The Secret Garden
The Whipping Boy
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
The Princess and the Goblin
and, The Wind in the Willows
I choose these just by looking at my lists, and picking out what I think will suit the kids at this time. We did try The Wind in the Willows a couple of years ago, but some of it was dense going for them, so we'll try again now that they are older. These go in the Afternoon Basket, along with picture books, nature related reading (see below), a living math book, trade books, etc. And I read aloud at bedtime too, but that's the kids' choice, which right now is The Red Pyramid.
I'm trying, purposefully, to limit "historical fiction" this year in favor of having more time for good books, like the above. Having said that, I do have some historical literature/fiction on the agenda, including a few Landmark books (and books from similar series), which I consider on the line between history and historical lit. There are some classics of historical lit that I would like to read during our journey through history, such as good versions of The Odyssey, the Aenid, and so forth, but I don't want to get so caught up in matching lit to history that we ignore the other books out there!
Then there are books related to other subjects, such as nature study. We've just finished up The Tarantula in My Purse (which I highly recommend, by the way!), so I've been trying to decide what to read next. I think we're going to go with My Life with the Chimpanzees, by Jane Goodall, and then maybe John Muir: My Life with Nature. And there are living books for math... we're about to start The Cat in Numberland. I'm also intrigued by The Number Devil and The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Tales.
I would have to say that reading is the backbone of homeschooling for us. It is something both the kids and I enjoy, and they seem to retain information well this way. I love books, so this works for me!
How do you choose the books you want to read?
I read the unabridged version of Wind in the Willows to Benjamin when he was like, three.
ReplyDeleteI am also guilty of reading the first 100 fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, unabridged. Needless to say...I do not suggest reading 80% of the Grimm tales to a preschooler. They're grim. ;)
We re-read Wind in the Willows last year and yes--it can get very dry and a little dense, can't it? I bought him his own Easy Reader Classics for him to give it a go next year -- as he howls about the antics of Toad, and genuinely enjoys the story...but I have to admit I believe an edited version is more appropriate for anyone under 10! LOL