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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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388 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 1st grade (Ages 6-7), Hardcover
¡Pío Peep!
by Alice Schertle, Alma Flor Ada, F. Isabel Campoy
Bilingual from Rayo
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
A is for Abigail
by Lynne Cheney
1st edition from Simon and Schuster
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$16.99
Adèle & Simon
by Barbara McClintock
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.29
Africa Is Not a Country
by Margy Burns Knight
from Millbrook Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
Africa Is Not a Country
by Margy Burns Knight
2nd edition from Millbrook Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$9.34
Alexander the Great
by Demi
from Two Lions
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
All the Places to Love
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
Rhyming Fantasy for 1st-4th grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street
by Dr. Seuss
15th printing 1967 from Vanguard Press
Rhyming Fantasy for 1st-4th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$19.20 (1 in stock)
Andrew Henry's Meadow
by Doris Burn
from Philomel Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
Exodus Books 5-Star Rating
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14 $8.40 (1 in stock)
Animalia
by Graeme Base
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Are You My Mother?
by P. D. Eastman
from Random House
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$8.49
Around the Year
by Tasha Tudor
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
As I Was Crossing Boston Common
by Norma Farber
from Dutton Children's Books
for K-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Babar and Father Christmas
by Jean De Brunhoff
1st edition from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14
Babar and His Children OSI
by Jean De Brunhoff
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Babar and Zephir
by Jean de Brunhoff
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Babar and Zephir / Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
by Jean de Brunhoff (Babar) and Beatrix Potter (Squirrel Nutkin)
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Babar the King
by Jean de Brunhoff
from Random House
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$13.56
Barber Who Wanted to Pray
by R. C. Sproul
from Crossway Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.29 $7.20 (1 in stock)
Beauty and the Beast
by M. Charlotte Craft, K. Y. Craft
from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Bedtime for Frances
by Russell Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.44
Beetle Book
by Steve Jenkins
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$16.99
Best Beekeeper of Lalibela
by Cristina Kessler
from Holiday House
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Best Nest
by P.D. Eastman
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$8.49
Best Read-It-Yourself Book Ever!
by Richard Scarry
from Golden Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Biblioburro: A True Story from Colombia
by Jeanette Winter
1st edition from Beach Lane Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Big Rain Coming
by Katrina Germein
from Clarion Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Biggest Story Bible Storybook
by Kevin DeYoung, illustrated by Don Clark
from Crossway Books
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$29.74
Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci
by Romola Anderson, R. C. Anderson
1st edition from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.99
Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey
from Viking Press
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1949 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.84
Bonjour, Babar!
by Jean De Brunhoff, introduction by Kevin Henkes
from Random House
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Bored - Nothing to Do!
by Peter Spier
from Doubleday Book For Young Readers
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Boxes for Katje
by Candace Fleming
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Boy Who Drew Birds
by Jacqueline Davies
from Houghton Mifflin
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.29 $9.20 (1 in stock)
Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
by Bryan Mealer, William Kamkwamba
Reprint from Dial Books for Young Readers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Boy Who Loved Music
by David Lasker
1st edition from Viking Press
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider
by Barbara Herkert, illustrated by Lauren Castillo
from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.14
Bremen Town Musicians
by Ilse Plume retelling Brothers Grimm
Tra from Dragonfly Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
1981 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.64
Brother Eagle, Sister Sky
by Chief Seattle, illustrated by Susan Jeffers
1st edition from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Brother Hugo and the Bear
by Katy Beebe
from Eerdmans
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$15.29
Brothers at Bat
by Audrey Vernick
from Clarion Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Great Depression (1929-1939) (Location: HISA-20GD)
Cat in the Hat
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for 1st-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$8.49
Cat Who Walked Across France
by Kate Banks
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
from Simon and Schuster
Poetry for 1st-5th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$16.99 $11.60 (1 in stock)
Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson, Illustrated by Maria L. Kirk
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 1st-5th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson, unknown illustrator
from Henry Altemus Company
for 1st-5th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Child's Garden of Verses
Heritage Illustrated Bookshelf
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin
from Heritage Press
for 1st-5th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Children from Australia to Zimbabwe
by Anna Rhesa Versola, Maya Ajmera
Revised ed. from Charlesbridge
for 1st-3rd grade
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$9.60 (1 in stock)
Children Just Like Me
by Anabel Kindersley, Barnabas Kindersley
from DK Publishing
for 1st-3rd grade
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
Children Just Like Me
by Anabel Kindersley, Barnabas Kindersley
from DK Publishing
for 1st-3rd grade
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$18.69 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Chinese and English Nursery Rhymes
by Faye-Lynn Wu
Hardcover with jacket and disc from Tuttle Publishing
for 1st-3rd grade
in China (Location: HISMC-CHI)
Christmas Is Here
by Lauren Castillo
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$11.04
Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
by Susan Wojciechowski, illustrated by P. J. Lynch
20th Anniversary from Candlewick Press
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$15.29
Chrysanthemum
by Kevin Henkes
from Greenwillow Books
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo
by Kevin Lewis
from Hyperion/Madison Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Cinderella
by K. Y. Craft
from Chronicle Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Classic Tales of Brer Rabbit (adapted)
by Joel Chandler Harris, illustrated by Don Daily
from Running Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Clown of God
by Tomie dePaola
from Simon and Schuster
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14
Clown of God
by Tomie dePaola
from Simon and Schuster
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.64
Cody and the Fountain of Happiness
Cody series #1
by Tricia Springstubb, Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Color Kittens
by Margaret Wise Brown
from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$5.09
Crickwing
by Janell Cannon
1st edition from Harcourt Children's Books
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Crippled Lamb
by Max Lucado
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Crippled Lamb
by Max Lucado
Reprint from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Crouching Tiger
by Ying Chang Compestine
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
D is for Down Under
Discover the World
by Devin Scillian, illustrated by Geoff Cook
1st Printing from Sleeping Bear Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
Danny and the Dinosaur
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Syd Hoff
from Sandy Creek
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Day on Skates
by Hilda van Stockum
from Bethlehem Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
1935 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.96
Days of the Blackbird
by Tomie dePaola
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Prescool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Diego Rivera
by Duncan Tonatiuh
First Edition from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Digging-est Dog
by Al Perkins
from Random House
for Kindergarten-3rd Grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$8.49
Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins
by Barbara Kerley
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd Grade
2002 Caldecott Honor Book, NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$16.99
Dog vs. Strawberry
by Nelly Buchet; illustrated by Andrea Zuill
from Random House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14
Dragon Quest
by Allan Baillie, Illustrated by Wayne Harris
First US Edition from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.44
Drawn Together
by Minh Le, illustrated by Dan Santat
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.29
Dust for Dinner
by Ann Turner, illustrated by Robert Barrett
from HarperCollins
for 1st-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
E Is for Ethiopia
World Alphabets
by Ashenafi Gudeta, Dama Boru, Betelhem Abate, Ataklti Mulu
from Frances Lincoln
for 1st-3rd grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
Easter Egg
by Jan Brett
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Easter Story
by Brian Wildsmith
from Eerdmans
Bible Stories for 1st-3rd grade
in Easter & Lent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Edward and the Pirates
by David McPhail
from Little, Brown & Company
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Edward the Emu
by Sheena Knowles, illustrated by Rod Clement
Reprint from HarperTrophy
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Elena's Serenade
by Campbell Geeslin
1st edition from Atheneum
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas
by Lynne Cox
from Schwartz & Wade
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Emeline at the Circus
by Marjorie Priceman
Reprint from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.79
Escape Artist
by Thor Hanson, illustrated by Galia Bernstein
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Exodus
by Brian Wildsmith
from Eerdmans
Bible Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
Expected One
by Scott James
from B&H Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$12.99
Fables
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Preschool-3rd grade
1981 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Filipino Friends
by Corazon Dandan-Albano, Liana Romulo
from Tuttle Publishing
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Finding Narnia
by Caroline McAlister, Illustrated by Jessica Lanan
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.69
Finding Winnie
by Lindsay Mattick
First Edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
2016 Caldecott Winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Fly Went By
by Mike McClintock
from Random House
Rhyming Books for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$8.49
Folk Tale Classics Heirloom Library - Boxed Set
Folk Tale Classic Library
by Paul Galdone
Box from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$21.24
Folk Tale Classics Keepsake Collection - Boxed Set
Folk Tale Classic Library
by Paul Galdone
Box from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$21.24
Follow That Map!
by Scot Ritchie
from Kids Can Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Introductory Geography (Location: GEO-INTRO)
For You Are a Kenyan Child
by Kelly Cunnane
from Atheneum
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Four Feet, Two Sandals
by Karen Lynn Williams, Khadra Mohammed, illustrated by Doug Chayka
1st edition from Eerdmans
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Freedom in Congo Square
by Carole Boston Weatherford
2017 Caldecott Honor book, Coretta Scott King Honoree
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.29
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