My Account Wish List Shopping Cart Log In
Store Location

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?
Parent Categories
Reference & Learning Aids
Subcategories
56 Items found Print
Filter
Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), Trade Paperback, New Books & Materials
American History in Verse
by Burton Stevenson
from Bob Jones University Press
Poetry for 3rd-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$11.00
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
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)
Cache of Jewels
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99
Calendar Quest
by Jennifer Johnson Garrity
from Brimwood Press
for 4th-6th
in Tools for Young Historians (Location: BIBWV-TYH)
$15.00
Castle
by David Macaulay
from Graphia
Architecture for 4th-8th grade
1978 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$16.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Cathedral
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
Architecture for 4th-8th grade
1974 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Child's First Book of American History
by Earl Schenck Miers, James Daugherty
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$32.95 $21.00 (1 in stock)
City
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$14.99 $7.50 (2 in stock)
Complete Rhyming Dictionary
from Dell Publishing
for 1st-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$8.99
Daily Life in a Covered Wagon
by Paul Erickson
from Puffin Books
Historical Reference for 3rd-5th Grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$9.99
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)
$14.95
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: Forensic Science
by Chris Cooper
from DK Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Espionage & Forensic Science (Location: SCI-CRIME)
$9.99
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)
$9.99
Excavating the Past: Ancient Greece
by Christine Hatt
from Heinemann Educational Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$8.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Explorers News
The History News
by Michael Johnstone
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$6.99 $4.50 (4 in stock)
Faith Unfurled
from History Compass
for 4th-8th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$7.95 $5.57 (1 in stock)
Gladiator
by Richard Watkins
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$8.95
Great Pyramid
Wonders of the World
by Elizabeth Mann
Reprint from Mikaya Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$14.95
Greek News
The History News
by Anton Powell, Philip Steele
from Candlewick Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$7.99 $5.50 (2 in stock)
Human Anatomy in Full Color
by John Green
from Dover Publications
for 4th-12th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$9.95
If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution
If You Were There
by Elizabeth Levy
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$7.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine & Wayne Parmenter
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
$6.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Illustrated Book of Knights
Dover Storybooks for Children
by Jack Coggins
from Dover Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$16.95
Kenny Kwiz
by Kenny Abegglen
from Brimwood Press
for 4th-6th
in Tools for Young Historians (Location: BIBWV-TYH)
$15.50
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)
Life in a Greek Trading Port
Picture the Past
by Jane Shuter
from Heinemann Educational Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$7.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Life in Ancient Mesopotamia
by Shilpa Mehta-Jones
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Ancient Mesopotamia & Persia (Location: HISW-ANME)
$8.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Light and the Glory for Young Readers
by Anna Wilson Fishel, David Manuel, Peter Marshall
Reprint from Revell Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Light and the Glory (Location: HISA-LG)
$18.00
Little Red Schoolhouse
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$6.95
Making of a Knight
by Patrick O'Brien
from Charlesbridge
Picture Books/Historical Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$7.95 $5.00 (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
Medieval Feast
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-5th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
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)
Mill
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.99
Mine, All Mine
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99
Mosque
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.99
Mummies, Tombs, and Treasure
by Lila Perl
from Houghton Mifflin
for 3rd-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$8.95 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Painless Grammar
by Rebecca Elliott Ph.D.
5th edition from Barron's
for 4th-6th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$16.99
Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Egypt
by Bill Manley
from Penguin Putnam
Atlas for 2nd-7th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$16.95 $11.00 (2 in stock)
Peterson First Guide to Mammals of North America
by Peter Alden
3rd edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 3rd-6th grade
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FIELD)
$8.99
Pioneer Sampler
by Barbara Greenwood
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$15.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Riddle of the Rosetta Stone
by James Giblin
from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$8.99
Silk Route
by John S. Major & Stephen Fieser
from HarperCollins
Asia History Reference for 2nd-4th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$7.99
Spelling Dictionary for Writers Book 2
by Gregory Hurray
from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-4th grade
in EPS Spelling (Location: SPE-EPS)
$17.09 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Story of Clocks and Calendars
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
Reprint from HarperCollins
for 3rd-8th grade
in Time & Clocks (Location: MATM-TIME)
$9.99
Tutankhamun
by Robert Green
from Grolier Publishing
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$6.95 $3.50 (2 in stock)
U. S. History Cookbook
by Joan D'Amico and Karen Eich Drummond
from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
for 1st-5th grade
in Cooking for Kids (Location: COOK-KID)
$16.00
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)
Up, Up and Away
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Living World Encyclopedia
by Emma Speare, Lesley Colvin
from Usborne
for 4th-6th grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$13.49 $8.10 (3 in stock)
Usborne Mysteries and Marvels of Nature
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Elizabeth Dalby
from Usborne
for 4th-8th grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$15.29 $10.80 (1 in stock)
William Shakespeare and the Globe
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$8.99
Writing Magic
by Gail Carson Levine
Reissue from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$7.99
Sign Up!

Shop

Support

Hours & Directions

Learn more about our store location and hours

Connect

503.655.1951

hello@exodusbooks.com

19146 Molalla Ave,
Oregon City, OR 97045