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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498 Items found Print
Active Filters: Hardcover
Africa Is Not a Country
by Margy Burns Knight
from Millbrook Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
Africa Is Not a Country
by Margy Burns Knight
2nd edition from Millbrook Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$10.99
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)
Amazing World Atlas
by Alexa Ward
from Lonely Planet
for 2nd-5th grade
in Oversized Geography (Location: GEO-OVER)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
America and Its People
by Laureat Bernard,Ralph Brande, Don Sharkey
from W. H. Sadlier
for 9th-12th grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$9.60 (1 in stock)
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)
America: A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne Cheney
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
America: A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne Cheney
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
American Adventures
by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Robert Frankenberg
from Macmillan
for 4th-7th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
American Children Through Their Books
by Sister Monica Kiefer
1970 printing from University of Pennsylvania Press
for Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$9.00 (1 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)
American Heritage Desk Dictionary
5th edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 7th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
American Heritage First Dictionary
Updated from Houghton Mifflin
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$9.00 (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 Heritage Student Thesaurus
by Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries
Reprint from Houghton Mifflin
for 7th-12th grade
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$18.99
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)
American Story
from Curtis Publishing Co.
for 9th-Adult
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)
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)
$6.39
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
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)
Asimov's New Guide to Science
by Isaac Asimov
from Basic Books
for Adult
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
Atlas of the Islamic World
by Francis Robinson
from Facts On File
for 9th-Adult
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$5.00 (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
2nd edition from Oxford University
for 7th-Adult
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$49.95
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)
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 Bible Dictionary for Kids
by Daryl J. Lucas
2nd edition from Popular Group
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIBR-STU)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Baker Bible Dictionary for Kids
by Daryl J. Lucas
1st edition from Baker Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIBR-STU)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Baker's Bible Atlas
by Charles F. Pfeiffer
1966 printing from Baker Books
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
Bible and the Constitution
by Verna M. Hall and Rosalie J. Slater
1st edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Adult
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
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
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon
from Hendrickson Publishers
for Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon
from Hendrickson Publishers
for Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
Built to Last
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$36.99
By These Words
by Paul M. Angle, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson
from Rand McNally
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Castles
by Charles W.C. Oman
illustrated edition from Crown Publishers
for 6th-9th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
Character for Life
by Don Hawkinson
for 7th-12th grade
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Child's History of America
One-Syllable series #1
by Josephine Pollard
from Mantle Ministries
for 1st-4th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
Child's History of Our Naval Heroes
One-Syllable series #4
by Josephine Pollard
from Mantle Ministries
for 1st-4th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
Child's History of the Battles of America
One-Syllable series #3
by Josephine Pollard
from Mantle Ministries
for 1st-4th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
Child's History of the Life of George Washington
One-Syllable series #2
by Josephine Pollard
from Mantle Ministries
Biography for 1st-4th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
Child's History Told in One-Syllable Words - 4 volume set
by Josephine Pollard
from Mantle Ministries
for 1st-4th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
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)
Children's Encyclopedia of Science
by John Paton, illustrated by John Marshall
from Rand McNally
for 2nd-4th grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
Children's First Encyclopedia
by Neil Morris
from Backpack Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Encyclopedias (Location: REF-ENC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Christian Life and Character of the Civil United States
by Benjamin F. Morris
from American Vision Press
for 9th-Adult
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$12.00 (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)
Civilisation
by Kenneth Clark
from HarperCollins
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$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)
CLE English Handbook
by Karen Birt
from Christian Light Education
for 7th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
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)
Crossway Illustrated Bible Handbook
by Tim Dowley, editor
from Crossway Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Bible Dictionaries & Handbooks (Location: XBI-DICT)
Cruden's Complete Concordance
by Alexander Cruden
from John C. Winston
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Curious George's Dictionary
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
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 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)
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