Wonderful! Landscape of Dragons is an excellent resource and the appendix is a treasure. We have used the following reading lists as resources:
Mensa Excellence in Reading Program;
Memoria Press Supplemental Reading List - a superb collection of books sorted according to grade/lexile levels.The recommended books for grades 3-up are in three categories: (1) classics (2) light reading (3) informational reading;
Read Aloud Revival Book Lists ;
and Classical Learning Resource Center (CLRC) Reading Lists.
Wow! I hadn't been introduced to any of these and love them! Thank you so much for sharing. I am so glad to have requested feedback!
There should be some overlooked gems upcoming. I can't take any credit because a colleague of mine has been working in Catholic schools from elementary school through university for 50 years, and she has always startled me with what we've forgotten on the shelves.
Thanks for sharing! I had not heard of some of these. Honey for a Child’s Heart, written from an Evangelical perspective, also has a book list in the back which isn’t limited to classical texts but does try to offer generally good suggestions. (Not all of which I agree with, but as you’ve said, that’s true of any list!) I also tend to consult the Charlotte Mason/ Ambleside lists and Read Aloud Revival. Lelia Lawler at LikeMotherLikeDaughter sometimes has good recs of older/ out of print books on her Library Project blog posts. And recently @Dixie Dillion Lane has started a book post series of little-known titles.
I’m looking forward to seeing how these all overlap and whether there are some good new finds on there.
Absolutely love A Landscape with Dragons! Growing up, my parents would consult the reading list at the back before our weekly thrifting adventures to build our library. Such a staple.
I had no idea it was so nostalgic for people! Having been a cradle Catholic but with minimal exposure to Catholic culture, it's novel to hear that this was apparently so widely used among parents. Praise God for the work of O'Brien! It's such an excellent guide for intentionally evaluating the messages that we receive in literature.
I would question a book list from Christopher Perrin. Yes, he is a classical scholar but he is affiliated with Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS) founded by Douglas Wilson of Moscow, Idaho. ACCS limited their members to Reformed Protestants and are staunchly anti-Catholic. Saint Augustine by fourth century already gave the lie to those who would hijack Catholicism or Classical Education.
That is very interesting! I didn't know that about either. The book was published by Classical Academic Press which I've had my ear to the ground about since they were apparently founded by an Orthodox man but participate with Catholics and Protestants. As you can tell from my article, I have my reservations but still think it offers a lot by being more exclusively a list rather than a commentary or an appendix.
Really, how many reading lists does one need? There are really too many books out there in first place. A treasured book can be read forever. Anything by Michael O’Brien should be priority for Catholics. I also would surely like to know how modern parents preserve the joy of discovery while using valuable and necessary lists. My love of reading was nurtured first by being read to in bed as a child; and then by being free to roam the Childrens’ shelves of a fairytale public library. And this in Berkeley but during late fifties/ early sixties. Parents could trust the public library then. Librarians kept watchful eye for us not rambling into Adult section. But I cannot imagine not being able to choose my own books. How do modern parents handle this?
I completely agree that the lists can be overly confining. However, I think they're meant for the building of the library rather than providing a child with a grocery list. Schools and families more and more need to prioritize building those safe spaces for discovery which we pointedly cannot rely on public libraries to provide anymore as discouraging as this is.
As you said, the lists also provide us with books to consider reading to our children. I was not raised with what I would consider good literature, and there are major gaps in my reserves of literary suggestions that a list of good books can help fill. Pulling from a range of good books including but also extending beyond my own wheelhouse allows for children to find their own favorites to be revisited.
Also, I am conflicted about there being too many books. While I idolize a medieval world where one could functionally memorize the library, my heart rejoices that there are so many good books to wade through.
I use too many book list sources to share here, but one I really like is Well-Educated Heart. Fantastic collection of book lists organized by time period, and then further into beginner/intermediate/advanced segments.
This is excellent! Thank you so much for sharing! I can't wait to take a more thorough browse through. The number of good people making good material is astounding.
Yes. But your note about Michael O’Brien being the only Catholic in the group could have added caveats about origin of the others. And ACCS is not an insignificant matter given their controversial history (it’s more than just anti-Catholicism).
Thank you so much for your added information! I only mentioned that O'Brien was the only Catholic because I was unaware of the ACCS or Dr. Perrin's relationship with them. They're unfamiliar to me, and I will definitely be trying to wrap my head around both their history and stance against Catholicism.
Wonderful! Landscape of Dragons is an excellent resource and the appendix is a treasure. We have used the following reading lists as resources:
Mensa Excellence in Reading Program;
Memoria Press Supplemental Reading List - a superb collection of books sorted according to grade/lexile levels.The recommended books for grades 3-up are in three categories: (1) classics (2) light reading (3) informational reading;
Read Aloud Revival Book Lists ;
and Classical Learning Resource Center (CLRC) Reading Lists.
Looking forward to more of your recommendations:)
Wow! I hadn't been introduced to any of these and love them! Thank you so much for sharing. I am so glad to have requested feedback!
There should be some overlooked gems upcoming. I can't take any credit because a colleague of mine has been working in Catholic schools from elementary school through university for 50 years, and she has always startled me with what we've forgotten on the shelves.
Thanks for sharing! I had not heard of some of these. Honey for a Child’s Heart, written from an Evangelical perspective, also has a book list in the back which isn’t limited to classical texts but does try to offer generally good suggestions. (Not all of which I agree with, but as you’ve said, that’s true of any list!) I also tend to consult the Charlotte Mason/ Ambleside lists and Read Aloud Revival. Lelia Lawler at LikeMotherLikeDaughter sometimes has good recs of older/ out of print books on her Library Project blog posts. And recently @Dixie Dillion Lane has started a book post series of little-known titles.
I’m looking forward to seeing how these all overlap and whether there are some good new finds on there.
@Hambone has also started recently sharing some books/movies/media he's enjoyed with his kids, if you don't already follow Peasant Times Dispatch!
Thanks!
A priest's wife highly recommended "Honey..." to me when my first child was very small
Absolutely love A Landscape with Dragons! Growing up, my parents would consult the reading list at the back before our weekly thrifting adventures to build our library. Such a staple.
Oh gosh, Landscape with Dragons... bringing back a lot of memories with that one. Might be time for a revisit.
I had no idea it was so nostalgic for people! Having been a cradle Catholic but with minimal exposure to Catholic culture, it's novel to hear that this was apparently so widely used among parents. Praise God for the work of O'Brien! It's such an excellent guide for intentionally evaluating the messages that we receive in literature.
It was pretty widely used among the conservative Catholic homeschool community, at least in my parents' circle while I was growing up.
I would question a book list from Christopher Perrin. Yes, he is a classical scholar but he is affiliated with Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS) founded by Douglas Wilson of Moscow, Idaho. ACCS limited their members to Reformed Protestants and are staunchly anti-Catholic. Saint Augustine by fourth century already gave the lie to those who would hijack Catholicism or Classical Education.
That is very interesting! I didn't know that about either. The book was published by Classical Academic Press which I've had my ear to the ground about since they were apparently founded by an Orthodox man but participate with Catholics and Protestants. As you can tell from my article, I have my reservations but still think it offers a lot by being more exclusively a list rather than a commentary or an appendix.
Really, how many reading lists does one need? There are really too many books out there in first place. A treasured book can be read forever. Anything by Michael O’Brien should be priority for Catholics. I also would surely like to know how modern parents preserve the joy of discovery while using valuable and necessary lists. My love of reading was nurtured first by being read to in bed as a child; and then by being free to roam the Childrens’ shelves of a fairytale public library. And this in Berkeley but during late fifties/ early sixties. Parents could trust the public library then. Librarians kept watchful eye for us not rambling into Adult section. But I cannot imagine not being able to choose my own books. How do modern parents handle this?
I completely agree that the lists can be overly confining. However, I think they're meant for the building of the library rather than providing a child with a grocery list. Schools and families more and more need to prioritize building those safe spaces for discovery which we pointedly cannot rely on public libraries to provide anymore as discouraging as this is.
As you said, the lists also provide us with books to consider reading to our children. I was not raised with what I would consider good literature, and there are major gaps in my reserves of literary suggestions that a list of good books can help fill. Pulling from a range of good books including but also extending beyond my own wheelhouse allows for children to find their own favorites to be revisited.
Also, I am conflicted about there being too many books. While I idolize a medieval world where one could functionally memorize the library, my heart rejoices that there are so many good books to wade through.
I use too many book list sources to share here, but one I really like is Well-Educated Heart. Fantastic collection of book lists organized by time period, and then further into beginner/intermediate/advanced segments.
https://www.welleducatedheart.com/categories.html
This is excellent! Thank you so much for sharing! I can't wait to take a more thorough browse through. The number of good people making good material is astounding.
Yes. But your note about Michael O’Brien being the only Catholic in the group could have added caveats about origin of the others. And ACCS is not an insignificant matter given their controversial history (it’s more than just anti-Catholicism).
Thank you so much for your added information! I only mentioned that O'Brien was the only Catholic because I was unaware of the ACCS or Dr. Perrin's relationship with them. They're unfamiliar to me, and I will definitely be trying to wrap my head around both their history and stance against Catholicism.