The Smart Homeschooler's

Guide to Excellent Reading

&

The Smart Homeschooler's

List of Mostly

Classic Literature 

by Elizabeth Y. Hanson

A 27-page booklet
The Smart Homeschooler's

Guide to Excellent Reading

&
The Smart Homeschooler's

List of Mostly

Classic Literature

by Elizabeth Y. Hanson
 Table of Contents

Guide to Excellent Reading Page 3

Mostly Classic Literature Page 9
Preschool Literature Page 10
Kindergarten Page 12
First Grade Page 14
Second Grade Page 15
Third Grade Page 16
Fourth Grade Page 17
Fifth Grade Page 19
Sixth Grade Page 21
Poetry Page 23
Boxed Gift Sets Page 24
 The Smart Homeschooler's Guide to

Excellent Reading

When to Start

Starting as early as a child will sit still to listen, please read,

read, read, and read some more. Don't be afraid to read the
books on this list because you may think the vocabulary is too
difficult—85% of the vocabulary your children will learn will be
from within the context of what they are reading or hearing.

Over the course of the past 100 years, according to educator

John Holt, our vocabulary has been reduced by about 75% and
with that reduction comes an inability to think and
communicate at more nuanced and profound levels. I'll let you
ponder the ramifications of this!
With the right instruction and excellent books at hand, your
child will be able to read more difficult literature as he/she
grows older and comprehends it, too. If you're unsure of how
to teach your child to read—and you absolutely must instruct
them according to the right principles—please read my blog
post: How to Avoid 3 Critical Mistakes When Teaching Your
Child to Read.

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 3 of 27

 How to Choose a Good Book

As you're going through our booklist, remember that these

books are just the beginning. It's important to know how to
choose a book worth reading. If you're unsure, please stick to
the authors I've provided for you here or authors from similar
time periods.

Anything past 1940, according to John Taylor Gatto, is suspect.

In a nutshell, when choosing a book, look for moral themes,
good English, and a rich vocabulary. There are many classic
book lists online for children, but there are also many books on
those lists that really shouldn't be there.

Visits to the Library

You can take your children to the library and let them choose a
few modern, illustrated books to carry home and read (they
love doing this) but, if you want to raise excellent readers, the
majority of your children's literature selections should come
from the classics.

When you do go to the library, always check the books your

children are reading and make sure the themes are
appropriate. There's a lot of strange and disturbing literature
being published for children today.

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 4 of 27

 Reading Circle

Read to your children when young and continue a reading

circle for as long as they'll let you. Some families can do this
until their children leave home and even beyond.

I have a son and a daughter, and they both have opposite

tastes in literature, so we read together until they were into
their teens. It was one of my favorite times during the day
because classic books are also interesting for us adults. They
can be highly amusing and also teach life lessons that never
grow old.

In my home, reading circle today has been replaced with "tea-

time" and nothing makes me happier than when one of my
children joins me in a quiet time of reading silently but
together.

How to Use The Book List

Starting at about age one or two, depending upon the

temperament of your children, read little board books to them.
Eric Carlisle is one of my favorite authors of the very early
ages. Read books, too, of rhymes and more rhymes. These are
the building blocks of language for little children.

Help your kids to make up their own rhymes. But, don't do this
as an academic exercise, only when it comes up naturally in a
conversation or an activity. Creating new rhymes teaches
children to think about language as amusing and playful, and
they begin to love words.

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 5 of 27

 Next comes poetry. Children adore the works of poets like
Robert Louis Stevenson, Christina Rosetti, and William Blake.
Poetry also teaches us eloquence and strengthens our
memories, so memorizing poems is a useful habit for your
children to develop.

As they get a little older, you'll move into children's novels like
Pinnochio, Bambi, and Alice in Wonderland. By the way, you
may notice that our first-grade selection is for seven-year-olds.
There is a reason for this, which you can easily find on our
website.

At some point, your children will be able to read well. When

they do, make sure to continue reading a book together every
day if you can.

Fill the Rooms with Bookshelves

Another thing, keep bookshelves in every room, so the

children see the books. Keeping the books in plain sight will
encourage them to read. Make sure the books are easy for
your children to access. If you have small children, of course,
you don't want them destroying the books, but definitely, keep
them within the older children's reach.

And buy beautiful editions of books, if you're able to. I've

included a less expensive alternative of most titles for parents
on a budget, but please, whatever you do, do not buy used
books. Kids don't like them, and they will know the difference.

A Warning

Also, another word of caution: not to sound "Trumpish" but

ebooks are bad. The harm of using ebooks is a topic for
another time, but trust me about this. Please buy real books
© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 6 of 27
for your children. Books they can see and touch and smell and
feel for better comprehension and warm, fuzzy memories.

How I Organized the Book List

About my selections: you can read classic books for years and
years, and some of the grade selections are, to some degree,
arbitrary.

For example, If a sixth-grade book looks interesting to your

fourth grader, by all means, order it. If your first-grade book
appears interesting to your sixth grader, do the same. For your
convenience, I also listed the preschool/kindergarten books by
order of difficulty because of the wide range in ages for these
categories.

I put (HB) for hardback and (PB) for paperback after most
books. In the absence of either, then assume the book is a
hardback. For the younger children, the selections are mostly
hardback. You will need sturdy books for the young'uns that
stand the test of time and the love of little hands.

Hunting for these particular selections on Amazon took me

hours and hours. I mention this not to complain, but because I
want you to understand that my choice of editions is
intentional and will be for one or more of the following
reasons: the books were unabridged, complete works, best
quality, or because they were the preferred choice from what
was available.

Should I mention that abridged books are not worth reading?

My biggest complaint with abridged books is that the
meanings can be lost and, especially with a company like
Disney, they can be altered altogether removing precisely that
which made the book a classic.

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 7 of 27

If books have to be abridged so children can understand them,
maybe children should wait until they are old enough to read
them. I view this as a reading "rite of passage." It's exciting for a
child to reach a point of maturity when they are old enough to
tackle a book usually reserved for adults. Let them experience
this well-earned milestone.

Pages of Respect

Teach your children to handle books with respect. They should

turn the pages by turning the corner of the top right-hand
page. Teach them to do this carefully, so they don't beat up the
pages. Never let them lay a book down that's open. Resting
books on their bellies will ruin the spine. Having book markers
readily on hand is always a good idea.

Do start collecting books for your children now! I was

surprised by how many of my favorite editions have gone out
of print.

Last, but not least, I've included the hyperlink to each book to
make things easy for you. Please keep in mind that when you
purchase from these links directly, you contribute to the "Smart
Homeschooler" and to helping us raise the bar in education.

Reading is at the heart of the pursuit of knowledge, and the

pursuit of knowledge is why we educate our children and why
we educate ourselves. I sincerely hope this book list will be a
source of enjoyment for your family. You're bound to meet
colorful characters on these pages, and, I'm sure, they'll enrich
you and your children's lives as they have ours.

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 8 of 27

 The Smart Homeschooler's List of Mostly
Classic Literature

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 9 of 27

 Preschool Selection
(age 1+)

My Very First Library Board Books by Eric Carlyle

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost

The Real Mother Goose, Anonymous

A Child's Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson

Nonsense Books by Edward Lear

The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie the Pooh, by A.A.

Milne
The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter

The World of Peter Rabbit (the original little book series—my

preferred collection but costly)

Raggedy Ann Stories by Johnny Gruelle

Raggedy Andy Stories by Johnny Gruelle

Raggedy Ann in Cookie Land by Johnny Gruelle

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 10 of 27

The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear (This poem is also
in the Nonsense Books, but the illustrations here are lovely, so
it made the list.)

The Perfect Orange: A Tale from Ethiopia by Frank P. Araujo

Manners Can Be Fun, by Leaf Munro

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 11 of 27

 Kindergarten Selection
(age 6+)

A Apple Pie and Traditional Nursery Rhymes by Kate

Greenaway
Aesop's Fables by anonymous

The Adventures of Snider: the CIA Spider by John Taylor

Gatto

Tales of Uncle Remus by Julius Lester (PB)

The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus (HB)

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

The Wind in the Willow by Kenneth Grahame

The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang

Animal Poems by John Hollander

Ride a Cock Horse by a selection of authors

Little Red Riding Hood & Other Stories by Charles Perrault

(these are also in Andrew Lang's fairy books)

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 12 of 27

Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions Around the
World

The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde

How to Behave and Why by Leaf Munro

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 13 of 27

 FIRST GRADE SELECTION
(Age 7+)

D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths (PB)

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter (HB)

Pollyanna (PB)

Stories from Around the World by Heather Amery (HB)

Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi (HB)

Pinocchio (HB but less expensive)

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (HB)

Peter Pan (PB)

The Green Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (PB)

The Pied Piper of Hamelin (HB)

The Pied Piper of Hamelin (PB)

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 14 of 27

 SECOND GRADE SELECTION
(Age 8)

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger L.

Green (HB)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking

Glass by Lewis Carroll (HB)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking

Glass (PB)

Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett (HB)

Little Lord Fauntleroy (PB)

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Bambi by Felix Salten (HB)

The Lilac Fairy Book by Andrew Lang

Heidi by Johanna Spyri (HB)

Heidi (PB)

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 15 of 27

 Third Grade Selection
(Age 9)

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (HB)

Black Beauty (PB)

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (HB)

Charlotte's Webb E.B. White (HB)

E. B. White Boxed Set, which includes Charlotte's Web, Stuart

Little, The Trumpet Swan (PB)

The Orange Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (PB)

Oz, the Complete Paperback Collection by L. Frank Baum

(HB)

The Wizard of Oz (only if you don't buy the set) (PB)

Indian Why Stories by Frank B. Linderman (PB)

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit (HB)

The Railway Children (PB)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Raold Dahl (HB)

Raold Dahl Complete Set (15 titles) (PB)

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 16 of 27

 Fourth Grade Selection
(Age 10)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (HB)

Little Women (PB)

Little Men (PB)

The Complete Louisa May Alcott (HB)

The Complete Louisa May Alcott (PB)

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss (HB)

The Swiss Family Robinson (PB)

The Little House on the Prairie Set (9 volumes) (PB) by Laura

Ingalls Wilder

The Little House on the Prairie Set (4 volumes) (PB)

Little House on the Prairie (only if you don't buy the set) (PB)

Red Badge of Courage by Steven Crane (PB)

Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (HB)

Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (PB)

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain (PB)

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 17 of 27

The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (PB)

The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson (PB)

Dr. Dolittle by Hugh Lofting (HB)

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 18 of 27

 Fifth Grade Selection
(Age 11)

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (HB)

Anne of Green Gables (PB)

Anne of Green Gables Box Set (PB)

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (HB)

Jane Eyre (PB)

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (HB)

Wuthering Heights (PB)

Kidnapped by Robert Lous Stevenson (HB)

Kidnapped (PB)
Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss (HB)

Swiss Family Robinson (PB)

Kim by Rudyard Kipling (HB)

Kim (PB)

The Complete Chronicles of Narnia Set by C. S. Lewis (HB)

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 19 of 27

The Complete Chronicles of Narnia Set (PB)

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare (PB)

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The Call of the Wild by Jack London (HB)

The Call of the Wild (PB)

The Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (PB)

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 20 of 27

 Sixth Grade Selection
(Age 12)

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Anonymous

Othello by William Shakespeare

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (HB)

The Canterbury Tales (PB)

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (HB)

Sense and Sensibility (PB)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (HB)

Pride and Prejudice (PB)

Jane Austen Complete and Unabridged (HB)

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

Crimson Fairy Book by Andrew Lang

The Complete Sherlock Holmes Volume 1 by Sir Arthur Conan

Doyle (PB)

The Complete Sherlock Holmes Volume 2 (PB)

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 21 of 27

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (HB)

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (PB)

Robinson Crusoe: His Life & Surprising Adventures by Daniel

Defoe (HB)

Robinson Crusoe: His Life & Surprising Adventures (PB)

The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas (PB)

Aladdin and Other Tales of the Arabian Nights by W. Heath
Robinson (HB)

Aladdin (PB)

Moby Dick by Herman Melville (HB)

Moby Dick (PB)

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (PB)

The Complete Robert Frost

The Song of Roland by Anonymous

Beowolf by Anonymous (PB)

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 22 of 27

 Some Poetry Selections

Poems to Learn by Heart compiled by Caroline Kennedy (HB)

Classic Poems for Children (HB)

The Best Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (HB)

A Treasure of Poems compiled by Sarah Anne Stuart (for all

ages)

100 Best-Loved Poems Dover

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 23 of 27

 Amazing Hardcover Sets

I found these while searching for links and highly recommend

them. They will make great gifts for your children and some of
them are gorgeous!

The Puffin in Bloom Collection, set includes: Anne of Green

Gables, Heidi, Little Women, and A Little Princess
Puffin Hardcover Classics Boxed Set, set includes: A Little
Princess, Anne of Green Gables, The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn, The Secret Garden, The Wind in the
Willows, and Peter Pan

Puffins Classics Deluxe Collection, set includes: Black Beauty

Anna Sewell, Peter Pan J.M.Barrie, The Call of the Wild Jack
London, The Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame, The
Adventures of Robin Hood Roger Lancelyn Green, The Secret
Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain, Anne of Green Gables
J.M.Montgomery
Jane Austen: The Complete Works, deluxe set includes: Sense
and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma,
Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Love and Friendship

The Jane Austen Collection (complete works)

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 24 of 27

The Bronte Sisters Boxed Set, which includes: Wuthering
Heights, Villette, Jane Eyre, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Roald Dahl Boxed Set, which includes: Charlie and the

Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 25 of 27

☛ Parents: while using this list, please notify us of any links
that have stopped working!

Also, if you're unsure of how to teach your child to read—and

you absolutely must instruct them according to the right
principles—please read this: How to Avoid 3 Critical Mistakes
When Teaching Your Child to Read.

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 26 of 27

 ✹✹✹

Elizabeth Y. Hanson is the founder of Smart Homeschooler™

and has been a researcher and consultant in children's
education since 2001. She teaches parents the secrets and
skills to raising smarter children.

To take advantage of her free 15-Minute consultation offer,

please click here.

www.smarthomeschooler.com

Copyright © 2017 • Elizabeth Y. Hanson • All Rights Reserved

Copyright is protected under Federal and International law. Please feel
free to share the link to the website, but do not reproduce or distribute
this booklet without written permission.

© 2017 Elizabeth Y. Hanson 27 of 27