Staff Favorites & Reviews

No staff is entirely static, staying exactly the same for years with no additions or subtractions. We realize that, but we're also pretty proud of our current personnel, and the many ways they've helped shape Exodus Books and point it in some unforeseen and wonderful directions. So, in 2011 we started asking each individual to share their favorite books, curricula, games, etc., and these pages are the result.

Because sharing favorites is fairly personal, we thought you should get to know each of these peculiar persons and asked them all to write a main bio, as well as section-specific bios. These are partly to show why they selected the titles and products in their lists, and partly just to show you that Exodus Books is inhabited by real people who do real things.

One of our biggest in-store services is making recommendations and helping people find what works best for them. These lists aren't as customer-specific, but they serve the same purpose—we're not just trying to parade our excellent taste or prove that we're literate, we're trying to help you discover things you may never have found otherwise, and maybe to rediscover some old favorites.

It's probably a fact universally true of book-lovers: given the chance, they'll talk your ear off about the books they love, the books they hate, and all the books you'll never read but that are really much better than the well-known books you will read. This isn't pretension. It's simply what happens to those who love words and want to share them. We've tried to cut the talk down here, though we'll gladly answer any pertinent questions.

With that, we present Staff Favorites. You'll find some overlap (lots of people seem to like The Chronicles of Narnia), but rarely if ever will you find complete consensus on a single title, product, or curriculum line. That's why we let everyone make their own lists: you know the official Exodus stance by reading our reviews, but the individuality that makes our store unique and awesome is what's on display here. Enjoy, and don't judge too harshly.

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160 Items found Print
Active Filters: Just for Fun, 1st grade (Ages 6-7)
Adventures of Charlie the Ranch Dog
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Ree Drummond and Diane De Groat
from Barnes & Noble
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Herman Parish, Illustrated by Lynn Sweat
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Herman Parish, Illustrated by Lynn Sweat
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
American History for Young Students I
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 1st-5th grade
in TruthQuest History (Location: HISCUR-TQ)
And I Mean It, Stanley
by Crosby Bonsall
1st edition from HarperCrest
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Ant and the Elephant
by Bill Peet
from Sandpiper Books
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Arthur and the Super Chimp Contest
An I Can Read Book
by Lillian Hoban
from Harper & Row
for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Arthur's Christmas Cookies
I Can Read! Level 2
by Lilian Hoban
from HarperCrest
for Preschool-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Arthur's Christmas Cookies
I Can Read! Level 2
by Lilian Hoban
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Baboushka and the Three Kings
by Ruth Robbins, Nicolas Sidjakov (Illustrator)
from Houghton Mifflin
Word Books for Preschool-2nd grade
1961 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Ball for Daisy
by Chris Raschka
from Schwartz & Wade
for Preschool-2nd grade
2012 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Barkley
An Early I Can Read Book
by Syd Hoff
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Bear Cub
All Aboard Reading - Station Stop 2
by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso, illustrated by Neecy Twinem
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 1st-2nd grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Bear That Heard Crying
by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock & Helen Kinsey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Bears
Usborne Beginners
by Emma Helbrough
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
Big Max
An I Can Read Books Level 2
by Kin Platt
Revised from HarperCollins
for Grades 1-3
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99
Biggest Bear
by Lynd Ward
from Sandpiper Books
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
1953 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Biggest Bear
by Lynd Ward
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
1953 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Biggest Bear
by Lynd Ward
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
1953 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Biggest Bear
by Lynd Ward
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
1953 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Billy and Blaze
by C. W. Anderson
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Binky Brothers and the Fearless Four
I Can Read books
by James Lawrence; illustrated by Leonard Kessler
from Harper & Row
for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Brand New Day with Mouse and Mole
Green Light Readers Level 3
by Wong Herbert Yee
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for 1st-3rd grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$4.99
Bravest Dog Ever
Step Into Reading Level 3
by Natalie Standiford
from Random House
Animal Stories for 1st-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$5.99
Case of the Cat's Meow
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Crosby Bonsall
from HarperCollins
Mystery/Suspense for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99
Case of the Cat's Meow
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Crosby Bonsall
from Weekly Reader
Mystery/Suspense for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Case of the Hungry Stranger
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Crosby Bonsall
from Harper & Row
Children's Mystery for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Catch a Whale by the Tail
Science I Can Read Books
by Edward R. Ricciuti, illustrated by Geoffrey Moss
from Harper & Row
for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Cats
Usborne Beginners
by Anna Milbourne
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$2.70 (1 in stock)
Christopher Columbus
Follett Beginning-to-Read Level 3 reader
by Clara Ingram Judson, illustrated by Polly Jackson
from Follett
for 1st-4th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Classic Tales of Brer Rabbit (adapted)
by Joel Chandler Harris, illustrated by Don Daily
from Running Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Cranberry Thanksgiving
by Wende & Harry Devlin
from Purple House Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Cranberry Thanksgiving
by Wende & Harry Devlin
from Purple House Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Creating Books with Children
by Valerie Bendt
2nd edition
for Preschool-1st grade
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Daddy is Home!
by David Blomquist, illustrated by Aliki, music by Larry Grossman
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Danny and the Dinosaur Go To Camp
An I Can Read Book
by Syd Hoff
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
David and the Giant
I Can Read books
by Mike McClintock; illustrated by Fritz Siebel
from HarperCrest
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Digging-est Dog
by Al Perkins
from Random House
for Kindergarten-3rd Grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99
Dinosaur Days
Step Into Reading 3
by Joyce Milton, Franco Tempesta
Revised from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Dinosaurs
Usborne Beginners
by Stephanie Turnbull
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$2.70 (1 in stock)
Dogs
Usborne Beginners
by Emma Helbrough
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$2.70 (1 in stock)
Donkey Who Carried a King
by R.C. Sproul
from Reformation Trust Publishing
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Doodling Dragons - Phonogram Coloring Book
2nd edition from Logic of English, Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Logic of English (Location: PHO-LOE)
$6.99
Draw Write Now Book 3
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99
Egg Tree
by Katherine Milhous
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-2nd grade
1951 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Elephant and Piggie Complete Collection - Boxed Set
by Mo Willems
from Disney-Hyperion
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$95.00 (1 in stock)
Elephants
Usborne Beginners
by James MacLaine
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$3.15 (1 in stock)
Finding Winnie
by Lindsay Mattick
First Edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
2016 Caldecott Winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Fire Cat
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Esther Averill
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99
First Thanksgiving
Step into Reading Level 3
by Linda Hayward
from Random House
for 1st-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$4.99
Fly Went By
by Mike McClintock, illustrated by Fritz Siebel
from Random House
Rhyming Books for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Fun with Our Family and Fun Wherever You Are - Teacher's Edition
New Basic Readers
from Scott, Foresman & Co.
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Fun with Our Friends
The New Basic Readers Primer
by Helen M. Robinson, Marion Monroe, A. Sterl Artley, and Charlotte Huck, illustrated by Bob Childress & Jack White
from Scott, Foresman & Co.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Ghost Named Fred
by Nathaniel Benchley, illustrated by Ben Shecter
from Harper & Row
for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
by Paul Goble
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Native American Legends for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1979 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Gizmos & Gadgets
by Jill Frankel Hauser
from Williamson Publishing Company
for 1st-8th grade
in Science Experiments & Activities (Location: SCI-EXP)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Go, Dog, Go!
by P. D. Eastman
from Random House
Animal Fantasy/Rhyming Stories for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99
Go, Train, Go!
by Elizabeth Terrill, Rev. W. Awdry
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Gollywhopper Egg
by Anne Rockwell
from Macmillan
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Great Gracie Chase
by Cynthia Rylant
from Blue Sky press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Happy Birthday, Moon
by Frank Asch
Revised from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Harry and the Lady Next Door
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Gene Zion
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99
Harry and the Lady Next Door
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Gene Zion
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Henry and Mudge
by Cynthia Rylant
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Ready-to-Read (Location: EAR-R2R)
$4.99
Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble
by Cynthia Rylant
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Ready-to-Read (Location: EAR-R2R)
$4.99
Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble
by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Sucie Stevenson
from Bradbury Press
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Ready-to-Read (Location: EAR-R2R)
History for Little Pilgrims - Coloring Book
from Christian Liberty Press
for 1st grade
in CLP History (Location: HISCUR-CLP)
$6.45
Horses and Ponies
Usborne Beginners
by Anna Milbourne
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
Horton Hears a Who!
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Hurry Hurry
by Edith Thacher Hurd, Illustrated by Clement Hurd
from Harper & Row
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$20.00 (2 in stock)
I Should Have Stayed in Bed
by Joan M. Lexau, illustrated by Syd Hoff
from Harper & Row
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Ian Fleming's Story of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! The Magical Car
by Ian Fleming
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
It's Not Easy Being a Bunny
by Marilyn Sadler
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
It's Not Easy Being a Bunny
by Marilyn Sadler, illustrated by Roger Bollen
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Johnny Lion's Bad Day
by Edith Thacher Hurd, illustrated by Clement Hurd
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Johnny Lion's Bad Day
by Edith Thacher Hurd, illustrated by Clement Hurd
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Johnny Lion's Book
by Edith Thacher Hurd, illustrated by Clement Hurd
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Johnny Lion's Book
by Edith Thacher Hurd, illustrated by Clement Hurd
from Weekly Reader
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Kick, Pass, and Run
by Leonard Kessler
from HarperCrest
for Preschool-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Knitting Knights - Phonogram Coloring Book
from Logic of English, Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Logic of English (Location: PHO-LOE)
$6.99
Lands of Pleasure
by Albert J. Harris and Mae Knight Clark (senior authors)
from Macmillan
for 1st-2nd grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
Let's Get Turtles
by Millicent Selsam, illustrated by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Letters from Father Christmas
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Revised from Mariner Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$25.00
Letters from Father Christmas
by J. R. R. Tolkien, introduction by Bailie Tolkien
Centenary Edition from William Morrow & Company
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$32.00
Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge
by Hildegarde H. Swift & Lynd Ward
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Mei Li
by Thomas Handforth
Reissue from Doubleday & Company
1939 Caldecott Medal winner
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Mei Li
by Thomas Handforth
from Doubleday & Company
1939 Caldecott Medal winner
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Millions of Cats
by Wanda Gág
from PaperStar Books
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1929 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Miracle Man
by John Hendrix
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Monster Trucks!
Step into Reading Level 3
by Susan E. Goodman and Michael J. Doolittle
from Random House
for 1st-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
More Fun with Our Friends
from Scott, Foresman & Co.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
More Fun with Our Friends
The New Basic Readers Book 1
by Helen M. Robinson, Marion Monroe, A. Sterl Artley, illustrated by Richard H. Wiley, Jack White, and Rod Ruth
from Scott, Foresman & Co.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
More Fun with Our Friends - Teacher's Edition
The New Basic Readers
from Scott, Foresman & Co.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Mouse and Mole: A Winter Wonderland
Green Light Readers Level 3
by Wong Herbert Yee
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for 1st-3rd grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$4.99
Mr. Pig and Family
by Lillian Hoban
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Nine Days to Christmas
by Marie Hall Ets
from Viking Press
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1960 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Nine Days to Christmas
by Marie Hall Ets
from Dover Publications
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1960 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.95
No Funny Business
by Edith Thacher Hurd, illustrated by Clement Hurd
from HarperCrest
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Oliver
by Syd Hoff
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-1st grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
Ootah's Lucky Day
I Can Read
by Peggy Parish, illustrated by Mamoru Funai
from Harper & Row
for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
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