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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269 Items found Print
Active Filters: 6th grade (Ages 11-12), Hardcover
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)
Album of Dinosaurs
by Tom McGowen, illustrated by Rod Ruth
from Rand McNally
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
America During Four Wars
by Earl Schenck Miers & Felix Sutton
from Grosset & Dunlap
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
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)
America's Lost Dream
by Tom Dooley
from Master Books
American History for 4th-6th grade
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$12.79 $8.00 (2 in stock)
American Adventures
by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Robert Frankenberg
from Macmillan
for 4th-7th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Anatomicum
Welcome to the Museum
by Jennifer Z. Paxton; illustrated by Katy Wiedemann
from Big Picture Press
for 6th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
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
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
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)
Arboretum
Welcome to the Museum
by Tony Kirkham, illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Archaeology Book
by David Down
from Master Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Archaeology (Location: HISRF-ARCH)
$15.19 $11.00 (2 in stock)
Around the World in 2,000 Pictures
by A. Milton Runyon and Vilma F. Bergane, editors
Revised from Doubleday & Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Art and Civilization: Ancient Rome
Art and Civilization
by Giovanni Di Pasquale & Matilde Bardi
from Peter Bedrick Books
Roman History Reference for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Art and Civilization: Renaissance
by Paul Procter, Rupert Matthews
from Peter Bedrick Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
Art for Children: Renaissance
Art for Children
by Lillo Canto
from Chelsea House Publishing
Art Appreciation for 4th-6th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
$20.00 $9.00 (1 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)
Atlas of World History
from Parragon Publishing
for 6th-12th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
Bible Atlas
by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
from Rand McNally
for 6th-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
Bible Atlas
by Brian Delf
from Tyndale House
for 3rd-6th grade
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
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)
Birthdays of Freedom Book One
by Genevieve Foster
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 3rd-6th grade
1953 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Birthdays of Freedom Book Two
by Genevieve Foster
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 3rd-6th grade
1953 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Botanicum
Welcome to the Museum
by Kathy Willis; illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 3rd-12th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Built to Last
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$36.99
Castles
by Charles W.C. Oman
illustrated edition from Crown Publishers
for 6th-9th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
Child's First Book of American History (hardcover)
by Earl Schenck Miers, James Daugherty
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$28.00 (1 in stock)
Childcraft in Fifteen Volumes, 1961 Edition
from World Book
for 1st-6th grade
in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH)
Childcraft in Fourteen Volumes, 1949 Edition
from World Book
for 1st-6th grade
in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH)
Childcraft: The How and Why Library, 1972 Edition
from World Book
for 1st-6th grade
in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH)
Childcraft: The How and Why Library, 1980 Edition
from World Book
for 1st-6th grade
in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH)
Children's Atlas of the Bible
by Henry Wansbrough
1st edition
for 1st-7th grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIBR-STU)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Children's Encyclopedia of American History
by David C. King
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
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)
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)
Colonial Craftsmen and the Beginnings of American Industry
by Edwin Tunis
from World Publishing Company
for 4th-9th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
Crinkleroot's Book of Animal Tracks and Wildlife Signs
by Jim Arnosky
from Putnam Juvenile
for 3rd-6th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Birds
by Jim Arnosky
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-6th grade
in Forests & Mountains (Location: SCI-FOREST)
Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Trees
by Jim Arnosky
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-6th grade
in Forests & Mountains (Location: SCI-FOREST)
Cultural Atlas for Young People: Africa
by Jocelyn Murray
3rd edition from Facts On File
African History Reference/Atlas for 4th-8th grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$35.00
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 China
by Tony Allan
from Facts On File
for 4th-8th grade
in China (Location: HISMC-CHI)
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 Greece
by Anton Powell
3rd edition from Facts On File
Atlas/Greek History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$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
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)
Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Rome
by Mike Corbishley
3rd edition from Facts On File
Atlas/Roman History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$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
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
DK Atlas of Exploration
by Anita Ganeri, Andrea Mills
from DK Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$10.00 (2 in stock)
DK Children's Illustrated Thesaurus
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eye Wonder: Invention
by Caroline Bingham
from DK Publishing
for 2nd-6th grade
in Inventions & Discoveries (Location: SCI-INV)
DK Eye Wonder: Plant
by Fleur Star
from DK Children
for 3rd-6th grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$6.00 (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: Ancient Rome
DK Eyewitness Series
by Simon James
from DK Publishing
Roman History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$9.99
DK Eyewitness: Arms & Armor
DK Eyewitness Series
by Michele Byam
from DK Publishing
Military History for 4th-8th grade
in Military & Weapon History (Location: HISV-MILIT)
$16.99
DK Eyewitness: Arms & Armor
DK Eyewitness Series
by Michele Byam
from DK Publishing
Military History for 4th-8th grade
in Military & Weapon History (Location: HISV-MILIT)
DK Eyewitness: Aztec, Inca & Maya
by Elizabeth Baquedano
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Aztec, Inca & Maya
by Elizabeth Baquedano
from DK Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$9.00 (1 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: Castle
DK Eyewitness Series
by Christopher Gravett
from DK Publishing
Middle Ages History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$16.99
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: Chemistry
DK Eyewitness series
by Ann Newmark
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
DK Eyewitness: Civil War
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
DK Eyewitness: Civil War
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$9.99
DK Eyewitness: Cowboy
DK Eyewitness Series
by David Murdoch
from DK Publishing
American History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Cowboys & Cattlemen (Location: HISA-19CO)
DK Eyewitness: Crime & Detection
DK Eyewitness Series
by Brian Lane
from DK Publishing
HIstory Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Espionage & Forensic Science (Location: SCI-CRIME)
DK Eyewitness: Crystal & Gem
by R. F. Symes, R. R. Harding
from DK Children
for 4th-6th grade
in Geology (Rocks & Minerals) (Location: SCI-GEO)
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: Energy
by Jack Challoner
from DK Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Energy, Forces & Motion (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: Knight
DK Eyewitness Series
by Christopher Gravett
from DK Publishing
Middle Ages HIstory Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
DK Eyewitness: Life
DK Eyewitness Series
by David Burnie
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Science Reference for 4th-6th grade
in Biology (Location: SCI-BIO)
$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: Medieval Life
DK Eyewitness Series
by Andrew Langley
from DK Publishing
Midieval Ages History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$16.99
DK Eyewitness: North American Indian
DK Eyewitness Series
by David Murdoch
from DK Publishing
HIstory Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
DK Eyewitness: Ocean
by Miranda MacQuitty
1st edition from DK Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$9.99
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: Rocks & Minerals w/clip art CD
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Geology (Rocks & Minerals) (Location: SCI-GEO)
$7.00 (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 Eyewitness: Shark
by Miranda MacQuitty
from DK Children
for 5th-9th grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
DK Eyewitness: Spy
by Richard Platt
from DK Children
for 4th-6th grade
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
DK Eyewitness: Viking
DK Eyewitness Series
by Susan M. Margeson
from DK Publishing
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$16.99
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)
$16.99
DK Eyewitness: World War II
by Simon Adams
from DK Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
DK Eyewitness: World War II
by Simon Adams
from DK Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
$9.99
DK First Human Body Encyclopedia
from DK Publishing
for 1st-6th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
DK First Human Body Encyclopedia
from DK Publishing
for 1st-6th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$17.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
DK First Nature Encyclopedia
by Caroline Bingham & Ben Morgan
from DK Children
for 1st-6th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
DK Revealed: Ancient Rome
by Peter Chrisp
1st edition from DK Children
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
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