by Russell Hoban from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $37.44
	Gardener by Sarah Stewart & David Small from Sunburst Book Realistic fiction for Kindergarten-4th grade 1998 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter from Dover Publications Realistic Fiction for 7th-10th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99
	Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99 $4.50 (3 in stock)
	Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegory for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99
	Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad from Modern Library Realistic Modern Fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $11.00
	Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom 35th Anniversary Edition from Chosen Books Biography for 6th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $15.99
	House Is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman from Puffin Books Rhyming Stories for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99
	How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman from Dragonfly Books Humor for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Ink on His Fingers by Louise Vernon from Herald Press Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.99
	Invincible Louisa The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs from Little, Brown & Company Biography for 5th-8th grade 1934 Newbery Medal winner in Biographies (Location: BIO) $13.99
	Last of the Mohicans A Narrative of 1757 Leatherstocking Tales #2 by James Fenimore Cooper Reprint from Penguin Classics for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $13.00
	Les Miserables Modern Library by Victor Hugo, translated by Julie Rose from Modern Library Realistic Fiction for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $20.00
	Lieutenant Hornblower Hornblower Series #2 by C. S. Forester from Little, Brown & Company Nautical fiction for 8th-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Men of Iron by Howard Pyle 2^nd edition from Bob Jones University Press Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.99
	Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Burton from Houghton Mifflin Personification Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99
	Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney from Puffin Books Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Moffats Moffats #1 by Eleanor Estes from Harcourt Realistic Fiction for 2nd-5th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99
	My Father's Dragon My Father's Dragon Trilogy #1 by Ruth Stiles Gannett from Random House Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade 1949 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.95
	New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert from Random House Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Odyssey by Homer (translation by Robert Fagles) from Penguin Putnam for 11th-Adult in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC) $19.00
	Odyssey by Homer (translation by Robert Fagles) from Penguin Putnam for 11th-Adult in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC) $17.00
	Odyssey of Homer by Homer (translation by Richmond Lattimore) from HarperCollins Ancient Literature/Epic Poetry for 9th-Adult in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC) $18.99
	Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway from Charles Scribner's Sons Realistic Fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $13.99
	Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle from Dover Publications Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $12.95
	Out of the Silent Planet Space Trilogy Book 1 by C. S. Lewis from Charles Scribner's Sons Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.00
	Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling C. Holling from Houghton Mifflin Realistic fiction for 3rd-8th grade 1942 Caldecott Honor Book in BFB Holling Geography (Location: HISCUR-BFG) $13.99
	Paradise Lost Penguin Classics by John Milton 2003 Revised from Penguin Classics Epic Poetry for 10th-Adult in 17th Century Literature (Location: LIT4-17) $12.00
	Petunia by Roger Duvoisin from Dragonfly Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Pilgrims of Plimoth by Marcia Sewall from Aladdin Paperbacks History Reference/Picture Book for 1st-4th grade in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL) $8.99
	Pushcart War by Jean Merrill 50th Anniversary Edition from New York Review of Books Satire for 6th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $12.99
	Redwall Set (Trade Paperbacks) by Brian Jacques from Firebird Press Fantasy for 4th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Runaway Bunny by Margaret Brown & Clement Hurd from HarperCollins for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99
	Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman from Little, Brown & Company Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3rd grade 1985 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Sam, Bangs & Moonshine by Evaline Ness from Henry Holt and Company Allegorical and Moral Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1967 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Sam, Bangs & Moonshine by Evaline Ness from Trumpet Club Allegorical and Moral Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1967 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $1.50 (1 in stock)
	Sir Gawain and the Green Knight / Pearl / Sir Orfeo by Anonymous, J. R. R. Tolkien (Translator) from Mariner Books Medieval Fairy Tale/Poetry for 8th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $16.99
	Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan from Dutton Children's Books Historical Fiction for 3rd-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99
	Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman from Dragonfly Books for 1st-3rd grade 1989 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.99
	Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco from PaperStar Books Realistic Fiction for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Thy Friend, Obadiah by Brinton Turkle from Beautiful Feet Books Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1970 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.95
	To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee from Harper Perennial Realistic Fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.99
	Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt from Square Fish Publishing Fantasy for 5th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Watership Down by Richard Adams from Charles Scribner's Sons Animal Fiction for 7th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $19.99
	Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak from HarperCollins Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1964 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.95 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema, Leo & Diane Dillon from Puffin Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1976 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Wrinkle in Time Wrinkle in Time Series #1 by Madeleine L'Engle from Square Fish Publishing Fantasy for 4th-9th grade 1963 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Yearling with Reading Group Guide by Marjorie Rawlings from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Animal Stories for 6th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.00 (1 in stock)

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