Teaching the Classics Booklist

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Some of the best things are born of necessity. While no one twisted Adam and Missy Andrews' arms to get them to create Teaching the Classics, a number of local home school parents (knowing the Andrews' academic backgrounds) did ask repeatedly to be shown how to teach their kids to appreciate and analyze literature. The Andrews eventually complied, distilling what parents need to know to lead Socratic-style discussions about great books into a relatively short lecture series and syllabus.

Teaching the Classics isn't a curriculum. There are no assignments, no lesson plans, and no workbooks, and you certainly can't hand anything to your kids and have them work on their own. Instead, it's a lifestyle tool, providing you and your children the necessary tools to understand literature, and by extension any ideas that make their way into your home, whether through the newspaper, movies, or talk radio. In his engaging DVD lectures, Adam Andrews shows the importance of reading quality fiction, and then equips you to do so.

Because it's not a curriculum, there's no required reading list, but there is an appendix in the teacher syllabus offering a book list of recommended titles for young children, elementary and middle school kids, and high school students. Each title is arranged alphabetically by author, with a brief description of the listed book. We carry about 90% of these titles (we're working on bringing all of them in), and they're listed below. Remember, these aren't required reading, but they do make an excellent place to start.

We're very impressed with Teaching the Classics, as well as the other products developed by Adam and Missy Andrews. Good books are important to us, but we see no point in reading them only for entertainment purposes. Literature needs to be engaged, and as Christians we have a responsibility to engage it in a particular way, a way the Andrews are willing and able to share with those of us who didn't major in English. The variety of titles in the list below shows how versatile their approach really is, though we encourage you to start with picture books no matter what age your kids are, as they offer a non-threatening venue for putting somewhat foreign concepts into practice.

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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Teaching the Classics Booklist

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	Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt from Berkley Books Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade 1965 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1955 Newbery Honor Book in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Bargain for Frances An I Can Read Book Level 2 by Russell & Lillian Hoban from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $5.09 $2.40 (1 in stock)
	Beowulf A Verse Translation by Anonymous (translation by Frederick Rebsamen) from HarperCollins Medieval Poetic Epic for 8th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $8.49 $4.80 (3 in stock)
	Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson from HarperCollins Humor for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Black Beauty Sterling Classics by Anna Sewell, illustrated by Scott McKowen Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co. Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $6.50 (1 in stock)
	Book of Three Prydain Chronicles #1 by Lloyd Alexander from Henry Holt and Company Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Boxcar Children #01 by Gertrude Chandler Warner from Albert Whitman & Company Orphan Stories for 2nd-4th grade in Boxcar Children (Location: SER-BOX) $6.79 $2.80 (1 in stock)
	Bread and Jam for Frances I Can Read! Level 2 by Russell & Lillian Hoban from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $5.09 $2.40 (1 in stock)
	Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade 1936 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $2.80 (1 in stock)
	Calico Bush by Rachel Field from Dell Publishing Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1932 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $1.60 (1 in stock)
	Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry from Scholastic Inc. Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade 1941 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $1.60 (1 in stock)
	Charlotte's Web by E. B. White from HarperCollins for 2nd-6th grade 1953 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $4.80 (2 in stock)
	Cheaper By the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey from HarperCollins Family Stories for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.40 (6 in stock)
	Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-6th grade 1955 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $5.09 $2.80 (2 in stock)
	From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg 35th Anniversary Edition from Atheneum Mystery/Suspense for 4th-7th grade 1968 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Gardener by Sarah Stewart & David Small from Sunburst Book Realistic fiction for Kindergarten-4th grade 1998 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.49 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Heidi Puffin Classics by Johanna Spyri, translated by Eileen Hall and illustrated by Cecil Leslie from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman from Dragonfly Books Humor for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.64 $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell from Houghton Mifflin Realistic Fictio for 5th-8th grade 1961 Newbery Medal Winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell Anv from Sandpiper Books Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1961 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte from Wordsworth Classics Realistic Romantic Fiction for 8th-Adult in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Les Miserables Signet Classics by Victor Hugo from Signet Classics Realistic Fiction for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans from Viking Press Realistic Fiction, Rhyming Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1940 Caldecott Honor Book in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds from PaperStar Books Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade 1942 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.64 $3.60 (2 in stock)
	Men of Iron by Howard Pyle 2^nd edition from Bob Jones University Press Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Men of Iron by Howard Pyle from Mint Editions Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.60 (1 in stock)
	Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade 1948 Newbery Honor Book in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade 1948 Newbery Honor Book in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $6.79 $3.20 (2 in stock)
	Mitten A Ukrainian Folktale by Jan Brett from G.P. Putnam's Sons Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard & Florence Atwater from Scholastic Inc. Humorous Fiction for 3rd-6th grade 1939 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway from Charles Scribner's Sons Realistic Fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $15.00 $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Olivia - Board Book by Ian Falconer from Atheneum Animal Fantasy for Preschool-1st grade 2001 Caldecott Honor Book in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD) $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Out of the Silent Planet Space Trilogy Book 1 by C. S. Lewis from Charles Scribner's Sons Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $15.29 $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard from HarperCollins Meditation/Philosophy for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.14 $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Pippi Longstocking Pippi Longstocking #1 by Astrid Lindgren from Puffin Books Humor for 2nd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $6.00 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Pride and Prejudice Penguin Classics by Jane Austen from Penguin Classics Realistic Romantic Fiction for 8th-12th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $7.65 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Runaway Bunny by Margaret Brown & Clement Hurd from HarperCollins for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Sam, Bangs & Moonshine by Evaline Ness from Holt, Rinehart and Winston Allegorical and Moral Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1967 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	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) $6.79 $2.80 (3 in stock)
	Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan from Dutton Children's Books Historical Fiction for 3rd-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin from Houghton Mifflin Biographies of Scientists and Inventors for 1st-3rd grade 1999 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.49 $4.40 (1 in stock)
	Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman from Dragonfly Books for 1st-3rd grade 1989 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $5.94 $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 1st-3rd grade 1989 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Sounder by William H. Armstrong from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade 1970 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Sounder by William H. Armstrong from Harper & Row Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade 1970 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski from HarperCollins Realistic fiction for 4th-6th grade 1946 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.49 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Tales from Shakespeare Puffin Classics by Charles & Mary Lamb from Puffin Books Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt from Square Fish Publishing Fantasy for 5th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.64 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Uncle Tom's Cabin Dover Thrift Editions by Harriet Beecher Stowe from Dover Publications Realistic Fiction for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $7.65 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak from HarperCollins Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1964 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.61 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema, Leo & Diane Dillon from Puffin Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1976 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema, Leo & Diane Dillon from Dial Books for Young Readers for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1976 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox from Kane Miller Realistic Fiction for in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)

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