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Reference & Learning Aids

A lot of education is filling in gaps. Even more is simple fact-memorization, the primary building block leading to the ability to regurgitate ideas, analyze them, and form original ones. Either way, there often isn't a better solution than stuffing names, dates, and figures in kids' heads until they can recall them at will. They hate this, generally, but it's a necessary evil.

In no way as unpleasant, but just as educational, is something most kids love to do: getting comfy with a big compendium of knowledge and turning each page, learning little tidbits about history, the world around them, how their body works, or who's been in outer space until they've had enough and go outside to hunt trolls or dig up buried treasure.

The best word to describe such books is one that every college student learns to dread: reference. If you don't get an F on your paper because you wrote it two hours before class, you definitely will because you forgot to cite your references. It's important to remember, however, that the enemy isn't reference; the enemy (for lack of a better term) is a system that places more value on following arbitrary guidelines than presenting and commenting on thoughts and information.

We're here to put the RAD back in reference. And memorization—there's nothing that says learning the times tables has to be boring. It often is, but usually only because we look at it as a chore, and not a privilege or exciting activity. This attitude often starts with parents: we didn't like math in school, so we kind of groan along with our kids whenever the ol' numbers chart comes out. If we get excited instead, our children are likely to do the same.

Below you'll find a long list of books crammed with facts. Some of them aren't important facts (usually the most fun), some of them are essential; we're not sure where the distinction should or does lie all the time, so we'll leave you to sort that out for yourselves. We would simply encourage, whether you're teaching the tens chart in math, or adding nuance to a study of the Old West by reading a short bio of female outlaw Belle Prater, that you approach "just the facts" with as much joy and anticipation as you'd like to see your children exhibit.

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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97 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 8th grade (Ages 13-14), Trade Paperback, In-Stock Books & Materials
Ancient Greek War and Weapons
by Haydn Middleton
from Heinemann Educational Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Atlas of American History
by Rand McNally
from Rand McNally
World History Reference/Atlas for 5th-8th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$12.00
Baker Illustrated Guide to the Bible
by J. Daniel Hays & J. Scott Duvall
from Baker Books
for 7th-Adult
in Bible Reference (Location: XBI-REF)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Behind the Blue and Gray
by Delia Ray
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-9th grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Castle
by David Macaulay
from Graphia
Architecture for 4th-8th grade
1978 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$14.44
Castle Diary
by Richard Platt
from Candlewick Press
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$7.99
Cathedral
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
Architecture for 4th-8th grade
1974 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$11.04
Caught'ya!
by Jane Bell Kiester
3rd edition from Maupin House Publishing
for 7th-12th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
City
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$14.99
Colonial Town: Williamsburg
by Bobbie Kalman
Revised from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Rhyming Dictionary
from Dell Publishing
for 1st-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$8.99
Creative Writer Level 2
by Boris Fishman
from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Creative Writer (Location: WRI-CREATE)
$18.95
Diary of an Early American Boy
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
American History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$15.95 $8.50 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Ancient Egypt
DK Eyewitness Series
by George Hart
from DK Publishing
Egyptian History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$9.99
DK Eyewitness: Civil War
by John Stanchack
from DK Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Horse
DK Eyewitness Series
by Juliet Clutton-Brock
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Horses & Ponies (Location: SCI-MAMHOR)
$9.99
DK Eyewitness: Human Body
DK Eyewitness Series
by Steve Parker
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Human Body
DK Eyewitness Series
by Steve Parker
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$9.99
DK Eyewitness: Skeleton
DK Eyewitness Series
by Steve Parker
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: World War I
DK Eyewitness Series
by Simon Adams
from DK Publishing
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in World War I (1914-1919) (Location: HISA-20WW1)
$9.99
Drive Thru History America with Dave Stotts: Foundations of Character - Book Only
by David Barton
from Tyndale House
for 6th-10th grade
in Drive Thru History with Dave Stotts (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$6.50 (2 in stock)
Electricity and Magnetism
by Peter Adamczyk, Paul Francis law
from Usborne
for 4th-8th grade
in Electricity & Magnetism (Location: SCI-PHY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Elements of Style (Illustrated)
by E.B. White, William Strunk Jr.
from Penguin Books
for 7th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$18.00
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters
by Mark Dunn
Reprint from Anchor Books
for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$12.71
Faith Unfurled
from History Compass
for 4th-8th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$7.95 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Giggly Guide to Grammar
by Cathy Campbell
for 7th-12th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Greek News
The History News
by Anton Powell & Philip Steele
from Candlewick Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Handbook of Nature Study
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Comstock Publishing
for 6th-9th grade
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Historical Atlas of the World
by Rand McNally
from Rand McNally
World History Reference/Atlas for 5th-8th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Historical Atlas of the World (old)
by Rand McNally
4th edition from Rand McNally
World History Reference/Atlas for 5th-8th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
History News: Explorers
by Michael Johnstone
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
History of US Book 10
History of US Book 10
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
in Joy Hakim's A History of US (Location: HISA-HAKIM)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
How To Study
by Edward Shewan
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 7th-9th grade
in Research & Study Skills (Location: REF-STUDY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Human Anatomy in Full Color
by John Green
from Dover Publications
for 4th-12th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$10.95
Illustrated Dictionary of Physics
by Chris Oxlade, Corinne Stockley, Jane Wertheim
from Usborne
for 5th-9th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
Illustrated Dictionary of Science
Revised from Usborne
for 4th-8th grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Interactive 3-D Maps: American History
by Donald M. Silver, Patricia J. Wynne
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Journeys in Time: A New Atlas of American History
by Elspeth Leacock, Susan Buckley
from Houghton Mifflin
for 3rd-8th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
King Alfred's English
by Laurie J. White
from Shorter Word Press
for 7th-12th grade
in History of Books & Language (Location: HISV-BOOK)
$15.60
Landmark History of the American People
by Daniel & Ruth Boorstin
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 3rd-8th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
Landmark History of the American People Volume I
by Daniel J. Boorstin, Ruth F. Boorstin
from Avyx, Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$15.00 (3 in stock)
Landmark History of the American People Volume II
by Daniel J. Boorstin, Ruth F. Boorstin
from Avyx, Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Last 500 Years
by Fiona Chandler, Jane Bingham, Sam Taplin
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Last 500 Years
by Fiona Chandler, Jane Bingham, Sam Taplin
from Usborne
for 4th-8th grade
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$9.00 (3 in stock)
Little Red Schoolhouse
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$6.95 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Making of American California
by Dorothy Dimmick
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 6th-9th grade
in California (Location: HISA-19CGR)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Mill
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.99
More Nitty-Gritty Grammar
by Edith H. Fine and Judith P. Josephson
from Ten Speed Press
for 6th-Adult
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study
by Starr Meade
from Crossway Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Miscellaneous Bible Curriculum (Location: BIB-MISC)
$79.99
Museum of Early American Tools
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
for 5th-8th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$11.95
National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Fishes
by C. Lavett Smith
from Scholastic Inc.
for 6th-10th grade
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Nelson's 3-D Bible Mapbook
by Simon Jenkins
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for All Ages
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
New Answers Book 1
by Ken Ham, Jonathan Sarfati & Carl Wieland
from Master Books
for 7th-Adult
in Faith & Science (Location: XAP-SCI)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
New World In View
To Pledge Allegiance #1
by Gary DeMar & Fred Douglas Young
from American Vision Press
American History Reference for 8th-10th grade
in To Pledge Allegiance (Location: HISCUR-TPA)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
Nitty-Gritty Grammar
by Edith H. Fine and Judith P. Josephson
from Ten Speed Press
for 6th-Adult
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Our Mother Tongue
by Nancy Wilson
2nd edition from Canon Press
for 7th-10th grade
in Miscellaneous Grammar Curriculum (Location: GRA-MISC)
$23.99 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Pastfinder Berlin 1945-1989
by Maik Kopleck
from Ch. Links Verlag
for 7th-12th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Peterson First Guide to Birds of North America
by Roger Tory Peterson
2nd edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
in Field Guides: Birds (Location: NAT-FG01)
$14.99
Prague
by Heather Jones, ed.
from DK Publishing
for 8th-Adult
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Presidential Anecdotes
by Paul F. Boller Jr.
14th edition from Penguin Putnam
for 8th-12th grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$6.50 (2 in stock)
Profiles of Integrity #1: 1775-1781
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Integrity #2: 1804-1865
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Integrity #3: 1872-1919
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Integrity #4: 1920-1945
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Valor #1: July 9, 1755–June 17, 1775
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Valor #2: December 11775–December 1777
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Valor #3: December 1777–October 1780
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Valor #4: January 1781–February 1832
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Romans
by Anthony Marks & Graham Tingay
from Usborne
for 5th-12th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms
by Marvin Terban
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-9th grade
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Scholastic Encyclopedia of the United States
by Judy Bock & Rachel Kranz
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Scholastic Encyclopedia of the United States at War
by June A. English & Thomas D. Jones
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Scholastic Encyclopedia of the United States at War
by June A. English & Thomas D. Jones
Updated from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Scholastic Encyclopedia of Women in the United States
by Sheila Keenan
Revised from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Smithsonian Guide to Historic America - 12 volume set
from Stewart, Tabori, & Chang
for 8th-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$48.00 (1 in stock)
Someday You'll Write
by Elizabeth Yates
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
Non-fiction for 5th-9th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$5.00 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Spirit of the American Revolution
by John Pevoto
for 8th-12th grade
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Clocks and Calendars
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
Reprint from HarperCollins
for 3rd-8th grade
in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
$9.99 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Story of Mankind
by Hendrik Willem Van Loon, updated and introduced by Robert Sullivan
from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 5th-8th grade
1922 Newbery Medal winner
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$35.00
Story of the World - M. B. Synge Collection
by Margaret Bertha Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$59.30
Student Bible Dictionary
by Karen Dockrey, Johnnie Godwin, Phyllis Godwin
from Barbour Publishing
for 5th-12th grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIBR-STU)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Tales Mummies Tell
by Patricia Lauber
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-8th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Tools and Gadgets (Historic Communities)
by Bobbie Kalman
from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Understanding People in the Past: Renaissance
Understanding People in the Past
by Mary Quigley
from Heinemann-Raintree
for 3rd-8th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
$9.49 $6.50 (1 in stock)
Usborne Medieval World
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Jane Bingham
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Mysteries and Marvels of Nature
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Elizabeth Dalby
from Usborne
for 4th-8th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Usborne World of Shakespeare
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Usborne
Shakespeare Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
Usborne World of Shakespeare
by Anna Claybourne, Rebecca Treays
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Usbourne Encyclopedia of the Ancient World
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Usborne
Ancient History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Words You Should Know
by David Olsen
from Adams Media Corp.
for 6th-10th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
World History Made Simple
by Ruth Beechick
from Mott Media
Non-fiction for 9th-Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
World History Map Activities
by Marvin Scott
Rev Upd from Walch Publishing
for 7th-10th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$26.00 $15.00 (3 in stock)
Write Book for Christian Families
by Robert Allen
from Bob Jones University Press
for 1st-12th grades
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Write Source 2000
by Patrick Sebranek, Dave Kemper & Verne Meyer
4th edition from Houghton Mifflin
Writing Reference for 6th-8th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$26.95 $15.00 (2 in stock)
Writer's Guide to Powerful Paragraphs
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
Writing Reference for 6th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$24.95 $16.00 (1 in stock)
Writer's Guide to Transitional Words and Expressions
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
Writing Reference for 6th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$16.95 $11.00 (2 in stock)
Writer's Guide to Using Eight Methods of Transition
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
Writing Reference for 6th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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