Popcorn & Peanuts

Approximate Comprehension Level Children's Reading/Read To List Favorite Texts and other Materials
Birth to Age 5

• The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (paperback)

 

 

• The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (hardback)

 

 

• Winnie the Pooh

by Milne
 
 
• The Christian Mother Goose Big Book

vol. 1 & Vol 2 are now combined in a single volume. These poems are also used in the ACE K program.
 
 
• Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

 

 

• The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack

 

 

• The Story of Barbar, the Little Elephant by Jean De Brunhoff

 

 

• Frog and Toad are Friends by Lobel

 

 

• Frog and Toad Together by Lobel

 

 

• Frog and Toad All Year by Lobel

 

 

• Days With Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

 

 

• PrePack- all 4 Frog and Toad books, bundle by Arnold Lobel

 

 

• Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel

 

 

• Stellalluna by Janell Cannon

Adorable lost baby fruit bat being raised as a bird!
 
 
• A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond

 

 

• Aardvarks, Disembark! by Ann Jonas

Noah is surprised when he sees animals he never saw before leaving the Ark - 132 species!
 
 

• Slow and Steady-Get Me Ready

by June R. Oberlander
Weekly activities for babies, birth to age 5; including games and simple toys to make. I like to give this one as a shower gift!
 
 
• Egermeier's Bible Story Book

by Elsie E. Ergermeier
This title is also carried by BJU.
 
 
• Aesops's Fables

 

 

• Give Your Child a Superior Mind by Siegfried Englemann is very interesting but a bit intense. I confess to having done some of these exercises with one baby, who seemed to enjoy the games but didn't read early.

• The Wind In The Willows by Grahame (paperback)

 

 

• The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies (Flower Fairies Collection) by Cicely Mary Barker. Reading level age 4-8, poems and stories with delightful illustrations.

 

 

• Ben & Me by Lawson

 

 

• Bambi by Felix Salten

 

 

• Bambi: En Espanol! by Felix Salten

 

 

• Bambi's Children by Fellix Salten

Out of print, but Amazon will search for it for you.
 
 
• The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling

 

 

• The Hundred and One Dalmations by Dodie Smith

We prefer the original, not the cartoon.
 
 
• The Lorax by Dr Seus

A beautiful first ecology story in poetry, for early readers or adults.
 
 
• The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

 

 

• Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass

by Lewis Carroll
 
 
• Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

 

 

• Hill of Fire by Thomas Lewis Exciting, true story of a volcano that erupted in a Mexican farmer's field.

 

 

• Pompeii: Buried Alive by Edith Kunhardt

Famous volcanic explosion "freezes" an ancient Italian city in volcanic ash.
• Misty of Chincoteague by Henry

 

 

• Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater, Illus. by Robert Lawson

Gentle Mr. Popper, corresponding with a famous explorer, gets a very unusual Christmas present!
 
 
• Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

First of a series of 8 hysterical stories of the man who could talk to the animals - and gives us a good look at things from an unusual side!
 
 

• Egermeier's Bible Story Book

by Elsie E. Ergermeier
This title is also carried by BJU.
 
 
• Favorite Poems Old and New

edited by Helen Ferris
This title is also carried by BJU.
 
 
• A Child's Garden of Verses

by R.L. Stevenson, illustrated by Tasha Tudor.
 
 
• Tree in the Trail by Holling C. Holling

Tale of the Great Plains and the Santa Fe Trail, for ages 4-8.
 
 
• Pagoo by Holling C. Holling

Delightful ecology study of life in a tidal pool from the point of view of a Hermit Crab, for ages 4-8.
 
 
• At Last- a Reading Method for Every Child

by Mary Pecci
Seven steps to teach ANY child to read, using ANY readers. It works- we used it with our severe dyslexic! Being reprinted - OR find it at: Greenleaf Press
 
 
• Number Words (Super Seatwork Series) optional workbook by Mary Pecci

 

 

• Phonic Grab Bag (Super Seatwork Series) optional workbook by Mary Pecci

 

 

• Super Seatwork: Linguistic Exercises optional workbook by Mary Pecci

 

 

• Super Spelling: Book One optional workbook by Mary Pecci

 

 

• Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock

Highly recommended as a Nature Guide for young students.
 
 

• Alias Jungle Doctor

autobiography by Dr. Paul White
Excellent medical missionary story.
 
 
• Little House on the Prairie boxed set

series by Laura Ingals Wilder
 
 
• A Wrinkle In Time

by L'Engle (be careful of her later ones)
 
 
• Adam of the Road

by Elizabeth J Gray
Minstral boy in 13th century England, seeking his lost father and dog.
 
 
• The Gate in the Wall

A handicapped boy discovers there is more than one gate to the world when he learns to read.
 
 
• Around the World in 80 Days

by Jules Verne
 
 
• Henry Reed, Inc. by Keith Robertson

 

 

• Crystal Mountain by Belle D. Rugh

1940's Lebanon. This book is out of print and very hard to find, but gives an excellent background for understanding the present troubles in the area.
 
 
• The Good Master &
• The Singing Tree

by Kate Seredy
Set in Hungary.
 
 
• Kidnapped

by RL Stevenson
 
 
• Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. You will want to talk to your children about choices as they read this and other books by Mark Twain.

 

 

• Big Red by Jim Kjelgard

 

 

• The Winged Watchman by Hilda Van Stockum

 

 

• The Incredible Journey

by Shelia Burnford
This is the original, without talking animals. The original Disney movie is excellent- I have not seen the recent remake.
 
 
• The House of Many Fathers

by Meindert De Jong
or almost anything else by this excellent, out-of-print children's author.
 
 
• The Four Story Mistake

by Elizabeth Enright
 
 
• Bridge to Terabithia

by Katherine Paterson. Young friends, and non-Christians dealing with death.
 
 
• The Wind In The Willows by Grahame (paperback)

 

 

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

 

 

• Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter

the little girl who never gave up and always believed.
 
 
• Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

 

 

• Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

 

 

• Pinocchio by C. Collodi

 

 

• Detectives in Togas Winterfield

Set in Rome, students in a private school must save their friend from slavery!
 
 
• Charlotte's Web EB White

 

 

• Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

A slightly abridged version for children.
 
 

• Tales from Shakespeare (Puffin Classics) by Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb.

Popular children's version of Shakespeare plays.
 
 
• Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

• Only the Names Remain : The Cherokee and the Trail of Tears by Alex W. Bealer, Kristina Rodanas (Illustrator)

 

 

• The Laura Ingalls Wilder Songbook: Favorite Songs From the Little House Books

ed. by Eugenia Garson
 
 
• Number The Stars

by Lois Lowrey
WW2, novel about the true rescue of the Jews in Denmark.
 
 
• Otto of the Silver Hand

by Howard Pyle
feudal Germany
 
 
• Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock

Highly recommended as a Nature Guide for young students.
 
 
• Any Child Can Write

by Harvey S. Wiener, Ph.D.
 
 
• Simply Grammar by Karen Andreola, revising Charlotte Mason's original "First Grammar Lessons" for grade 4.

 

 

• "The Gift of Music: Great Composers and their Influence" by Jane Stuart Smith and Betty Carlson

 

 

• Winston Churchill and the Story of Two World Wars

by Olivia Coolidge
ISBN: 0395067324 Out of print.
 
 
• All Creatures Great and Small

by James Herriot
 
 
• The Eagle of the Ninth

by Rosmary Sutcliff
Roman centurion seeking the lost emblem of his father's legion, in Britain.
 
 
• The Ark

by Margot Benary-Isbert
is the name for the new home of a family being reuinited in Germany after WW2.
 
 
• Treasure Island

by RL Stevenson
 
 
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

 

 

• The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexander Dumas
 
 
• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

 

 

• Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson

Ponca Indians, famous novel which succeeded in sparking political change.
 
 
• Sign of the Beaver Elizabeth George Speare

Rescued by Indians, a young boy must decide whether to be adopted.
 
 
• Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt

This one is about the Civil War.
 
 
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond

by Elizabeth George Speare
Caught in a witch hunt, a young teacher risks death.
 
 
• The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

Newbery Medal Book. Set in Galilee in the time of Jesus, this story tells of a young Jewish rebel who is won over to the gentle teachings of Jesus.
 
 
• The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

A young Egyptian boy struggles to reveal a hideous crime and reshape his own destiny.
• The Captive by Joyce Hansen - Novel of a slave. This one is extra famous, because part of it was included in "Roots".

 

 

• What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool

fun biographical details of the lives of famous authors.
 
 
• White Stallion of Lipizza by Marguerite Henry

Vienna's Spanish Court Riding school, home of the famous Lipizzan stallions.
• A Question of Yams by Gloria Repp

From Papua New Guinea; What will happen when the yams are planted in the name of Jesus? Based on true events.
 
 
• The Cricket in Times Square by Selden

A childhood favorite!
 
 
• Where the Red Fern Grows Rawls

 

 

• Up From Slavery Booker T. Washington

 

 

• Harriet Tubman: Call to Freedom by Judy Carlson

 

 

• Madame Curie - A Biography by Eve Curie

 

 

• Seabird by Holling C. Holling

Americans at sea, following a carved ivory gull which is the 'mascot' for 4 generations of seafarers. Suggested ages 9-12.
 
 
• Minn of the Mississippi by Holling C. Holling

Follow Minn the great snapping turtle from her birth near the head of the Mississippi, all the way down the great river to the peaceful Louisiana deltas. Young Adult reading level.
 
 
• Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling

An indian boy carves a wooden canoe with a figure paddling, and sets it on a journey through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic. Suggested ages 9-12.
 
 
• Carry On Mr. Bowditch

by Latham
A family favorite!
 
 
• The Diary of a Young Girl

by Anne Frank
 
 
• Letters from Egypt : A Journey on the Nile, 1849-1850 by Florence Nightengale

Not about nursing, these were her letters home about Egypt as she decided to become a nurse.
 
 
• Pilgrims Progress by Bunyon

 

 

• Any Child Can Write

by Harvey S. Wiener, PhD
 
 
• "The Gift of Music: Great Composers and their Influence" by Jane Stuart Smith and Betty Carlson

 

 

• Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock

Highly recommended as a Nature Guide for young students.
 
 
• "I Am Joe's Body" by J.D. Ratcliff

Originally published as "Your Body and How it Works", this is the famous Reader's Digest series in a single volume. We used it as a reference/reading while we worked with the Lukens Felt Body, and a plastic skeleton.
 
 
• Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady VIDEO. A dramatization of the life of author Edith Holden from 1877, depicting her girlhood, her family life, and her eventual tragic death. Filmed on location.

 

 

• Where the Red Fern Grows by Rawls

VIDEO - 1974, G. Adventure story for boys - an excellent adaptation of the book.
 
 
• David Macaulay's "The Way Things Work".

 

 

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I'm always looking for more good books! And if you think I picked a lemon, let me know why! I'm only human- maybe I read something without being spiritually discerning.

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