2006-07 Booklist

Since the other is getting long, I thought I should start a "second semester" list. This isn't likely to be as complete, but I'll try.

Tapestry & Humanities:
Exodus by Brian Wildsmith
Celebrate: A Book of Jewish Holidays by Judith Gross and Bari Weissman
On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Goldberg
Passover by Nancy I. Sanders
The Indus Valley by Jane Shuter
The Story of Little Babaji by Helen Bannerman and Fred Marcellino
You are in Ancient China by Ivan Minnis
The Great Wall of China by Leonard Everett Fisher
Long Long's New Year by Catherine Gower and He Zhihong
Lily Dragon by Mary Ellis
Children's First book of People and Places, Paragon 1998
Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story by Ai-Ling Louie
Spring: a haiku story by George Shannon and Malcah Zeldis
Old Japan by Andrew Haslam
The Great Wall by Elizabeth Mann and Alan Witschonke
Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen
Kites: Magic Wishes that Fly up to the Sky by Demi
Moonbeams, Dumplings and Dragon boats: a treasure of Chinese holiday tales, activities, and recipes by Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz, Boston The Children's Museum, and Meilo So
The Ancient Chinese by Jane Shuter
Liu and the Bird: a journey in Chinese Calligraphy by Catherine Louis and Born in
The Stolen Sun by Amanda Hall
This House is Made of Mud Ken Buchanan and Libba Tracy
El Ratoncito Pequeno by Pipina Salas-Porras and José Cisneros
Corre Perro Corre by P. D. Eastman
Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Susan Jeffers
Welcome to Kaya's World, 1764: growing up in a Native American homeland by Dottie Raymer and Jodi Evert
Anasazi by Leonard Everett Fisher
Squanto's Journey: the story of the first Thanksgiving by Joseph Bruchac and Greg Shed
The Best Book of Ancient Greece by Belinda Weber
The Greeks by Gillian Chapman
Arachne Speaks by Blair Drawson and Kate Hovey
Theseus and the Minotaur by Scott R. Welvaert
The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Mary Jane Begin
The Twelve Labors of Hercules by James Evelyn Ford and Peter Rutherford
Jason and the Golden Fleece by Claudia Zeff (Usborne Young Reading)
Usborne Beginners: Ancient Greeks by Stephanie Turnbull
The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus by Aliki
Saint Nicholas by Ann Tompert and Michael Garland

Science & Math:
Smell by Patricia J. Murphy
Taste by Patricia J. Murphy
What Makes You Ill? Usborne
Math Mastermind Activity and Workbooks
Singapore Math Primary 1A, Textbook, Workbook, Intensive Practice
You Can't See Your Bones With Binoculars by Harriet Ziefert and Amanda Haley
Usborne first encyclopedia of the Human Body
Breathing - Raintree Perspective by Angela Royston
Watch Me Grow (select experiments) by Michelle O'Brien-Palmer and Fran Lee
What Lives in the Garden? by John Woodward
Totally Bugs (activity kit) by Dennis Schatz and Peter Georgeson
Usborne Complete First Book of Nature by R. Kidman-Cox
What's the Weather Today? by Allan Fowler
The Rainbow and You by Edwin C. Krupp and Robin Rector Krupp
I Face the Wind by Vicki Cobb and Julia Gorton
Our Nest by Reeve Lindbergh and Jill McElmurry
The Way the Storm Stops by Michelle Meadows and Rosanne Litzinger
I see Myself by Vicki Cobb and Julia Gorton

Devotional & Enrichment:
Thanksgiving Turkeys by Patrick Merrick
The Story of Thanksgiving by Robert Bartlett and Sally Wern Comport
Egermeier's Bible (see previous list)
Leading Little Ones To God (continued)
Stranger Danger by Peggy Pancella
So You Want to be an Inventor by Judith St. George and David Small
Psalm 23 illus by Tim Ladwig
What's your Language by Debra Leventhal and Monica Wellington

Read Alones:
McGuffey's Primer
McGuffey's First Reader
Bob Books set B
Start To Read! Set 1 by Barbara Gregorich
Start to Read! Set 2
Start to Read! Set 3
What Is a Wookie? by Laura Buller and Kate Simkins
Spelling Puzzles
Scholastic Primary Grammar Workbook
Bob Books set 5 Long Vowels
Spider-man 2: Spider-Man versus Doc Ock by Acton Figueroa/Jesus Redon
Dolphins! (Step into Reading 3) by Sharon Bokoske, Margaret Davidson, and Courtney
Arthur's Back to School Surprise by Marc Brown
Oh Look! by Patricia Polacco

Just for Fun:
The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Anderson/Virginia Lee Burton
Goodbye House by Frank Asch
Curious George and the Firefighters by Margret & H.A. Rey
Maximum Boy (How I Became a Superhero) by Dan Greenburg
Now You See Me - Now You Don't by Dan Greenburg and Jack E. Davis
Four Friends in Summer by Tomie dePaola
Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair by Patricia Polacco
While you were Sleeping by Alexis Deacon
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka bake a Cake; Their New Friend; The Big Red Hen; The Three Kittens; The Little Dog; The Strawberries
Boat Ride with Lillian Two Blossom by Patricia Polacco
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Educational Films & Software/Websites:
Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving (+ Thanksgiving story)
Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Toy Story 2 (CD ROM games)
Rainbow Rock (CD ROM games from Singapore Math)
Lego.com (not really educational, but fun)
Ancient Egypt DVD
Ancient Greece DVD (watched most of it, but it's an hour and a half! A little long for him)
Dragon Tales- Yes We Can! DVD
Real Wheels: Rescue Adventures DVD
Schoolhouse Rock DVD set

Book List I

Tapestry of Grace (Humanities):
Affiliate Links
The Nile River by Allan Fowler
Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile by Tomie dePaola
Geography from A to Z by Jack Knowlton and Harriet Barton
Deserts by Angela Wilkes
Egyptians by Stephanie Turnbull and Colin King
Secrets of the Pyramids (Maze Adventures) by Graham White
Old Testament Days by Nancy Sanders
A Place in the Sun by Jill Rubalcaba
Ancient Egypt (Modern Rhymes about Ancient Times) by Susan Altman, Susan Lechner, and Sandy Appleoff
Who Built the Pyramids? (Usborne) by Phil Roxbee Cox
Pharaohs and Pyramids (Usborne Time Traveler) by Tony Allan, Toni Goffe, and Abigail Wheatley
You Wouldn't Want to be a Pyramid Builder by Jacqueline Morley, David Salariya, and David Antram
How the Amazon Queen Fought the Prince of Egypt by Tamara Bower
The Shipwrecked Sailor by Tamara Bower
You Wouldn't Want to be an Egyptian Mummy by David Stewart and David Antram
Tut's Mummy Lost ... and Found by Judy Donnelly
Mummies Made in Egypt by Aliki
Yellow and Pink by William Steig
The Life of Moses (Art Revelations) by Neil Morris
Exodus from Egypt by Mary Auld
Moses Crosses the Red Sea by Tommy Nelson
Moses and the Burning Bush by Tommy Nelson
The Prince of Egypt by Walt Disney
Egyptian Gods and Goddesses by Henry Barker
Illustrated Book of Myths (Egypt selections) by Neil Philip and Nilesh Mistry
Celebrate: A Book of Jewish Holidays by Judith Gross and Bari Weissman
The Creation by James Weldon Johnson and James E. Ransome
All Things Bright and Beautiful by Cecil Alexander and Carol Heyer
Glory by Nancy White Carlstrom and Debra Reid Jenkins
Song of Creation by Paul Goble
A is for Adam by Ken Ham, Mally Ham, and Dan Lietha
Cain and Able by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso and Joani Keller Rothenberg
Noah and the Great Flood by Mordicai Gerstein
Tell Me the Story by Max Lucado and Ron DiCianni
The Tower of Babel by Alison Greengard
The Coat of Many Colors by Jenny Koralek

Science & Math:
Singapore Math Earlybird K 2A & 2B
Science With Plants
Green Thumbs
The Natural World (The Usborne Illustrated Encyclopedia) by Lisa Watts
When The Root Children Wake Up by Audrey Wood and Ned Bittinger
1001 Animals to Spot by Margaret Rostron, Ruth Brocklehurst, Susannah Owen, and Teri Gower
1001 Insects to Spot by Emma Helbrough and Teri Gower
A Tree is Nice by Janice May Udry and Marc Simont
Usborne First Book of Nature by R. Kidman-Cox
Autumn: Poems, Songs, Prayers by Wendy Mass
Animals and the Seasons by Susanne Riha
Four Seasons Make a Year by Anne Rockwell and Megan Halsey
Volcano & Earthquake by Susanna van Rose
The Reasons for Seasons by Gail Gibbons
Earth: Our Planet in Space by Seymour Simon
About Four Seasons and Five Senses by Radlauer and Perez
Seeing by Rebecca Olien
Sight by Patricia J. Murphy
Science and Your Body Usborne
You Can't Smell a Flower with Your Ear by Joanna Cole
Hearing by Patricia J. Murphy
Touch by Patricia J. Murphy

Devotional & Enrichment:
Leading Little Ones to God
God's Wisdom for Little Boys
Egermeier's Bible Story Book
Building on the Rock (Book 4) by Joel Beeke and Diana Kleyn
The Children's Book of Home and Family by Bennett & Hague
Fencing is for Me by Art Thomas
The Tale of Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt and Tim Jonke
Sing Praise by Rhonda Gowler Greene and Janet Broxon
Over the River and Through the Wood by Lydia Maria Child (illus. by David Catrow)
Over the River ... (illus. by Brinton Turkle)
A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman and Jeff Shelly

Read Alones:
Reading Reflex by McGuinness (our core guide)
Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog by Cynthia Rylant
Bob Books Level A Sets 1 & 2 by Bobby Maslen and John Maslen
Bob Books Level B Sets 1 & 2 by Bobby Maslen and John Maslen
McGuffey's Eclectic Readers by William Holmes McGuffey (through primer)
One Up for Brad by Susan Blackaby and Len Epstein
Jake Skates by Susan Blackaby and Troy Olin
Riley Flies a Kite by Susan Blackaby and Matthew Skeens
New to Drew by Susan Blackaby and Hye Won Yi
Wendell the Worrier by Jill L. Donahue and Thomas Spence
Willie the Worm by Christianne C. Jones and Zachary Trover
Nate the Dinosaur by Christianne C. Jones and Len Epstein

Educational Films:
Building the Skyscrapers
A Tale of Egypt
The Prince of Egypt
The Legend of the Three Trees
Bear for All Seasons (Bear in the Big Blue House)
Barney's SenseSational Day
Ancient Mesopotamia
Adventures in Odyssey: In Harm's Way
Real Wheels: Rescue Adventures Video

Just for Fun:
Calvin Y Hobbes (Spanish) by Bill Watterson
Disney's Treasure Planet by Catherine Hapka
Monsters Inc. by Catherine Hapka
There's a Wardrobe in my Monster! by Adrienne Goeghagen
Oh Yeah! by Tom Birdsey
The Berenstain Bears and the Big Blooper by the Berenstains
The Squeaky Door by Margaret Read MacDonald and Mary Newell DePalma
Berenstain Bears and the Bad Dream by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain
If You Give a Pig a Party, If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, If You Take a Mouse to School by Felicia Bond.
Run Wild by Craig Robert Carey and Isidre Mones
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss

Websites We Frequent:Starfall
PBS Kids
I Know That!
Playhouse Disney

On Moving On

I've had trouble stringing two thoughts together lately, largely because we're planning to list our house soon. I've spent far too much time scouring MLS listings and wondering why the hell everyone can't just be like me. Who would ever call a 6'x8' closet a fourth bedroom? I have rugs larger than that. And what drove another owner to finish the entire lower level of his home with thin wood-imitation paneling? Of course, we're also remembering the jaw-hanging moments of our current home: Plumbing fixed with aluminum foil (which necessitated a new sub-floor in the upstairs bath and a mostly-new kitchen ceiling), electrical to the dining room severed in order to provide an outlet in the half bath (good thing my father is an electrician!), the gloppy river of caulk that was used to cover over the moldy old caulk (which we painstakingly removed and replaced on Saturday).

Truth is, I love my house. I don't want to sell it. I don't want to move. But I have no choice. There's no way we can keep our sanity and all three children, here. I suppose it's good that I'll be leaving with a clean conscience. Nothing hidden, nothing covered over with a thin layer of cheap paint (or aluminum foil). We simply don't do that sort of thing. Ever. Sure, there are things that will make a new owner wonder, "What the?? What were they thinking?" Different things for different people. But when fat Aunt Helga comes to visit, she won't sit on the potty and end up in the kitchen sink. Well, don't take my word for it. See for yourself.

It's my prayer that I will not "Be Overcome" in this search. Caulk and three kids do not go together, and I spent far too much of my weekend thinking, "I'm tired of being stepped on," and the like. The whole point of this change is to shift our lives to someplace less stressful, someplace where homeschooling can be a natural part of our lives, not something we take from one room to the next, precariously balanced on the lapdesk or spread over the dining room table or spilled on the kitchen floor, and always being put away half-finished because, imagine!, other people in the house need to eat or cook or walk across a room.

Perhaps the passage should read, "Bless those who nail drywall over plaster and lath, and call it "refinished"; bless and do not curse them; weep with those whose garage roofs have fallen in upon their heads because they left the loft windows open all winter. Live in harmony with one another even though five acres of impassable, poison-ivy-infested woods separate you from your nearest neighbor...."

Humor aside, I failed to accomplish those things (the real list of things) this weekend. May we all keep perspective, be our ceilings be vaulted oak or aluminum frame and Styrofoam tile.