History

History CurriculumHistory Resources

As with most things, C.S. Lewis had a unique view of history. For him, the really important bits were the stories—he makes a distinction between actual historical realities and the idealized versions of them handed down which make heroes and villains of mere men and women. It's not that the stories are completely false, but their value is for character-building, not as factual data.

The tales of George Washington's bravery in battle, coolness under pressure, rigorous truthfulness, and unflagging piety may accurately preserve the essence of his temperament and nobility, but not all of them are strictly historical. The point of these stories isn't to impart facts, however, it's to offer an example of goodness for the rest of us to emulate.

Getting the facts right is still important, though. As Christians, we can't afford to have a false understanding of "the old days." Mankind is fallen, and the story of his sojourn on Earth is filled with war, suffering, disease, unfaithfulness, pride and envy; a study of history that omits those elements is both false and useless. False, because it is incomplete, and useless, because it tells us nothing of the human condition or our current situation.

It's a bit of a mystery to us why non-Christians are motivated to study the past. For believers, the end goal isn't just acquisition of facts about events and cultures, it's the instillation of a thoroughly Christian worldview, an understanding of the course of the human endeavour as decreed and guided by God Himself.

The story of Jesus Christ is central. It is the only history story that fulfills the character-building element Lewis looked for, while remaining absolutely true in every detail. Man is fallen and he does struggle against God, but through Christ there is hope of redemption, a chance to connect heaven and earth through the Atonement. Christ is the ultimate example of God's providence.

In the Reformed tradition, God's sovereignty is a very big deal. According to the doctrine of divine decree, God has ordered all things that were, are and will come to be for His own good pleasure and glory. His hand is thus present everywhere, in the privatest private life and the most public and widespread crisis. God is in control, providentially guiding nations, men, and the entire cosmos.

This very doctrine is perhaps what best explains the humanist's interest in history (whether he be atheist, agnostic, pagan). Man's natural bent is to make himself the hero of the story, to show how people can sway the trajectory of all things. God's version is quite different, and the two are naturally in conflict. Resolution may only be found in Christ.

For, while God decrees and guides all things, He has also (paradoxically) decreed man's free will and personal responsibility. Men do change the course of kingdoms, but it is only through God's agency. A proper Christian study of history takes both truths into account, and tells the stories of good guys and bad guys through the light of everything God's Word says about human nature and divine control.

We encourage you to take great comfort and joy in your study of history. Read books, watch movies (carefully noting that a lot of the story is likely to be inaccurate in detail), go on fieldtrips to forts and battlefields and birthplaces. Most of all, talk about these things. The end goal, after all, isn't to know a bunch of trivia, but to understand what God has done and continues to do.

No one knows for sure what the end of history will look like, except that every knee in heaven and on earth will bow to the returned glorious Christ, who comes to judge the living and the dead. What we believe about Him will determine whether that culmination will be filled with joy or loathing (everyone will be terrified). He is the author of history, and its centerpiece; honor Him in your study of it.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and 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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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
A is for Adam
by Ken Ham, Mally Ham
from Master Books
for 1st-2nd grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$14.44
A Weed Is a Flower
by Aliki
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
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in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.79
ABC Book of Early Americana
by Eric Sloane
2012 Dover from Dover Publications
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$10.95
Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books
by Kay Winters, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
from Simon and Schuster
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$7.64
Abe's Honest Words
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$3.60 (1 in stock)
Abraham Lincoln
A Rookie Biography
by Carol Greene
from Children's Press
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Abraham Lincoln (hardcover)
by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire; edited by Rea Berg
75th Anniversary from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 1st-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.66
Abraham Lincoln: A Man for All the People
by Myra Cohn Livingston, illustrated by Samuel Byrd
from Holiday House
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Acadia National Park
Road Trip: National Parks
by Kathleen Connors
from Gareth Stevens Publishing
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine
by Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by April Chu
from Creston Books, LLC
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Adelita
by Tomie DePaola
Reprint from Puffin Books
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$6.79
Adoniram Judson
by Sharon Hambrick
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Adventures of Paddy the Beaver
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #19
by Thornton W. Burgess
Unabridged from Dover Publications
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$5.10
Aesop's Fables
Puffin Classics
by Aesop
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Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Kindergarten-4th grade
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$6.79
Africa Is Not A Country
by Margy Burns Knight
unknown from Millbrook Press
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$6.50 (1 in stock)
Africa Is Not a Country
by Margy Burns Knight
2nd edition from Millbrook Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$10.99
Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear
by Hans de Beer
Fir from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
AIO Imagination Station Book #01
by Marianne Hering & Paul McCusker
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by Brock Eastman & Marianne Hering
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by Marianne Hering, Nancy I. Sanders
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$5.09
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$5.09
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by Marianne Hering & Sheila Seifert
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$5.09
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by Marianne Hering & Sheila Seifert
from Focus on the Family
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$6.79
Alexander the Great
by Andrew Langley
Reissue from Oxford University
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$5.94
Alexi's Secret Mission
by Anita Deyneka
from School of Tomorrow
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Algonquin
by Natalie M. Rosinsky
from Compass Point Books
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All Aboard!
by Monica Kulling; illustrated by Bill Slavin
from Tundra Books (NY)
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$8.99
All the Children of the World
by Karen Mezek Leimert
First Edition from Nelsonword Publishing Group
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$6.40 (1 in stock)
Alvin Ailey
by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated by Brian Pinkney
from Hyperion Books for Children
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$3.60 (1 in stock)
Always Room for One More
by Sorche Nic Leodhas
from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
1966 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.34
Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin
by James Cross Giblin
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
2001 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
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$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Amazing Pop-Up Pull-Out Space Shuttle
by David Hawcock
from DK Publishing
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in Space Race & Exploration (Location: HISA-20SPR)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
America in the Time of Abraham Lincoln
by Sally Senzell Isaacs
from Heinemann Library
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in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
America is....
by Louise W. Borden, illustrated by Stacey Schuett
from Margaret K. McElderry Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
America the Beautiful
by Katharine Lee Bates, illustrated by Chris Gall
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
America: A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne Cheney
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
America: A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne Cheney
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
America: Our Great Country Visuals - Homeschool Edition
from A Beka Books
for Kindergarten-1st grade
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$10.00 (2 in stock)
American History for Young Students I
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 1st-5th grade
in TruthQuest History (Location: HISCUR-TQ)
$17.50 (1 in stock)
American History for Young Students II
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 1st-5th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in TruthQuest History (Location: HISCUR-TQ)
$17.50 (1 in stock)
American History for Young Students III
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 1st-6th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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$29.95
Anatole
by Eve Titus
Reprint from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1957 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.64
Ancient China: To the Great Wall...and Beyond
by Judy Wilcox
from Zeezok Publishing
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$13.95
Ancient Civilizations: Greeks!
by Carmella Van Vleet, illustrated by Tom Casteel
from Nomad Press
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$7.50 (1 in stock)
Ancient Egyptians
History Opens Windows
by Jane Shuter
Revised and Updated from Heinemann-Raintree
for 1st-3rd grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Animals Robert Scott Saw
by Sandra Markle
from Chronicle Books
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Anna Hibiscus
by Atinuke
Reprint from Candlewick Press
for 1st-5th grade
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$6.79
Anna Hibiscus Bundle
by Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia
for 1st-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Anno's China
by Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$16.96
Anno's China
by Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 1st-4th grade
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$12.71
Anno's Italy
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$16.96
Anno's Italy PB
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$12.71 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Anno's Spain
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$12.71
Anno's Spain
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$16.96
Another Celebrated Dancing Bear
by Gladys Scheffrin-Falk & Barbara Garrison (illusttrator)
from Purple House Press
for 1st-3rd grade
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$16.96
Apples to Oregon
by Deborah Hopkinson
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.64
Aquila's Drinking Gourd
by Pamela Dell
from Tradition Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Archaeologists Dig For Clues
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Kate Duke
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$5.99 $4.00 (3 in stock)
Around the World with Picture Books Volume 1 - Guide
by Rea Berg
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$30.95
Around the World with Picture Books Volume 2 - Guide
by Rea Berg
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$26.95
Art Smart: Spot the Details and Find Out the Facts
Act from Dover Publications
for 1st-7th grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse
by Eric Carle
from Philomel Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Astronauts on the Moon - Hallmark Pop-Up Book
by Al Muenchen and Stanley Hendricks
from Hallmark Publications
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$12.80 (1 in stock)
Atarax the Wolf Tells: Greek Myths
by Adam De Gree
from Classical Historian
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$7.50
Auntie Anne
by Anne Beiler, illustrated by Freiman Stoltzfus
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
B is for Beaver
by Marie & Roland Smith, illustrated by Michael Roydon
from Sleeping Bear Press
for nursery-3rd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$16.14 $6.80 (1 in stock)
B is for Bluegrass
Discover America State-by-State
by Mary Ann McCabe Riehle, illustrated by Wes Burgiss
from Sleeping Bear Press
for nursery-3rd grade
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$6.80 (1 in stock)
Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave
by written by Marianna Mayer, Illustrated by K. Y. Craft
First Edition from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.29
Baby Blessing
by Welleran Poltarnees
from Laughing Elephant
for Kindergarten-Adult
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Bad River Boys
by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth
from Holiday House
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in Lewis & Clark Expedition (1801-1803) (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Balto and the Great Race
Totally True Adventures
by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
1st Printing from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.94 $2.80 (1 in stock)
Baseball Saved Us
by Ken Mochizuki
from Lee & Low Books
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.16
Beatrice's Goat
by Page McBrier
Reprint from Atheneum
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
Because Barbara
by Sarah Mackenzie, illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen
from Waxwing Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.14
Bede's History of Me
by Ned Bustard, Amy Clark
from Veritas Press
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Veritas Press History (Location: HISCUR-VP)
$24.00
Bede's History of Us
by Ned Bustard, Amy Clark
from Veritas Press
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Veritas Press History (Location: HISCUR-VP)
$19.00
Beethoven's Heroic Symphony
Once Upon a Masterpiece
by Anna Harwell Celenza, illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel
from Charlesbridge
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$14.41
Before There Was Mozart
by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome
2nd ed. from Beautiful Feet Books
for 1st-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$11.01 $7.25 (1 in stock)
Ben Franklin
See and Read: Beginning to Read Biography
by Estelle Friedman, illustrated by James Caraway
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for 1st-3rd grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Benjamin Franklin
by Edgar & Ingri d'Aulaire
from Doubleday & Company
Picture Book Biography for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Benjamin Franklin Lap-Pak
by Amy Pak
from Home School in the Woods
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Hands-On History Activity-Paks (Location: HISRF-HOH)
$12.00
Benjamin in the Woods
Wonder Books Easy Reader
by Eleanor Clymer, illustrated by William Russell
from Wonder Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Beyond the Ridge
by Paul Goble
from Aladdin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
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