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.
Did you find this review helpful?
159 Items found Print
Active Filters: 1st grade (Ages 6-7), In-Stock Books & Materials
10 Days to Addition Mastery
from Learning Wrap-Ups
for 1st-3rd grade
in Addition (Location: MATR-AR1AD)
$5.99
Addition Rap CD
from Learning Wrap-Ups
for 1st-3rd grade
in Addition (Location: MATR-AR1AD)
$9.99
Addition Songs with CD
Audio Memory CDs
by Kathy Troxel
from Audio Memory
for Preschool-1st grade
in Addition (Location: MATR-AR1AD)
$12.95
America: A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne Cheney
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
America: A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne Cheney
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
American Heritage Picture Dictionary
by Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries
newly updated from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-1st grade
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
American Moments
by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Bruce Strachan
from Henry Holt and Company
for 1st-4th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Animals in Winter
by Henrietta Bancroft
Revised from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Answers Book for Kids Volume 1
by Ken Ham
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$6.39
Answers Book for Kids Volume 2
by Ken Ham
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$6.39
Answers Book for Kids Volume 3
by Ken Ham
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$7.99
Answers Book for Kids Volume 4
by Ken Ham
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$6.39
Ant Cities
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Arthur Dorros
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$5.99
Archaeologists Dig For Clues
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Kate Duke
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Archaeology (Location: HISRF-ARCH)
$5.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Baker Bible Dictionary for Kids
by Daryl J. Lucas
1st edition from Popular Group
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIB-STU)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Behind the Mask
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature
by Stan & Jan Berenstain
from Dover Publications
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$15.99
Bible Songs - DVD
by Kathy Troxel
from Audio Memory
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Miscellaneous Bible Curriculum (Location: BIB-MISC)
$15.00 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Cache of Jewels
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99
Cache of Jewels and Other Collective Nouns
by Ruth Heller
from Scholastic Reference
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Cat in the Hat Beginner Book Dictionary in Spanish
by P.D. Eastman
from Random House
for 1st-4th grade
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Children's First Encyclopedia
by Neil Morris
from Backpack Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Encyclopedias (Location: REF-ENC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Children's Illustrated Dictionary
for 1st-4th grade
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Chocolate Moose for Dinner
by Fred Gwynne
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Colonial Town: Williamsburg
by Bobbie Kalman
Revised from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Complete Rhyming Dictionary
from Dell Publishing
for 1st-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$8.99
Comprehensive Composition
by Kathryn Stout
from Design-A-Study
Writing Curriculum for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Design-A-Study (Location: HSR-DAS)
$14.00
Creepy, Crawly Caterpillars
by Margery Facklam
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Digging Up Dinosaurs
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eye Wonder: Weather
by Lorrie Mack
from DK Publishing
for 1st-3rd grade
in Meteorology (Weather & Climate) (Location: SCI-WEA)
$10.99
DK Eyewitness Explorers: Insects
by Steve Parker
from DK Publishing
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewonder: Space
by Carole Stott
from DK Publishing
for 1st-6th grade
in Astronomy (Space) (Location: SCI-AST)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewonder: Space
DK Eyewonder
from DK Publishing
in Astronomy (Space) (Location: SCI-AST)
$10.99
DK First Animal Encyclopedia
Revised from DK Children
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$17.99
Dr. Seuss's ABC
by Dr. Seuss
Book Club from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-1st grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Early American History Primary - Supplementary Package
from Beautiful Feet Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$124.66
Elephants
Usborne Beginners
by James MacLaine
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$3.15 (1 in stock)
Explore Language Series
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
Explore the Holy Land
A Child's Geography Volume II
by Ann Voskamp & Tonia Peckover
from Master Books
for 1st-6th grade
in Geography Curriculum (Location: GEO-CUR)
$39.19
Eye Wonder: Rocks & Minerals
by Caroline Bingham
1st edition from DK Publishing
for 1st-4th Grade
in Geology (Rocks & Minerals) (Location: SCI-GEO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
EyeLike Letters
from Play Bac
for Preschool-2nd grade
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Finding Out About Things Outdoors
Usborne Explainers
by Eliot Humberstone
from Usborne
for 1st-4th grade
in Meteorology (Weather & Climate) (Location: SCI-WEA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
First Book of America
by L. Somerville
from Usborne
for 1st-5th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$2.25 (1 in stock)
First Encyclopedia of Animals
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Paul Dowswell
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$6.30 (2 in stock)
First Encyclopedia of Science
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Rachel Firth
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
First Encyclopedia of the Human Body
by Fiona Chandler
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$5.40 (1 in stock)
First Fun Thesaurus
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Flash, Crash, Rumble, and Roll
by Franklyn Mansfield Branley
Revised from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
in Meteorology (Weather & Climate) (Location: SCI-WEA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
From Caterpillar to Butterfly
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out-Science Stage 1
by Deborah Heiligman
from HarperCollins
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
From Caterpillar to Butterfly
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out-Science Stage 1
by Deborah Heiligman
from HarperCollins
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$6.99
Games for Writing
by Peggy Kaye
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Giant Science Resource Book
by Jo Ellen Moor
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 1st-6th grade
in Evan-Moor Science (Location: ZCLE-EM)
$28.99
Golden Book of Space Exploration
by Dinah L. Moche
from Golden Books
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Space Race & Exploration (Location: HISA-20SPR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Grammar Songs - DVD
by Kathy Troxel
from Audio Memory
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$15.00
Guide to Egypt
by Michael March
from Highlights for Children
for 1st-6th grade
in Near & Middle East (Location: HISMC-NME)
$1.50 (2 in stock)
Guide to South Africa
by Michael March
from Highlights for Children
for 1st-6th grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$1.50 (3 in stock)
Guides to History Plus
by Kathryn Stout
from Design-A-Study
for All grades
in Design-A-Study (Location: HSR-DAS)
$14.00 $6.00 (3 in stock)
Hot Peas & Barley-O - Book & CD
by Susan Brumfield
from Hal Leonard Corp
for 1st-6th grade
in Europe (Location: HISMC-EUR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Houghton Mifflin Picture Dictionary
An American Heritage Dictionary
by Robert L. Hillerich, illustrated by Maggie Swanson
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
How a Seed Grows
by Helene J. Jordan
Revised from HarperCollins
for 1st-3rd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
How Mountains Are Made
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Geology (Rocks & Minerals) (Location: SCI-GEO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived With the Iroquois
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-5th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
In God We Trust
by Timothy Crater & Ranelda Hunsicker
from Victor Books
for 1st-6th grade
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$12.00 (3 in stock)
International Children's Bible Dictionary
by Lynn Waller
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIB-STU)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
International Children's Bible Handbook
by Lawrence Richards
from Word Publishing
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIB-STU)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
King Who Rained
by Fred Gwynne
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Kingfisher First Encyclopedia of Animals
by Camilla Reid
from Kingfisher
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Kites Sail High
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Kites Sail High
by Ruth Heller
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Kites Sail High
by Ruth Heller
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Little Golden Picture Dictionary
by Marie de John
1st edition from Golden Books
for 1st-2nd grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Living in Castle Times
by Robyn Gee
from Usborne
for 1st-4th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Lots More Tell Me Why
by Arkady Leokum
from Grosset & Dunlap
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Many Luscious Lollipops
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99
MapTrek - Atlas
by Terri Johnson
from Master Books
for 1st-10th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$34.39
MapTrek - Atlas & Outlines
by Terri Johnson
from Master Books
for 1st-10th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
MapTrek - Book with CD-ROM
by Terri Johnson
from Knowledge Quest
for 1st-10th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$32.00 (1 in stock)
MapTrek - Outlines
by Terri Johnson
from Master Books
for 1st-10th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$34.39
MapTrek - US Edition CD-ROM
from Knowledge Quest
for 1st-12th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$19.95
Merry-Go-Round
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Mesmerized
by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Mine, All Mine
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99
Moon Seems to Change
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Franklyn M. Branley
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Our Solar System (Location: SCI-AST)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
More Tell Me Why
by Arkady Leokum
1972 Printing from Grosset & Dunlap
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Multiplication Songs with CD
Audio Memory CDs
by Kathy Troxel
from Audio Memory
for 1st-4th grade
in Multiplication (Location: MATR-AR3MU)
$12.95
My First Picture Dictionary
by Katherine Howard
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$1.50 (2 in stock)
My First Science Book
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
My Little Science Library 5 volumes
from National Geographic
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
My Second Picture Dictionary
Ginn Elementary English Series
by Reid, Crane, & Jenkins, illustrated by Tom Cooke and Bea Holmes
from Ginn and Co.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
My Very First Word Book
by Angela Wilkes
from DK Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Why
by Amy Shields
from National Geographic
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Native Homes
by Bobbie Kalman
from Crabtree Publishing
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Nave's Compact Topical Bible
by God
from Zondervan
for All Ages
in Bible Reference (Location: XBI-REF)
$3.00 (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 (2 in stock)
Nest Full of Eggs
by Priscilla Belz Jenkins
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
New Golden Dictionary
by Bertha Morris Parker, illustrated by Aurelius Battaglia
from Golden Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Oil Spill!
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by written by Melvin Berger; illustrated by Paul Mirocha
1st edition from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Environment & Conservation (Location: SCI-ENV)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Old Hat New Hat
Bright & Early Books
by Jan Berenstain, Stan Berenstain
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99
One Small Square: African Savanna
One Small Square
by Donald M. Silver & Patricia Wynne
1st edition from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$11.00
One Small Square: Arctic Tundra
One Small Square
by Donald Silver & Patricia Wynne
from McGraw-Hill
for 1st-3rd grade
in One Small Square (Location: SCI-1SS)
$15.00
12