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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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101 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 8th grade (Ages 13-14), Hardcover, Used Books & Materials
Africa's Vanishing Wildlife
by Chris & Tilde Stuart
1st edition from Smithsonian Books
for 5th-10th grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
America in the 1960s
Decades of American History
by Jim Callan
from Facts On File
for 5th-8th grade
in 20th Century America (Location: HISA-20)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
America in the 1970s
from Facts On File
for 5th-8th grade
in 20th Century America (Location: HISA-20)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
American Faith
by Kevin Swanson with Joshua Schwisow, Daniel Noor, and Peter Bringe
2nd edition from Generations
for 7th-8th grade
in Miscellaneous History Curriculum (Location: HISCUR-MISC)
$31.50 (1 in stock)
Ancient Rome
Discoveries Series
by Dr. Paul C. Roberts
from Barnes & Noble
for 4th-9th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Animalium
by Jenny Broom, Illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 3rd-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Animalium
by Jenny Broom, illustrated by Katie Scott
UK Edition from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Archaeology Book
by David Down
from Master Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Archaeology (Location: HISRF-ARCH)
$15.19 $11.00 (2 in stock)
Atlas of United States History
from Hammond World Atlas Corporation
for 6th-12th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Atlas of World History
1st edition from DK Publishing
for 4th-10th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Baker Atlas of Christian History
by Tim Dowley, Editor
from Baker Books
for 7th-Adult
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Big History Timeline Wallbook
by Christopher Lloyd, illustrated by Andy Forshaw
from What on Earth Publishing
for 6th-12th grade
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Character for Life
by Don Hawkinson
for 7th-12th grade
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Chronology of the Old Testament w/CD
by Floyd Nolen Jones
from Master Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Bible Reference (Location: XBI-REF)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Citizen's Handbook
by Bethany Poore
from Notgrass Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Notgrass Uncle Sam and You (Location: GOV-CURNG)
$25.00 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Civil War Battles
by Curt Johnson
1st edition from Crescent Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Classical Rome
by John D. Clare, ed.
from Harcourt Children's Books
for 5th-10th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient America
by Marion Wood
1st edition from Facts On File
Ancient History Reference/Atlas for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Egypt
by Geraldine Harris
3rd edition from Facts On File
Ancient History for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$35.00 $24.00 (1 in stock)
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
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$35.00 $18.00 (1 in stock)
Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Mesopotamia
by Erica C. D. Hunter
3rd edition from Facts On File
World History Reference/Atlas for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Dictionary of Latin and Greek Origins
by Bob Moore and Maxine Moore
from Barnes & Noble
for 8th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Ancient China
DK Eyewitness Series
by Arthur Cotterell
from DK Publishing
Chinese History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in China (Location: HISMC-CHI)
$16.99 $10.00 (2 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Bible Lands
DK Eyewitness Series
by Jonathan Tubb
1st edition from DK Publishing
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Bible Lands
DK Eyewitness Series
by Jonathan Tubb
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
HIstory Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Chemistry
DK Eyewitness series
by Ann Newmark
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$16.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Dance
DK Eyewitness Series
by Michael Tambini
1st edition from DK Publishing
history reference for 4th-8th grade
in Dance (Location: ELE-DANCE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Earth
DK Eyewitness Series
by Susanna Van Rose
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Earth Science (Location: SCI-EARTH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Electricity
DK Eyewitness Series
by Steve Parker
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Electricity & Magnetism (Location: SCI-PHY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Explorer
by Rupert Matthews
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Explorer
DK Eyewitness Series
by Rupert Matthews
1st edition from DK Publishing
HIstory Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Film
DK Eyewitness Series
by Richard Platt
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$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)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Light
DK Eyewitness Series
by David Burnie
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Light & Sound (Location: SCI-PHY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Mammal
DK Eyewitness Series
by Steve Parker
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Matter
DK Eyewitness Series
by Christopher Cooper
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Pirate
DK Eyewitness Series
by Richard Platt
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
HIstory Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Pirates (Location: HISV-PIRATE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Seashore
DK Eyewitness Books
by Steve Parker
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Sience Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Seashore & Tidepools (Location: SCI-ECO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Smithsonian Universe
by Martin Rees, general editor
from DK Publishing
for 8th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Electronics
DK Eyewitness Series
by Roger Francis Bridgman and Jack Challoner
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in How Things Work (Location: SCIREF-HOW)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Animals
from Fog City Press
for 8th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Mammals
by Professor David Macdonald, editor
from Barnes & Noble
for 8th-Adult
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Preserved People
by Natalie Jane Prior
1st edition from Crown Publishers
for 4th-9th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Science and Technology
by James Trefil
from Routledge
for 7th-Adult
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of the Horse
by Elwyn Hartley Edwards, ed.
from Crescent Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Enough About Grammar
by Joe Floren
from Twain Productions
for 4th-10th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Everything You Need to Ace American History in One Big Fat Notebook
from Workman Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Explorers & Discoverers - 4 Volume Set
from UXL Publishing
biographical encyclopedia for 5th-8th grade
in History Encyclopedias & Fact Books (Location: HISRF-ENC)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Golden Book of California From the Days of the Spanish Explorers to the Present
by Irwin Shapiro
from Golden Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Guinness Book of World Records: 1984
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 6th-Adult
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Guinness Book of World Records: 1985
by Norris McWhirter (editor and compiler), David A. Boehm (American editor), Maris Cakars (sports editor), Cyd Smith (assistant editor)
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 6th-Adult
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Hammond Atlas of the 20th Century
by Richard Overy, ed.
from Hammond World Atlas Corporation
for 8th-Adult
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Harvey's Revised English Grammar
Harvey's Language Course
by Thos. W. Harvey
from Mott Media
for 4th-8th grade
in McGuffey's Readers & Other Primers (Location: REA-MCG)
$17.50 $10.00 (1 in stock)
History of the United States and Its People
by Edward Eggleston
1st edition from Lost Classics Book Co.
for 7th-9th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
History of US - 11 Volumes (hardcover)
by Joy Hakim
2nd edition from Oxford University
for 5th-9th grade
in Old Edition History & Geography (Location: OHIS)
$65.00 (1 in stock)
History of US - 11 Volumes (hardcover)
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
for 5th-9th grade
in Joy Hakim's A History of US (Location: HISA-HAKIM)
$138.00 (1 in stock)
History of US Book Concise Edition B
by Joy Hakim
Concise from K12
for 5th-9th grade
in Joy Hakim's A History of US (Location: HISA-HAKIM)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
International Children's Bible Dictionary
by Lynn Waller
from Word Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
$4.00 (4 in stock)
Kingfisher Illustrated Encyclopedia of Animals
by Michael Chinery, ed.
from Kingfisher
for 4th-8th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Kingfisher Young People's Book of Space
by Martin Redfern
from Kingfisher
for 3rd-8th grade
in Astronomy (Space) (Location: SCI-AST)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Little History of the World
by E. H. Gombrich
from Yale University Press
for 6th-Adult
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Made in Heaven
by Ray Comfort, Jeffrey Seto
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
Making of America
by Robert D. Johnston
Reissue from National Geographic
for 6th-10th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Making of America
by Robert D. Johnston
from National Geographic
for 6th-9th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Marco Polo and the Medieval Explorers
by Rebecca Stefoff
from Chelsea House Publishing
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Medieval World
from Usborne
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
National Geographic Science Encyclopedia
from National Geographic
for 3rd-8th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Nature Timeline Wallbook
by Christopher Lloyd, illustrated by Andy Forshaw
from What on Earth Publishing
for 6th-12th grade
in Timeline Resources (Location: HISRF-TIM)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Nibbling on Einstein's Brain
by Diane Swanson
from Annick Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Official Scrabble Players Dictionary
from Merriam-Webster
for 6th-9th grade
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Reptile
DK Eyewitness Series
by Colin McCarthy
1st edition from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Rocks & Minerals
from DK Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Geology (Rocks & Minerals) (Location: SCI-GEO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Roget's International Thesaurus
by Robert L. Chapman (revised by)
4th Edition from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for 6th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Russia
DK Eyewitness Series
by Kathleen Berton Murrell
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Russia (Location: HISMC-RUS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Science
by John Farndon
from Dempsey Parr
for 4th-8th grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Science Timeline Wallbook
by Christopher Lloyd, illustrated by Andy Forshaw
from What on Earth Publishing
for 6th-12th grade
in Timeline Resources (Location: HISRF-TIM)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Smithsonian American History
by David C. King
from DK Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$13.00 (1 in stock)
Speeches that Changed the World
from Quercus
for 6th-Adult
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Step Into the Celtic World
by Fiona Macdonald
from Lorenz Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Story of Mankind
by Hendrik Willem Van Loon
Black & Gold Updated Edition from LiveRight
for 5th-8th grade
1922 Newbery Medal winner
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Student Bible Dictionary
by Johnnie Godwin, Karen Dockrey, Phyllis Godwin
from Barbour Publishing
for 5th-12th grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIBR-STU)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Student Science Dictionary
from Houghton Mifflin
for 7th-12th grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Tales Mummies Tell
by Patricia Lauber
1st edition from HarperCollins
for 5th-8th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Timechart History of Aviation
from Lowe & B. Hould Publishers
for 6th-Adult
in Aviation History (Location: HISV-AVIA)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Book of Knowledge
by Tony Bremner
from Usborne
for 3rd-8th grade
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Internet-Linked Book of Knowledge
by Emma Helbrough, ed.
from Usborne
for 3rd-8th grade
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Time Traveler
by Tony Allen
from Usborne
Ancient/Middle Ages History Reference for 3rd-8th grade
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$22.99 $14.00 (3 in stock)
Visual Dictionary of Ancient Civilizations
by DK Publishing
from DK Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Visual Dictionary of Everyday Things
DK Visual Dictionaries
from DK Publishing
for 8th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Visual Dictionary of Flight
DK Eyewitness Visual Dictionaries
by Paul Docherty, editor
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Visual Dictionary of Physics
DK Visual Dictionaries
by Jack Challoner
from DK Publishing
for 8th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Visual Dictionary of the Universe
DK Visual Dictionaries
by Paul Docherty, ed.
from DK Publishing
for 8th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Visual Timeline of the 20th Century
by Simon Adams
1st edition from DK Publishing
for 7th-9th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Way Things Work (original version)
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-10th grade
in How Things Work (Location: SCIREF-HOW)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
We Pulled Together. . .And Won!
by Deb Mulvey, ed.
from Reiman Publications
for 7th-12th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
When on Earth?
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$19.99 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Where, the Why, and the How
by Jenny Volvovski, Julia Rothman and Matt Lamothe, foreword by David Macaulay
from Chronicle Books
for 8th-12th grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Why America Is Free
from University of Virginia Press
for 7th-10th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$8.00 (3 in stock)
Women in Science
by Rachel Ignotofsky
from Ten Speed Press
for 4th-12th grade
in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
World Jesus Knew
by Anne Punton
from Moody Press
for 8th-Adult
in Bible Reference (Location: XBI-REF)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
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