Hand That Rocks the Cradle

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If you're not into lists, don't buy this book. Hand That Rocks the Cradle is one of the longest lists you'll encounter, but it's also one of the most helpful and (if you're a list lover) most fun. What's in the list? 400 classic books to read aloud with your children. It might not be a comprehensive list, and not every title will appeal to every reader, but this is a great place to start if you're looking for great books to read and discuss as a family.

There are many reasons to read out loud. Many of the reasons author Nathaniel Bluedorn offers simply relate to literature in general, whether read aloud or not—good books teach good writing, good character, and comprehension skills. But he also suggests that reading aloud as a family is a great way to build familial bonds and memories. We'd like to add that reading aloud is a great way to teach children how to be attentive.

The books in Hand That Rocks the Cradle appeal to a variety of ages (pre-K to teens) and interests (adventure novels, historical fiction, family dramas, fantasy, etc.). There is only one list, arranged alphabetically by author, with brief synopses of the selected works as well as symbols representing suggested age-range, time and geographic setting of the story, and the book's publication date.

Titles range from classics like Charlotte's Web and Ben-Hur to lesser-knowns like Beau Geste and the true-life adventure Kon-Tiki. Each book is selected for the quality of its writing and the moral character of its content; that's not to say, however, that there aren't moral dilemmas and difficult concepts in these stories to provide fodder for excellent and wide-ranging family discussions.

Every title we carry is listed below. While we'd like to carry all of them (Hand That Rocks the Cradle is an excellent list), some of them simply aren't available or are very difficult to get. If you find one you particularly want and we don't have it, let us know and we'll do our best to bring it in. The author identifies this list as one his parents compiled during years of reading aloud; we're sure it will lead to many hours of enjoyment for your family as well, and maybe you'll find your own favorites to add.

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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Hand That Rocks the Cradle

Hand That Rocks the Cradle

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3rd grade (Ages 8-9),

Hardcover

	Adventures of Pinocchio Illustrated Junior Library Series 3 by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Fritz Kredel from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Adventures of Pinocchio Illustrated Junior Library Series 1 by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Fritz Kredel from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-8th grade in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
	Adventures of Pinocchio Illustrated Junior Library Series 2 by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Fritz Kredel from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-8th grade in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
	Adventures of Pinocchio Illustrated Junior Library Series 4 by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by ?? from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Adventures of Pinocchio Illustrated Junior Library Series 2 by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Fritz Kredel from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-8th grade in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
	Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Charles Folkard from David McKay Company for 3rd-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, illustrated by Robert Ingpen from Sterling Publishing Co. for 3rd-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $15.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond 50th Anniversary Edition from Houghton Mifflin Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Blind Colt Weekly Reader by Glen Rounds from Weekly Reader for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Blind Colt by Glen Rounds from Holiday House for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Blind Colt A World Famous Horse Story Library selection by Glen Rounds from Holiday House for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	By the Shores of Silver Lake Little House Series #5 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade 1940 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $19.99
	Charlotte's Web by E. B. White from HarperCollins for 2nd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $16.99
	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) $19.99 $14.50 (1 in stock)
	Crystal Tree by Jennie D. Lindquist from Harper & Row for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Farmer Boy Little House Series #3 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $19.99
	First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $18.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
	King of the Wind The Story of the Godolphin Arabian by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-7th grade 1949 Newbery Medal winner in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $19.99
	Lad of Sunnybank by Albert Payson Terhune from Grosset & Dunlap Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Lad of Sunnybank by Albert Terhune from Grosset & Dunlap Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Lassie Come-Home (adapted) by Rosemary Wells 1st ed from Henry Holt and Company for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Little House in the Big Woods Little House Series #1 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $18.99
	Little House on the Prairie Little House Series #2 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $19.99
	Little Princess Puffin Classics by Frances Hodgson Burnett from Puffin Books for 3rd-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Little Town on the Prairie Little House Series #7 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1942 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $19.99
	Little Town on the Prairie (Pictorial Cover) Little House Series #7 by Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Garth Williams from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1942 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Long Winter Little House Series #6 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1941 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $21.99 $9.50 (1 in stock)
	Now We Are Six by A. A. Milne from Dutton Children's Books Poetry for Kindergarten-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $19.99
	Old Mother West Wind by Thornton W. Burgess Revised Edition from Henry Holt and Company Animal Fantasy for 1st-4th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
	On the Banks of Plum Creek Little House Series #4 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade 1938 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $18.99
	Pinocchio Sterling Classics by Carlo Collodi, illustrated by Scott McKowen Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co. for 3rd-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Pinocchio Children's Classics by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Charles Folkard from Dilithium Press, Ltd. for 3rd-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, illustrated by Alice Carsey from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fantasy for 3rd-8th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $18.00
	Tales from Shakespeare by Charles & Mary Lamb, illustrated by Elizabeth Shippen Elliott from Dilithium Press, Ltd. Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	These Happy Golden Years Little House Series #8 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1944 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $19.99
	These Happy Golden Years Little House Series #8 by Laura Ingalls Wilder Library edition from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1944 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting from Dover Publications for 3rd-7th grade 1923 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)

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