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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236 Items found Print
Active Filters: 7th grade (Ages 12-13), 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 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)
Ancient India
People of the Ancient World
by Virginia Schomp
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient Romans
People of the Ancient World
by Allison Lassieur
from Franklin Watts
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$7.00 (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 American History
from Rand McNally
for 4th-9th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Atlas of American History (old)
by Rand McNally
from Rand McNally
World History Reference/Atlas for 5th-8th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$6.00 (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)
Aztecs
Journey Into Civilization
by Robert Nicholson and Claire Watts
from Chelsea House Publishing
for 4th-7th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$6.00 (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)
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)
Bible Then & Now
by Jenny Roberts
from Simon & Schuster Macmillan
for 6th-Adult
in Archaeology (Location: HISRF-ARCH)
$12.00 (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)
Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
by Jane Straus with Lester Kaufman & Tom Stern
11th edition from Jossey-Bass
for 6th-Adult
$13.56 $8.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Character for Life
by Don Hawkinson
for 7th-12th grade
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Cultural History of Women in America: Finding an Identity
A Cultural History of Women in America: Volume 1
by Alex Woolf
from Chelsea House Publishing
Women's History for 3rd-8th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
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 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: Arctic & Antarctic
by Barbara Taylor
from DK Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Arctic & Tundra (Location: SCI-ECO)
$4.00 (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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 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 Help Your Kids with Language Arts
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
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)
Drive Thru History America: Foundations of Character - Set
by David Barton, Nita Thomas
from Tyndale House
for 6th-10th grade
in Drive Thru History with Dave Stotts (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Electricity and Magnetism
Usborne Understanding Science
by Eliot Humberstone, Paul-Francis Law & Peter Adamczyk
from Usborne
for 3rd-7th grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
$2.50 (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)
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 Nature
by DK Publishing
from DK Children
for 4th-7th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$14.00 (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)
Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts in One Big Fat Notebook
from Workman Publishing
for 6th-8th grade
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Everything You Need to Ace World 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)
Faith Unfurled
from History Compass
for 4th-8th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$7.95 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Fields of Fury
by James M. McPherson
from Atheneum
for 4th-7th grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$24.99 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Find Out About The Celts
by Fiona Macdonald
from Southwater Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
First Civilizations
History of Everyday Things
by Giovanni Caselli
from Peter Bedrick Books
for 4th-7th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$6.00 (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)
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)
Grammar Songs - Book only
by Kathy Troxel
from Audio Memory
for 3rd-8th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Grammar Songs with CD
Audio Memory CDs
by Kathy Troxel
from Audio Memory
for 3rd-8th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$22.95 $15.00 (2 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)
Guide to Grammar
by Laura Wilson
from Maupin House Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$17.00 (1 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 (2 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 United States History
from Hammond World Atlas Corporation
for 6th-12th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Handbook of Nature Study
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Comstock Publishing
for 6th-9th grade
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Harvey's Elementary Grammar and Composition - Answer Key
Harvey's Language Course
by Thos. W. Harvey
from Mott Media
for 4th-8th grade
in McGuffey's Readers & Other Primers (Location: REA-MCG)
$4.00 (2 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)
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 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 the World: Early Middle Ages
from Heinemann Educational Books
for 7th-9th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
History of the World: Late Middle Ages
by Monica Dombrosio, Roberto Barbieri
from Steck-Vaughn Company
for 7th-9th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$8.50 (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 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)
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)
How Nature Works
by David Burnie
from Reader's Digest
for 4th-7th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
How the White House Really Works
by George Sullivan
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-7th grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
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