Tapestry of Grace

All of history—secular and divine—can be seen as a complex fabric in which nothing is solitary: every person and event is woven together and interrelated. Tapestry of Grace uses this analogy to present a complete history-based curriculum for all grades. The scope of world history is covered in four consecutive year-long programs that can be recycled for the same students at different levels. Everything is consciously related to a biblical worldview, without ignoring secular cultural contributions and ideas. Unlike Sonlight or My Father's World, Tapestry of Grace doesn't focus on missions, but Christianity is still central to the course.

How Do These Work?

Scott and Marcia Somerville wrote the Tapestry of Grace series for their own family, but it spread. The curriculum is based on a four-year cycle of world history study that progresses linearly from Creation to current events. While you can use Tapestry once through the cycle (for high school, for instance), it is very teacher-intensive, making multiple-cycle use a time saver. Don't worry about covering the same information over and over—the program is adaptable for a number of age groups.

For each level there are a number of units covering eras within the overall period studied. The first two periods cover extensive epochs (the ancient world, and the Middle Ages through the 18th century), while the third year covers the 19th century, and the fourth year covers the 20th. Extensive weekly lesson plans appear in the 3-ring binder teacher manuals. Daily lessons aren't scripted, but that shouldn't be a problem due to the amount of material. Like most comprehensive curricula, this one is very teacher-intensive, much more than some others (notably Sonlight and My Father's World).

Every year-long course includes 36 weeks of study, each with its own extensive lesson plan. Parents begin by reviewing the student goals for the week (there are often several). An overview of the week's reading assignments follows, then age-appropriate writing assignments. The next segment is often the longest and outlines in detail the student activities, which include comprehension and discussion questions. Following this are extensive teacher's notes, a preview of the next week's plan, and supplemental information. Some of the weekly plans run upwards of 50 pages, making this quite a bit of material for the parent to sift through, especially if this is your first time using the program.

Some of the pages in the teacher's manuals require writing, but if you want to use this over multiple years or with more than one student you'll have to make copies; some people also slide each page in a plastic cover that you can write on and wipe off. Since Tapestry is based on the classical trivium, age levels are grouped according to upper and lower grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric stages. Each one is color-coded within the lesson plans, with a separate color for information that pertains to all levels, making quick reference that much easier. If the sheer volume of each week's plan is too daunting initially, remember that all level work is included side-by-side, so you don't actually need to read everything.

A variety of books are listed for students to read, and reading assignments are part of the lesson plans. The focus is on the humanities (parents will have to find and schedule their own math and science) with special attention to history, literature,Bible study and worldview. Relating everything students learn to a Christian understanding is an essential element of the course. While the authors are Protestant, they respect other traditions and there are even alternate Catholic and Orthodox reading lists for families from those traditions available on the Tapestry website. This respect for and willingness to investigate different and even opposing viewpoints is a welcome feature of the Tapestry of Grace curriculum as a whole.

Our Honest Opinion:

If you can manage to navigate the extensive material in the teacher's manuals, Tapestry of Grace is an excellent comprehensive curriculum. The fact that it is so comprehensive and yet doesn't work math or science into the program is somewhat disconcerting, but also understandable given the worldview emphasis.

What is even more disconcerting is simply the amount of information to be filtered by the parent—this will pretty much rule your life if you decide to use it, especially for the first year or two. Once you've got a handle on how the teacher's guides work and you've put them to use for awhile planning and executing lessons should be much easier. Using this in a co-op situation seems ideal, since it could take some of the pressure off individual parents' shoulders and become a community effort.

That said, the Somervilles have created an excellent curriculum on the classical model. The fact that you can recycle the lesson plans while introducing new material every four years borders on genius. Most education after fifth grade is mostly just reinforcement anyway, so working that into the program eliminates a lot of potential confusion. Speaking of confusion, if you haven't homeschooled before this probably isn't the best choice as it can easily lead to burnout, even among veterans (though the authors claim the revised versions are rookie-friendly). If you're willing to put in the effort and you want a comprehensive, Bible-centered curriculum, this is a great choice.

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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116 Items found Print
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Abraham Lincoln
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Aladdin and Other Tales from the Arabian Nights
Puffin Classics
by N.J. Dawood, illustrated by William Harvey
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales for 2nd-6th grade
$7.99
Almost Home
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
from Moody Press
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Amazing Impossible Erie Canal
by Cheryl Harness
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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America's Paul Revere
by Esther Forbes
from Sandpiper Books
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$12.99
Ancient Egyptians and their Neighbors
by Marian Broida
from Chicago Review Press
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
by Jean Fritz & Margot Tomes
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
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Arrow Over the Door
by Joseph Bruchac
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Bard of Avon
by Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema
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Benjamin Franklin
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
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Boy Who Held Back the Sea
by Thomas Locker
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$8.99
Buffalo Bill
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
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Canterbury Tales
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from William Morrow & Company
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$17.50 (1 in stock)
Chanticleer and the Fox
by Barbara Cooney
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade
1959 Caldecott Medal winner
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$7.99
Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
from Simon and Schuster
Poetry for 1st-5th grade
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Children's Illustrated Bible
by Selina Hastings
from DK Publishing
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$12.00 (2 in stock)
Civil War Days
American Kids in History
by David C. King
1st edition from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Coming to America
by Betsy Maestro
from Scholastic Inc.
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
Courage of Sarah Noble
by Alice Dalgliesh
Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks
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1955 Newbery Honor Book
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$5.99
Dangerous Journey
by Oliver Hunkin (abridger)
from Eerdmans
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 3rd-6th grade
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$25.00
Daniel Boone - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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$3.99
Door in the Wall
by Marguerite de Angeli
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1950 Newbery Medal winner
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Emily
by Michael Bedard
from Dell Publishing
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Exploration and Conquest
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
1st edition from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Exploration and Conquest
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
1st edition from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Finding Providence
An I Can Read Chapter Book
by Avi
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$4.99
Follow the Drinking Gourd
by Jeanette Winter
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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Follow the Drinking Gourd
by Jeanette Winter
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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Fourth of July Story
by Alice Dalgliesh
2nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
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$8.99
George Washington
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$17.95
Gilgamesh the King
by Ludmila Zeman
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for 1st-4th grade
$8.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Golden Children's Bible
by Golden Books
from Golden Books
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$22.99
Great Wall of China
by Leonard Everett Fisher
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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$7.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Haydn's Farewell Symphony
by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel
from Charlesbridge
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$16.95
Horton Hears a Who!
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
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How We Crossed the West
by Rosalyn Schanzer
Reprint from National Geographic
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$7.95
Hundred Dresses
by Eleanor Estes
from Harcourt
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1945 Newbery Honor Book
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$8.99
If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King
by Ellen Levine
Updated from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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$4.50 (2 in stock)
If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War
If You Were There
by Kay Moore
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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$3.00 (2 in stock)
Immigrant Kids
by Russell Freedman
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$8.99
Imprisoned in the Golden City
TrailBlazer Books
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$8.99
India: The People
from Crabtree Publishing
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$2.00 (4 in stock)
India: The People
from Crabtree Publishing
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
James Herriot's Treasury for Children
by James Herriot, illustrated by Ruth Brown & Peter Barrett
Unabridged from Macmillan
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$25.99
Josefina Story Quilt
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Eleanor Coerr
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln
An All Aboard Reading Reader Level 4
by Jean Fritz
from Grosset & Dunlap
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln
An All Aboard Reading Reader Level 4
by Jean Fritz
from Grosset & Dunlap
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in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$4.99
Justin Morgan Had a Horse
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade
1946 Newbery Honor Book
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$6.39
Kidnapped by River Rats
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
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$8.99
Kitchen Knight
by Margaret Hodges; illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
from Holiday House
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Knights & Castles
by Avery Hart, Paul Mantell
from Williamson Publishing Company
for 2nd-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Last Quest of Gilgamesh
by Ludmila Zeman
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-4th grade
$8.95 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Leif the Lucky
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Leif the Lucky
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from University of Minnesota
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$17.95
Librarian Who Measured the Earth
by Kathryn Lasky
from Little, Brown & Company
Biography for 2nd-5th grade
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$18.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Life in a Greek Trading Port
Picture the Past
by Jane Shuter
from Heinemann Educational Books
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$7.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Life in Ancient China
by Paul Challen
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in China (Location: HISMC-CHI)
$8.95
Life in Ancient Mesopotamia
by Shilpa Mehta-Jones
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
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$8.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Life in Ancient Mexico - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by John Green
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
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$5.99
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Chronicles of Narnia Book 2
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
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$9.99
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Chronicles of Narnia Book 2
by C. S. Lewis, illustrated by Pauline Baynes
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Little House on the Prairie
Little House Series #2
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$17.99
Little Princess
Puffin Classics
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Magic Tree House #16
by Mary Pope Osborne
from Random House
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in Magic Tree House (Location: SER-MTH)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Make it Work! Ancient Egypt
Make It Work!
by Andrew Haslam & Alexandra Parsons
from Two-Can Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$7.95
Making of a Knight
by Patrick O'Brien
from Charlesbridge
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Marguerite Makes a Book
by Bruce Robertson
from J. Paul Getty Museum
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$19.95
Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot
by Margot Theis Raven
from Sleeping Bear Press
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$17.95
Michelangelo
by Diane Stanley
from HarperCollins
Picture Book Biography for 2nd-4th grade
2001 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
Minstrel in the Tower
by Gloria Skurzynski
from Random House
Historical Fiction for 1st-4th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$5.99
More Perfect Union
The American Story Series
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
from HarperCollins
Historical Reference for 2nd-6th grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$11.99
More Than Moccasins
by Laurie Carlson
from Chicago Review Press
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Mummies Made in Egypt
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
Non-fiction for 2nd-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
My Little House Crafts Book
by Carolyn Strom Collins & Christina Wyss Eriksson
from HarperCollins
Arts and Crafts for 3rd-6th grade
in Little House Materials (Location: LIR-LHM)
$13.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
New Coat for Anna
by Harriet Ziefert
from Random House
Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Old Testament Days
by Nancy I. Sanders
from Chicago Review Press
for 1st-6th grade
in Bible Activities for Kids (Location: BIBR-ACT)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Old-Time Children's Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Ming-Ju Sun
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Costume & Fashion Coloring Books (Location: COL-FAS)
$3.99
Once On This Island
by Gloria Whelan
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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$6.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Ox-Cart Man
by Donald Hall
from Puffin Books
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1980 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Paddle-to-the-Sea
by Holling C. Holling
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Caldecott Honor Book
in BFB Holling Geography (Location: HISCUR-BFG)
$13.99
Paul Revere's Ride
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, illustrated by Ted Rand
from Puffin Books
American Poetry for 2nd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Pegasus
by Marianna Mayer & K. Y. Craft
1st ed from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Pegasus
by Marianna Mayer & K. Y. Craft
1st ed from Morrow Eagle
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Peter the Great
by Diane Stanley
from William Morrow & Company
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Picture Book of Davy Crockett
by David Adler
from Holiday House
Picture Book Biography for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.99
Place in the Sun
by Jill Rubalcaba
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Rapunzel
by Paul Zelinsky
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade
1998 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Revenge of Ishtar
by Ludmila Zeman
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-4th grade
$8.95 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
by Rudyard Kipling
from William Morrow & Company
Realistic Animal Stories for 2nd-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Rumpelstiltskin
by Paul O. Zelinsky
from Puffin Books
1987 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Saint George and the Dragon
by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman
from Little, Brown & Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3rd grade
1985 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlan
30th Anniversary from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
1986 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Seabird
by Holling C. Holling
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1949 Newbery Honor Book
in BFB Holling Geography (Location: HISCUR-BFG)
$12.99
Sign of the Beaver
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1984 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Spend the Day in Ancient Greece
by Linda Honan
from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Star-Spangled Banner
by Peter Spier
from Yearling
American History for 2nd-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$10.99
Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children
by H. E. Marshall
from Yesterday's Classics
Myth & Legend for 2nd-5th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$9.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Napoleon
The Children's Heroes Series
by H. E. Marshall
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.95
Story of the Alamo - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in History of America Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISA)
$3.99
Story of the Statue of Liberty
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
from William Morrow & Company
Historical Non-Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
$7.99
12