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 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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5,000-Year-Old Puzzle
by Claudia Logan, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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A is for Abigail
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Abraham Lincoln (hardcover)
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75th Anniversary from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 1st-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
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America's Lost Dream
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$26.39
American Plague
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2004 Newbery Honor Book, 2004 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner, NCTE Orbi Pictus Award
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Annotated Secret Garden
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Ark, The
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2021 Revision from Purple House Press
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$23.00
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$14.00
Art for Children: Renaissance
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Art Appreciation for 4th-6th grade
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Bach's Goldberg Variations
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Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Beautiful Stories of Life
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Before Columbus
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Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #10
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$23.79
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$35.00
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2021 Newbery Honor Book
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Built to Last
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Little House Series #5
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1940 Newbery Honor Book
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2nd edition from Houghton Mifflin
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$42.95
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Child's Introduction to the Orchestra
by Robert Levine
First Revised Edition from Black Dog & Leventhal
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Child's Introduction to the World
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Choosing Brave
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2023 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
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Cold War Correspondent
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Courage of Sarah Noble
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$19.99
Cultural Atlas for Young People: Africa
by Jocelyn Murray
3rd edition from Facts On File
African History Reference/Atlas for 4th-8th grade
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$35.00
Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Egypt
by Geraldine Harris
3rd edition from Facts On File
Ancient History for 4th-8th grade
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by Anton Powell
3rd edition from Facts On File
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$35.00
Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Maya & Aztec Civilizations
by Marion Wood
3rd edition from Facts On File
Ancient History Reference/Atlas for 4th-8th grade
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Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Rome
by Mike Corbishley
3rd edition from Facts On File
Atlas/Roman History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$35.00
Cultural Atlas for Young People: Middle Ages
by Mike Corbishley
3rd edition from Chelsea House Publishing
Atlas/History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$35.00
D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from New York Review of Books
Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
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$29.95
Dangerous Journey
by Oliver Hunkin (abridger)
from Eerdmans
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 3rd-6th grade
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$25.00
DK Eyewitness: Ancient China
DK Eyewitness Series
by Arthur Cotterell
from DK Publishing
Chinese History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$16.99
DK Eyewitness: Ancient Rome
DK Eyewitness Series
by Simon James
from DK Publishing
Roman History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$9.99
DK Eyewitness: Arms & Armor
DK Eyewitness Series
by Michele Byam
from DK Publishing
Military History for 4th-8th grade
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$16.99
DK Eyewitness: Castle
DK Eyewitness Series
by Christopher Gravett
from DK Publishing
Middle Ages History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$16.99
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DK Eyewitness Series
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from DK Publishing
Midieval Ages History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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DK Eyewitness: Presidents
DK Eyewitness Series
by James Barber
3rd edition from DK Publishing
American History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$16.99
DK Eyewitness: Viking
DK Eyewitness Series
by Susan M. Margeson
from DK Publishing
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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Elizabeth Prentiss
by Sharon James
from Banner of Truth Trust
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$26.00
Exodus
by Brian Wildsmith
from Eerdmans
Bible Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade
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$21.00
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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$19.99
Fields of Fury
by James M. McPherson
from Atheneum
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First Four Years
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
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For You They Signed
by Marilyn Boyer
from Master Books
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Freedom Over Me
by Ashley Bryan
1st edition from Atheneum
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2017 Newbery Honor Book
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$17.99
From Adam to Us - Our Creative World
by John Notgrass
from Notgrass Company
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$25.00
Gilgamesh the Hero
by Geraldine McCaughrean
from Eerdmans
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$20.00
Girl Who Drew Butterflies
by Joyce Sidman
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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2019 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.99
God's Timeline
by Linda Finlayson
2022 Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$19.99
Golden Children's Bible
by Golden Books
from Golden Books
for Preschool-4th grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$22.99
Good Fight
by Stephen Ambrose
from Atheneum
WWII Historical Reference for 4th-9th grade
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$27.99
Good Queen Bess
by Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema
from HarperCollins
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$18.99
Haydn's Farewell Symphony
by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel
from Charlesbridge
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$16.95
Herd Boy
by Niki Daly
from Eerdmans
for Kindergarten-4th grade
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$9.99
How I Learned Geography
by Uri Shulevitz
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 2nd-5th grade
Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$21.99
How Sweet the Sound
by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Frank Morrison
from Atheneum
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
If the World Were 100 People
by Jackie McCann, illustrated by Aaron Cushley
from Crown Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-6th grade
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$17.99
If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War
by Kay Moore
from Perfection Learning
for 2nd-6th grade
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$16.60
In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers
by Don Brown
from Clarion Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$19.99
Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick
First Edition from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
2008 Caldecott Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$29.99
Irenaeus of Lyons
Heroes of the Faith
by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$14.00
James Herriot's Treasury for Children
by James Herriot, illustrated by Ruth Brown & Peter Barrett
Unabridged from Macmillan
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$25.99
John Calvin
Christian Biographies for Young Readers
by Simonetta Carr
1st edition from Reformation Heritage Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$18.00
John Knox
by Simonetta Carr
from Reformation Heritage Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$18.00
Jonathan Edwards
Christian Biographies for Young Readers
by Simonetta Carr
from Reformation Heritage Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$18.00
Karl, Get Out of the Garden!
by Anita Sanchez
from Charlesbridge
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
3 Rev Upd from Kingfisher
for 2nd-8th grade
in History Encyclopedias & Fact Books (Location: HISRF-ENC)
$34.99
Lafayette!
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #8
by Nathan Hale
from Amulet Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$14.99
Librarian Who Measured the Earth
by Kathryn Lasky
from Little, Brown & Company
Biography for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Lindbergh
Classic Starts
by Torben Kuhlmann, Translated by David Henry Wilson
from NorthSouth
for 2nd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
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)
$17.99
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 Women
by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by M.E. Gray
Unabridged from Everyman's Library
Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
$16.95
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)
$19.99 $9.50 (1 in stock)
Lost Colony of Roanoke
by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Hudson Talbott
from Putnam Juvenile
for 2nd-6th grade
in New World Colonization (Location: HISA-17NW)
$18.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Lost Queen of Egypt
by Lucile Morrison, illustrated by Franz Geritz
from Purple House Press
Historical Fiction for 3rd-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$28.00
Major Impossible
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #9
by Nathan Hale
from Amulet Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$14.99
Maps
by Aleksandra Mizielinska, Daniel Mizielinski
from Big Picture Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Introductory Geography (Location: GEO-INTRO)
$37.99
Marguerite Makes a Book
by Bruce Robertson
from J. Paul Getty Museum
Picture Books for 2nd-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.95
Martin de Porres
by Gary D. Schmidt
First Edition from Clarion Books
for 3rd-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Mighty Jackie
by Marissa Moss
1st edition from Simon & Schuster Macmillan
$11.00 $96.00 (1 in stock)
Mikis and the Donkey
by Bibi Dumon Tak, illustrated by Philip Hopman
from Eerdmans
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$13.00
Moonshot
by Brian Floca
Expanded Edition from Atheneum
for 1st-5th grade
2010 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$19.99
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