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Doorways to Great Reading

If there's a one-world government, it's television. King of the Technological Age, he sits enthroned in homes around the world, a little box of images and sound emitting edicts to his unified followers from his electrical shrine. That description may be a bit overwrought, but the fact remains: more people these days would prefer to watch TV than read a good book.

Many parents are desperate to expose their kids to quality literature, whether it's a classic like Anne of Green Gables, a more recent novel like Mimus, or simply something other than the TV Guide. In response, a number of literature-based curricula have been developed, and in turn have become increasingly popular among both homeschool families and school educators.

As great and noble as this effort has been, there are a couple problems we see with the literature-curriculum approach: 1) literature is treated as curriculum, and 2) children aren't exposed to the depth and variety available because reading is limited to the curriculum suggestions. Consequently, a lot of children grow to dislike reading, associating it as they do with schoolwork and not having a good time.

We've accumulated many of the titles used by the major literature-based curriculum lines, and those products are among our best sellers. We're also not entirely opposed to the literature approach, but we also want to offer a much broader selection of literature, titles that don't find their way into the program guides but are nevertheless worth reading.

Numerous book lists, catalogues, and publishers (including many dedicated to reprinting the more obscure classic titles) have guided us in the construction of our fiction and literature sections. (Employees have also been an important factor in this process, and you can read about their favorites here.) Doorways to Great Reading collects the best of these lists in one place.

Discovering classic literature is more than just checking off titles from a master list, however. Though books like Honey for a Child's Heart, The Well-Educated Mind, and The Book Tree are great places to start and offer excellent guidelines, they are still jumping-off places. Developing the skills to find good books on your own (and imparting those skills to your children) is the end these books are supposed to help you achieve.

When Lucy Pevensie opened the wardrobe and found Narnia, her first experience with a snowbound landscape gave her little indication of the adventure and wonder she'd find there. Great books are the same way: the more you read, the more you realize how many are really out there, and the better you get at finding them.

If your adventure in the realms of literature hasn't started, or is still in its beginning stages, use the booklists you'll find here as maps of sorts, there to help you navigate but not to make the journey on your behalf. The travel is up to you, and whether you decide to explore Ben-Hur or The Wind in the Willows, it's travel that will take you far from your front door and back many times over.

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: Nursery (Ages 2-4)
A is for Aloha
by U'ilani Goldsberry, illustrated by Tammy Yee
from Sleeping Bear Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
All the Colors of the Earth
by Sheila Hamanaka
Reprint from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
Beginner's Bible
by Karyn Henley, Kelly Pulley (illustrator)
from Zonderkidz
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Beginner's Bible
by Karyn Henley, Kelly Pulley (illustrator)
from Zonderkidz
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$22.99
Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible
Beginner's Gospel Story Book
by Jared Kennedy, Illustrated by Trish Mahoney
from New Growth Press
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
Boy, a Dog, a Frog, and a Friend
by Mercer & Marianna Mayer
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Caps for Sale
by Esphyr Slobodkina
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99 $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 (1 in stock)
Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
by Susan Wojciechowski, illustrated by P. J. Lynch
20th Anniversary from Candlewick Press
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Color Kittens
by Margaret Wise Brown
from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$5.99
Day on Skates
by Hilda van Stockum
from Bethlehem Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
1935 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.95
Finding Winnie
by Lindsay Mattick
First Edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
2016 Caldecott Winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Fishing in the Air
by Sharon Creech
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Flora and the Penguin
by Molly Idle
from Chronicle Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Gift of the Magi
by O. Henry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Gift of the Magi
by O. Henry
from Picture Book Studio
Realistic Fiction for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
Gingerbread Boy
by Paul Galdone
from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Gingerbread Boy
by Paul Galdone
from Clarion Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Hand Rhymes
by Marc Brown
from Dutton Children's Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb
Bright & Early Books
by Al Perkins
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Hanna's Cold Winter
by Trish Marx & Barbara Knutson
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$11.95
Happy Birthday, Moon
by Frank Asch
Revised from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Have You Seen My Cat?
by Eric Carle
from Scholastic Inc.
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Henry David's House
by Henry David Thoreau
from Charlesbridge
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Henry's Freedom Box
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Press
for Nursery-1st grade
2008 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Henry's Freedom Box
by Ellen Levine, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
from Scholastic Press
for Nursery-1st grade
2008 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Henry's Freedom Box
by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
from Scholastic Press
for Nursery-1st grade
2008 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Honey... Honey... Lion!
by Jan Brett
Reprint from Puffin Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
How to Raise a Reader
by Pamela Paul & Maria Russo
from Workman Publishing
for Nursery-10th grade
in Recommended Book Lists (Location: LIR-REC)
$10.00 (2 in stock)
I Went Walking
by Sue Williams
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
If You Plant a Seed
by Kadir Nelson
from Balzer & Bray
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
In the Small, Small Pond
by Denise Fleming
from Henry Holt and Company
Word Books for Nursery-Kindergarten
1994 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
It's About Time, Jesse Bear
by Nancy White Carlstrom
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Jesus Rose for Me
Beginner's Gospel Story Book
by Jared Kennedy, Illustrated by Trish Mahoney
from New Growth Press
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
John Henry
by Julius Lester & Jerry Pinkney
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
1995 Caldecott Honor book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub
by Audrey Wood & Don Wood
Reprint from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-1st grade
1986 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Leaf Can Be . . .
by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Violeta Dabija
from Millbrook Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Leo the Late Bloomer
by Robert Kraus
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Lion and the Mouse
by Jerry Pinkney
from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-1st
2010 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Little Red Caboose
by Marian Potter
from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Little Toot
by Hardie Gramatky
from Penguin Putnam
Personification Stories for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare
from Dover Publications
for 10th grade-adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$3.00
Ming Lo Moves the Mountain
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Mission Accomplished
by Scott James
from New Growth Press
for All ages
in Easter & Lent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Mouse of My Heart
by Margaret Wise Brown
from Hyperion/Madison Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-1st grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Mr. Gumpy's Outing
by John Burningham
1st edition from Henry Holt and Company
for 10th-Adult
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Mr. Gumpy's Outing
by John Burningham
First American Edition from Henry Holt and Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Night Before Christmas
by Clement C. Moore
from Golden Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Other Side
by Jacqueline Woodson
from Putnam Juvenile
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Over the Hills and Far Away
by Elizabeth Hammill
from Candlewick Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH)
Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster
Reissue from Yearling
Satirical Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$19.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Play with Me
by Marie Hall Ets
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-1st grade
1956 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Poke in the I
by Paul Janeczko
from Candlewick Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$7.99 $5.50 (2 in stock)
Press Here
by Herve Tullet
from Chronicle Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.99
Pumpkin Runner
by Marsha Diane Arnold & Brad Sneed
1st edition from Dial Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Read for the Heart
by Sarah Clarkson
from Apologia Educational Ministries
for Nursery-6th grade
in Recommended Book Lists (Location: LIR-REC)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Relatives Came
by Cynthia Rylant
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-2nd grade
1986 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
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)
$17.99
Scuffy the Tugboat
by Gertrude Crampton
from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$5.99 $2.50 (1 in stock)
Scuffy the Tugboat
by Gertrude Crampton
from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
Sidewalk Flowers
by Jon Arno Lawson, illustrated by Sydney Smith
from Groundwood Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.95
Sign Painter
by Allen Say
1st edition from Houghton Mifflin
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.00
Sign Painter
by Allen Say
1st edition from Houghton Mifflin
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (3 in stock)
Sing a Song of Seasons
by Fiona Waters (selections), illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon
from Nosy Crow
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$40.00
Sneaky Sheep
by Chris Monroe
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
So Few of Me
by Peter H. Reynolds
from Candlewick Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.00
Stories We Shared
by Douglas Kaine McKelvey & Jamin Still
from Rabbit Room Press
in Recommended Book Lists (Location: LIR-REC)
$35.00
Storm Book
by Charlotte Zolotow
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-3rd grade
1953 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Swimmy
by Leo Lionni
from Dragonfly Books
for Nursery-1st grade
1964 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Tale of Benjamin Bunny
Book 4
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99
Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
Book 9
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
Book 2
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99
Tale of Three Trees
by Angela Elwell Hunt, Tim Jonke (Illustrator)
1st edition from Cook Communications
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Ten Little Rabbits
by Virginia Grossman
from Chronicle Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
Thimbleberry Stories
by Cynthia Rylant
from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Three Bears
by Paul Galdone
from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Three Billy Goats Gruff
by Paul Galdone
from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Three Little Pigs
by Paul Galdone
from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Tough Boris
by Mem Fox
from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Water Hole
by Graeme Base
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-1st
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree
by Gloria Houston
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
You Are (Not) Small
by Anna Kang, Illustrated by Christopher Weyant
from Two Lions
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
You're Just What I Need
by Ruth Krauss
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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