(READING)
Five in a Row, (FIAR) Vol. 1-4, Before Five in a Row, and Beyond Five in a Row. Unique
program for young children using such delightful library books as Storm in the Night by Mary
Stolz and The Story of Ping by Marjorie Flack. Guidelines for studying Social Studies,
Language, Art, Math, and Science through reading one book five days in a row. Each day
a different subject area is studied from the particular book chosen for that week! See
http://www.fiveinarow.com/. We enjoyed many of these books in our home;
I would have enjoyed using this program as a "classroom" teacher, also!

Least of All by Carol Purdy is a delightful and encouraging "read aloud" book for
young readers. It's about a little girl who taught herself to read the Bible from memorized
verses. Even though she was the "least of all" or smallest one, she finally found something
that she could do for her family - teach them to read, too.

When our children were just beginning to learn to read, we would underline their memory
verses in their Bibles and point to the words as we read them together. They already knew
what the verse said, so "reading" it was fun. This can also be done with songs. Use those
hymns for young readers; they have hyphens between syllables and can be sung, too!

Good, wholesome reading materials younger readers might enjoy include the Little Jewels
series from Rod and Staff as well as the Pathway readers. Josephine Pollard books hyphenate
multiple syllable words, as do a couple of Rod and Staff readers like Kitten in the Well.

The Robinson Crusoe Reader by Christain Liberty Press was also a beginning reader that
was a favorite of our son's when he first learned to read. He read it many times to himself.

Some family favorites have included Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett;
Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott; Three of a Kind by Louise Dickinson Rich; The Ballet
Family by Mabel Esther Allan; Showboat Holiday by Lee Wyndham; Farmer Boy by Laura
Ingalls Wilder; Pollyanna and Just David both by Eleanor Porter; Hans Brinker or the Silver
Skates by MaryMapes Dodge; Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen; Snow Treasure
by Marie McSwigan; The Bronze Bow and The Sign of the Beaver both by Elizabeth George
Speare; The Lion in the Box, Copper Toed Boots, and The Door in the Wall all by Marguerite
de Angeli; Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray; The Matchlock Gun by Walter D.
Edmonds; Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney; and Physician to
the Children: Dr. Bela Schick by Iris Noble.

Recommended!
Who Should We Then Read? by Jan Bloom - this resource gives a brief bio about an author
including a list of his or her books - book lists in the back for "sets in a series" like
Landmark, Signature Series, or We Were There. Also see her newer edition.

Other resources with recommended reading "lists" include the following: All Through the
Ages by Christine Miller (see http://nothingnewpress.com/atta.shtml), recommended books
on Ambleside, the Robinson Curriculum reading list, lists in Beautiful Feet,
100 Great Books List - see http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/100.html and
1000 Good Books List - see http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000.html

Reading Level Assessment - for information about determining the reading level
of a book see http://www.sph.emory.edu/WELLNESS/reading.html.

G.A. Henty historical fiction books are interesting, as well as the following series:
Childhood of Famous Americans, We Were There, Signature, and Landmark.
You might also want to consider the reprints from Lamplighter Publications at
http://www.graceandtruthbooks.com/lamplighter/default.asp.

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man
who can't read them. ~Mark Twain

We do not hold to the modern philosophy that it doesn't matter what children read as long as
they are reading - no more than we would say that it doesn't matter what children eat as long
as they are eating. II Timothy 2:16 says, "But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will
increase unto more ungodliness" and Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says, "There shall not be found
among you any one ... that useth divination, ..., or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer,
or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, ... For all that do these things are an
abomination unto the LORD:" We do not recommend the Harry Potter books.