Welcome all Classical Conversation families! Additionally, welcome to homeschooling families that use this list to supplement their ancient history study!
A few notes about the arrangement of books in this post:
- This booklist is a tool and not a checklist! Please use it to supplement your morning time routines or studies of CC memory work.
- My family will not read all these books listed each week. Instead, this will be a reference list for me to utilize in weekly book selections and in chapter book read alouds.
- The pictured links in the twenty-four week lists are my top suggestions for families new to Classical Conversations or with first year, abecedarian, students. I wanted to make this easy for you!
- The books are arranged in alphabetical order per week first by picture books, and then chapter books.
- Please leave any additional suggestions your family enjoys in the comments below. Thank you!
*All links below are affiliate links.
Week 1:
How Many Animals Were on the Ark?
Cabinet of Curiosities: Collecting and Understanding the Wonders of the Natural World
Karl, Get Out of the Garden!: Carolus Linnaeus and the Naming of Everything
The Seven Days of Creation
The Real Story of the Creation
The Real Story of the Flood
Adam and His Kin: The Lost History of Their Lives and Times
How to Think Like a Scientist: Answering Questions by the Scientific Method
Week 2:
The Assyrian Empire’s Three Attempts to Rule the World : Ancient History of the World | Children’s Ancient History
The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science
Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems
Week 3:
Something From Nothing
Snow in Jerusalem (Albert Whitman Prairie Books (Paperback))
The Bronze Bow
Week 4:
Hosni the Dreamer: An Arabian Tale
Pyramid
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Week 5:
Cleopatra
Exodus
Pagoo
Temple Cat
The Egyptian Cinderella
the How and Why Wonder Book of Sea Shells
Tutankhamun
Boy of the pyramids, a mystery of ancient Egypt;
The Golden Goblet (Newbery Library, Puffin)
Mara, Daughter of the Nile (Puffin Story Books)
Week 6:
Galileo and the Stargazers
The Hero and the Minotaur
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth
Archimedes and the Door of Science (Living History Library)
The Children’s Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy
The Children’s Homer
Week 7:
Augustus Caesar’s World
Beyond the Desert Gate
The Bronze Bow
The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt (Dover Children’s Classics)
Week 8:
From Cone to Pine Tree (Start to Finish Second Series)
Gandhi
I is for India (World Alphabets)
Oh Say Can You Seed?: All About Flowering Plants (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library)
The King’s Chessboard (Picture Puffin Books)
The Story of Little Babaji
Week 9:
A Single Pebble: A Story of the Silk Road
Kites
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
Ruby’s Wish
The Curious Garden
The Empty Pot
The Magic Pillow
The Master Swordsman & the Magic Doorway: Two Legends from Ancient China
The Seven Chinese Brothers (Blue Ribbon Book)
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt
The House of Sixty Fathers
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze
Week 10:
Grandfather’s Journey
In the Eyes of the Cat: Japanese Poetry For All Seasons
A Tree Is Nice (Rise and Shine)
The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks (Picture Puffins)
Today And Today
My Side of the Mountain (Puffin Modern Classics)
Pocket Guide to the Outdoors: Based on My Side of the Mountain
The Big Wave
Week 11:
The Reason for a Flower: A Book About Flowers, Pollen, and Seeds (Explore!)
This is Rome: A Children’s Classic
Polycarp of Smyrna (Heroes of the Faith)
Week 12:
Genghis Khan (Illustrated Biography)
Marco Polo
Week 13:
A Boy Named Giotto
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole (Irma S and James H Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature (Awards))
Zomo the Rabbit: A Trickster Tale from West Africa
Week 14:
Anna Hibiscus
Anna Hibiscus
A Rock Can Be (Millbrook Picture Books)
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain (Rise and Shine)
King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian
Masters of the Renaissance: Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and more
Week 15:
Around the World in a Hundred Years: From Henry the Navigator to Magellan
To the Top! Climbing the World’s Highest Mountain (Step-Into-Reading, Step 5)
Week 16:
The Corn Grows Ripe (Puffin Newbery Library)
Week 17:
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale (Picture Puffin)
Stories From Africa
A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story
Week 18:
Secrets in Stone : All About Maya Hieroglyphics
Week 19:
Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)
Week 20:
Hallelujah Handel
Week 21:
Black Whiteness: Admiral Byrd Alone in the Antarctic
Week 22:
If You Were Me and Lived in…Peru: A Child’s Introduction to Cultures Around the World (Volume 12)
Lost City: The Discovery of Machu Picchu
My Name Is Gabriela/Me llamo Gabriela (Rise and Shine) (English, Multilingual and Spanish Edition)
Paddington
Secret of the Andes (Puffin Book)
Week 23:
Chatter, Sing, Roar, Buzz: Poems about the Rain Forest (Poetry)
Victoria Goes to Brazil (Children Return to their Roots)
Week 24:
Additional Resources:
In studying ancient history, our children are exposed to many different religions and worldviews. A wonderful way to reinforce the Christian worldview within other cultural contexts and religions is through missionary biographies. Heroes Then and Now provide wonderful biographical accounts of missionaries in the countries we study in history and geography. If you are unfamiliar with this series, I would recommend this starter kit. It contains four missionaries in geographical locations we memorize this cycle and the fifth is Corey Ten Boom which you could use for geography;y and history study in Cycles 2 and 3.
You might also consider these two:
An action packed, science audio series we love in our home is Jonathon Park. Here is the first complete set; there are ten in all and we have enjoyed and learned so much from each and every one. This series reinforces the creation perspective and the effects of the world-wide flood.
Two excellent history resources that we used before include:
Story of the World, Volume 1 Publisher: Peace Hill Press
For study of composers:
For a closer look at how children live in the countries found in our memory work this year consider this:
I am adding the Wilderking Trilogy by Jonathan Rogers after seeing a comment on the Classical Conversations Facebook Page that it is fantasy written allegorically to the life of King David. How exciting! So let’s say it fits shall we? I have the first book already on my shelf and can’t wait to dive in. Also, listen to Sarah Mackenzie of the Read Aloud Revival speak with author, Jonathan Rogers about this series and his other works here.
Finally, this last book has been such a valuable resource not only in compiling this list, but in studying the world with our children on numerous occasions. If you don’t already own this book by Jamie Martin, you will want to add it to your library of books on books.
You can now purchase my book, Thirty Balloons: An Adoption Tale, on Amazon.
Thank you SO much for this list. The yellow is very difficult to read though. 🙂
Hi Danielle,
I am glad you like the list. I have very limited knowledge of coding and such and used a web designer years ago. Once I determine how to change the link color, I will update the post. Sorry about that! However, I think if you view it on your phone it shows up blue. I’ll work on it as soon as possible. Thanks for stopping by!
Brooke
You have to switch to Mobile View at the bottom of the page for the links to appear in blue instead of yellow. 😊
Brooke
I fixed it, Danielle. Thanks for your comment! You encouraged me to look into the matter when I would have most likely put it off. 🙂 God bless.
Brooke
Oh my goodness!! I can’t thank you enough!!! This is so much better! You have put so much work into this list I am so glad everyone can easily read it now!! Thank you so much Brooke!!
Do you have a printable version of this list?
Hi Roxanna! Thanks for stopping by. I don’t have a printable version at this time. I wrote each book in the Memoria section of the Foundations Guide according to the week it corresponds with. I may make a downloadable version at another time for purchase. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks!