After many hours + hours + hours, I’ve finally finished updating my booklist for Cycle 1. In compiling this list, I have sorted through book reviews and recommendations by others I trust, including (but not limited to) Sonlight, Tapestry of Grace, and Veritas Press, as well as the 1000 Good Books List, Gospel Coalition, Old-Fashioned Education, IEW’s Books for Boys and Other Children Who Would Rather Build Forts All Day, and Ambleside Online. (There’s a ream of printed paper I reference along with an assortment of catalogs – along with recommendations from trusted friends – when I make my booklists.)
During our years in Foundations, our family did not adhere to a strict correlation for reading, although we compiled reading correlations and booklists for reference. For science we have preferred using the God’s Design for Science Series and A Child’s Geography. If you would like a great history narrative to read that gives you the best bang for your buck, I would just stick with Story of the World – not because it’s perfect, but because it’s simple and engaging. In fact, we’ve designed a complete curriculum package (Mission: World Wonders), which corresponds to Cycle 1 and includes these three resources.
Cycle 1 with the Great Commission in Mind
After designing curriculum plans for over a decade, we developed a Christian Classical Curriculum called Mission: Great Commission that integrates the study of the world and the ongoing fulfillment of the Great Commission, with a focus on loving God, His Word, and fellow mankind. For an open-and-go reading/curriculum plan that overlaps much of the memory work studied during Cycle 1 – along with an integrated study of world missions, world empires & geography, fine arts, and science, check out our Mission: World Wonders Curriculum Plan.
I’ve invested many hours in putting this together (and maintaining it). We post it here in hopes that the work I’ve put into it will also benefit others in the longrun. Please do not copy, paste, or upload this list (or parts of this list) on other websites, in other documents, or on social media. If you wish to share it with others, please send them a link to this blog post. For more information, refer to my Terms of Use.
A formatted pdf of this booklist is available in our Cycle 1 Planning Resource Packet.
This is a “book buffet.” For other shorter booklists, refer to the following links:
- Our Favorite CC Cycle 1 Picture Books
- Our Favorite CC Cycle 1 Read Alouds
- Cycle 1 World History and Science Leveled Readers
- Cycle 1 World History Magic Tree House & Imagination Station Book List
- World History & Geography Book List: Who Was… What Was… Where Was…
- CC Reading Correlations: Story of the World, Mystery of History, Scholastic
- Printable versions of each of these booklists are available in our our Cycle 1 Planner & Planning Resource Packet.
The links below will take you to descriptions of each book on Amazon (which includes our affiliate link tag which adds no extra costs to you but greatly assists our family in maintaining the CC portion of our website. For our disclosure, please click here). These books are loosely sorted by age group. Please keep in mind that I have not reviewed all the books listed but have researched reviews on-line and in catalogs in helping with these selections. Thank you for supporting us and for recommending our website to others!
CC Cycle 1 Booklist: Picture Books, Readers, Activity Books, and Read Alouds
History
Overall History References
The Story of the World: Volume 1: Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor
The Story of the World: Volume 2: The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance
The Story of the World: Volume 3: Early Modern Times
The Story of the World: Volume 4: The Modern Age: From Victoria’s Empire to the End of the USSR
Mystery of History Volume 1
Mystery of History Volume 2
Mystery of History Volume 3
Mystery of History Volume 4
The World’s Story Volume 1: The Ancients
The World’s Story Volume 2: The Middle Ages-The Fall of Rome Through the Renaissance
The World’s Story Volume 3: The Modern Age – The Explorers Through the Present Day
When on Earth?
The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
A Child’s History of the World. Hillyer.
Window on the World: When We Pray God Works
Best-Loved Folktales of the World (The Anchor folktale library). Cole
Global Art: Activities Projects and Inventions from Around the World. Kohl.
The Story of Clocks and Calendars. Maestro
Big Book of History. Ham
Living Long Ago: Everyday life through the Ages
Ancient History General
History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations Grades 1-3
On the Shores of the Great Sea (Yesterday’s Classics)
Archaeologists Dig for Clues. Duke.
String, Straightedge, and Shadow: The Story of Geometry. Diggins.
Built to Last. Macauley.
Atlas of Ancient Worlds. Chrisp.
The Puzzle of Ancient Man: Advanced Technology in Past Civilizations. Chittick.
Archaeology for Kids: Uncovering the Mysteries of Our Past (Activity Book). Panchyk.
Eyewitness Visual Dictionary of Ancient Civilizations.
Old Testament & Ancient Israel & Mesopotamia (Week 1-2)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
Exodus. Wildsmith.
Joseph. Wildsmith.
Ruth: The Harvest Girl. MacKenzie
King Josiah and God’s Book. Nelson.
Song of Creation. Goble.
Joseph the Dreamer. Greengard,
Joshua: The Brave Leader. MacKenzie,
Illustrated Family Bible Stories,
The Hardest Word: A Yom Kippur Story. Jules,
Celebrate: A Book of Jewish Holidays (Reading Railroad). Gross,
Gideon Blow Your Horn! Nystrom,
Elijah: God’s Miracle Man. MacKenzie,
On Noah’s Ark. Brett,
Lech Lecha. Greengard,
Nehemiah: Builder for God. Ross,
Zerubbabel Rebuilds the Temple – Arch Books. Burgdorf.,
Israel ABCs: A Book About the People and Places of Israel. Schroeder,
Tower of Babel. Greengard,
Thank You God! A Jewish Child’s Book of Prayers (English and Hebrew Edition). Groner,
King Solomon & the Queen of Sheba. Greenberg,
Gilgamesh the King (The Gilgamesh Trilogy). Zeman.,
The Revenge of Ishtar (The Gilgamesh Trilogy). Zeman.,
The Last Quest of Gilgamesh (The Gilgamesh Trilogy). Zeman.,
You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Sumerian Slave!: A Life of Hard Labor You’d Rather Avoid. Morley,
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
What the Bible Is All About Handbook for Kids: Bible Handbook for Kids. Mears
The Greenleaf Guide To Old Testament History. Shearer.
Adam and His Kin: The Lost History of Their Lives and Times. Beechick.
Old Testament Days: An Activity Guide (Hands-On History). Sanders.
Walk With Y’Shua Through the Jewish Year. Wertheim
Tirzah. Lucille.
Hittite Warrior (Living History Library). Williamson.
How the Bible Came to Us. Doney.
Israel: The People. Smith
God’s Names (Children Desiring God). Michael
The Life & Times of Moses (Biography from Ancient Civilizations)
Solomon and the Ant: And Other Jewish Folktales. Oberman.
The True Story of Noah’s Ark (with audio CD and pull-out spread). Dooley
Your Travel Guide to Ancient Israel (Passport to History). Sherman.
The Golden Bull. Crowley. (Mesopotamia)
Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. Mehta-Jones
DK Eyewitness Books: Mesopotamia
Ancient Egypt (Study alongside Ancient Israel, Week 1-2)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
The Egyptian Cinderella. Climo.,
Explore Within an Egyptian Mummy. Hopping,
Amazing Pop-Up Pull-Out Mummy Book. Hawcock.,
Tut’s Mummy Lost & Found (Step-Into-Reading). Donnelly.,
Mummies Made in Egypt. Aliki.,
Off the Wall Museum Guides for Kids: Egyptian Art. Knapp. ,
Hieroglyphics (Treasure Chests),
Great Ancient EGYPT Projects: You Can Build Yourself (Build It Yourself),
Ancient Egyptians and Their Neighbors: An Activity Guide. Broida.
Ancient Egypt: Start Exploring (Working for Myself),
Seeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs. Rumford,
Tutankhamen’s Gift. Sabuda,
Egyptian Gods and Goddesses (Penguin Young Readers L4). Barker,
You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Pyramid Builder!: A Hazardous Job You’d Rather Not Have. Morley,
Pepi and the Secret Names: Help Pepi Crack the Hieroglyphic Code. Walsh,
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
Who Was King Tut? Edwards.
Casting the Gods Adrift: A Tale of Ancient Egypt. McCaughrean
Pyramid. Macauley.
The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Egypt (Hist Atlas). Manley.
Ancient Egypt (Modern Rhymes about Ancient Times). Altman.
The Holy Land: 5000 Years of History and Adventure to Unlock and Discover (Treasure Chest)
Art and Civilization: Ancient Egypt. Morris.
The Art of Ancient Egypt: a Portfolio.
Ancient Egypt: Facts Stories Activities (Journey into Civilization). Nicholson.
Egyptian Life. Guy.
History News: The Egyptian News. Steedman.
Mummies in the Morning (Magic Tree House No3)
The Great Pyramid: The story of the farmers the god-king and the most astonding structure ever built (Wonders of the World Book). Mann.
Hieroglyphs. Milton.
History Detectives Ancient Egypt. Ardagh.
The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. Payne.
The Cat of Bubastes A Tale of Ancient Egypt. Henty.
The Valley of the Kings (Digging for the Past). Smith.
Senefer: A Young Genius in Old Egypt. Lumpkin.
The Golden Goblet. McGraw.
Mara Daughter of the Nile. McGraw.
DK Eyewitness Books: Ancient Egypt
The Greenleaf Guide to Ancient Egypt (Greenleaf Guides). Shearer.
Ancient Egypt (Make It Work! History). Haslam
Tutankhamun. Green.
Science in Ancient Egypt. Woods.
Egyptian Treasures: Mummies and Myths.Weiss. (CD)
God King: A Story in the Days of King Hezekiah (Living History Library). Williamson.
Everyday Life of an Egyptian Craftsman. Caselli.
Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #3: Mummies and Pyramids: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the Morning
A Cry From Egypt. Auer
The Ancient Egyptians. Shuter
Peeps At Many Lands: Ancient Egypt. Baikie
The Shipwrecked Sailor: An Egyptian Tale with Hieroglyphs. Bower.
The Egyptology Handbook: A Course in the Wonders of Egypt (Ologies)
History Pockets: Ancient Egypt – Grades 4-6+
Ancient Greece – Greek Mythology – 7 Wonders (Week 3-4 & 6)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
The First Marathon: The Legend of Pheidippides. Reynolds.,
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth. Lasky.,
Aesop’s Fables. Santore.,
The Mighty 12: Superheroes of Greek Myth. Smith,
Socrates: Greek Philosopher: World Cultures Through Time (Primary Source Readers). Zamosky,
King Midas and the Golden Touch. Craft,
Life in a Greek Trading Port. Shuter,
Life in Ancient Athens. Shuter,
Classical Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in Ancient Greece and Rome (Hands-On History). Carlson.,
History Pockets: Ancient Greece,
Pegasus. Mayer,
Theseus and the Minotaur. Fisher.,
The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus. Aliki.,
Greek Myths for Young Children. Amery.,
The Pomegranate Seeds. Geringer.,
You Wouldn’t Want to Be in Alexander the Great’s Army!: Miles You’d Rather Not March. Morley,
Aesop’s Fables for Children: Includes a Read-and-Listen CD (Dover Read and Listen). Winter.,
You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Greek Athlete!: Races You’d Rather Not Run. Ford,
The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War (Step into Reading). Little.,
Ancient Greece (Modern Rhymes about Ancient Times). Altman.,
Greek Myths.Weiss. (CD),
Pythagoras and the Ratios: A Math Adventure. Ellis.,
What’s Your Angle Pythagoras. Ellis.,
Ancient Greece. Newman,
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
Hour of the Olympics (Magic Tree House #16) (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
Famous Men of Greece. Poland & Haaren
Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of ‘The Iliad’. Sutcliff.
Theras and His Town. Snedeker.
Greek Myths. McCaughrean.
Tales from the Odyssey Part 1. Osborne
Tales from the Odyssey Part 2. Osborne
TOOLS OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS: A Kid’s Guide to the History & Science of Life in Ancient Greece. Bordessa
Alexander the Great. Hunter
Ancient Greek Art (Art In History).Hodge
Ancient Greece: Treasure Chests : 4000 Years of History and Mythology to Unlock and Discover,Draw and Write Through History: Greece and Rome
Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece. Morkot.
The Children’s Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy. Colum.
Archimedes and the Door of Science. Bendick.
The Greeks. Usborne.
DK Eyewitness Books: Ancient Greece. Pearson.
Ancient Greece. Nicholson.
The Greek News. Powell & Steele.
D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths. D’Aulaire.
The Trojan War. Coolidge.
Science in Ancient Greece. Gay.
Growing Up in Ancient Greece. Chelepi.
Greek Myths. Coolidge
Olympians: Great Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece. Fisher.
The Iliad for Boys and Girls (Illustrated Edition). Church.
Cyclops. Fisher.
Alexander the Great. Demi. (Illustrated)
Your Travel Guide to Ancient Greece (Passport to History)
Roman Empire (Week 5)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
Romulus and Remus. Fitzgerald,
How to Be a Roman Soldier. MacDonald,
Explore Ancient Rome!: 25 Great Projects Activities Experiements. Van Vleet,
Classical Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in Ancient Greece and Rome (Hands-On History). Carlson.,
Brave Cloelia: Retold from the Account in The History of Early Rome by the Roman Historian Titus Livius. Curry
Pompeii: Buried Alive! (Step into Reading). Kunhardt.
Pompeii: Lost and Found. Osborne,
You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Roman Gladiator!: Gory Things You’d Rather Not Know. Malam,
Ancient Rome: More Than 2500 Years of History and Adventure to Unlock and Discover,
Damon Pythias and the Test of Friendship. Bateman,
Ancient Rome: A Mighty Empire (Great Civilizations). Dubois,
Cleopatra. Stanley.,
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction. Macaulay
Rome Antics. Macaulay
Famous Men of Rome. Haaren
Greenleaf Guide to Famous Men of Rome.
Who Were the Romans?. Cox.
Twice Freed. St. John.
Detectives in Togas. Winterfield.
The Mystery of the Roman Ransom. Winterfield
The Bronze Bow. Speare.
The Ides of April. Ray.
What Was Pompeii? O’Connor.
Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile – Egypt 57 B.C. (The Royal Diaries). Gregory.
Galen and the Gateway to Medicine. Bendick.
Herodotus and the Road to History. Bendick.
Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome. Scarre.
Augustus Caesar’s World. Foster.
Life in Ancient Rome (Dover History Coloring Book)
The Wadjet Eye. Rubalcaba.
History Pockets: Ancient Rome Grades 4-6+
Herod the Great. Green.
Ancient Rome (Modern Rhymes about Ancient Times) . Altman.
Roman Diary: The Journal of Iliona – A Young Slave. Platt.
Daily Life at the Time of Jesus. Vamosh
TOOLS OF THE ANCIENT ROMANS: A Kid’s Guide to the History & Science of Life in Ancient Rome. Dickinson
Against the World: the Odyssey of Athanasius. Coray.
Living in Roman Times. Chisholm.
Growing up in Ancient Rome. Corbishley.
Science in Ancient Rome. Harris.
The Young Carthaginian A Story of The Times of Hannibal. Henty.
For the Temple: Story of the Fall of Jerusalem. Henty
The Legionary. Connolly.
Beyond the Desert Gate. Ray.
A Triumph for Flavius. Snedeker.
Your Travel Guide to Ancient Rome. Markel.
The Buried City of Pompei. Tanaka. (Illustrated)
Ben Hur (DVD)
The Roman World. Usborne.
Ancient India (Week 7)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
The Elephant’s Friend and Other Tales from Ancient India. Williams.
One Grain Of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale. Demi
The Indus Valley. Shuter,Who
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
Marco Polo. Graves.
Marco Polo. Demi. (Illustrated)
Was Marco Polo? Holub.
Marco Polo: Overland to China. Zelenyj
Life In The Ancient Indus River Valley. Richardson
Imperialism – India – Gandhi (Week 8)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
William Carey: Bearer of Good News. Meloche.
Ida Scudder: Healing in India. Meloche
India (True Books). Apte
Monkey: A Trickster Tale from India. McDermott.
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World. Fischer.
Gandhi: Peaceful Warrior. Bains.
Who Was Gandhi? Rau.
Who Was Queen Victoria? Gigliotti.
In the Days of Queen Victoria. Tappan
India: The Culture. Kalman.
India: The People. Kalman.
Praying through 100 Gateway Cities.
A Little Princess. Burnett.
The Big Fight. Buck.
Teresa of Calcutta. Watson.
William Carey: Obliged to Go. Benge.
The Hidden Jewel: Amy Carmichael. Jackson.
Ida Scudder: Healing Bodies Touching Hearts. Benge
Ancient China & Confucius (Week 9)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China. Louie
You Are in Ancient China (You Are There!). Minnis
You Wouldn’t Want to Work on the Great Wall of China! Morley
The Silk Princess. Santore. (Illustrated)
Buddha Stories. Demi
Buddha. Demi
The Great Wall of China. Fisher. (Illustrated)
The Five Chinese Brothers. Bishop.
The Cloudmakers. Rumford.,Great
The Silk Route: 7000 Miles of History. Major.
The Pet Dragon: A Story about Adventure Friendship and Chinese Characters. Niemann. (Chinese Folklore)
How the Rooster Got His Crown. Poole. (Chinese Folklore)
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze. Lewis.
Daughter of the Mountains (Buddhism). Rankin.
Marco Polo: A Journey Through China. MacDonald.
Who Was Marco Polo? Holub.
Who Was Genghis Kahn? Medina
Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land Sea and Air
The Great Wall: The story of thousands of miles of earth and stone… Mann.
The Children of China: An Artist’s Journey. Zhang. (Illustrated)
Ancient China Projects You Can Build Yourself
The Cat Who Went to Heaven (Buddhism). Coatsworth.
Genghis Khan and the Mongol Horde. Lamb.
Little Pear. Lattimore.
Growing Up in Ancient China. Teague.
Science in Ancient China. Beshore.
The Mongols. Nicholson.
Lin Lun Lad of Courage (Newbery Honor Book). Treffinger.
Mission to Cathay. Polland.
Dragonwings. Yep.
Homesick. Fritz.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Lin. (Chinese Folklore)
Spotlight on China (Spotlight on My Country). Johnson
Life in Ancient China. Challen
DK Eyewitness Books: Ancient China
Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #31: China: Land of the Emperor’s Great Wall: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #14: Day of the Dragon King (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
Japan & Shoguns (Week 10)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
Magic Tree House #37: Dragon of the Red Dawn (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun. Blumberg.
Born in the Year of Courage. Crofford.
Heart of a Samurai. Preus.
The Master Puppeteer. Paterson.
The Samurai’s Tale. Haugaard.
Shipwrecked!: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy. Blumberg
The Big Wave. Buck.
Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #30: Ninjas and Samurai: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #5: Night of the Ninjas (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
Byzantine & Muslim Empires (Week 11-12)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
The Very First Christians. Maier
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
Tales Of Persia: Missionary Stories From Islamic Iran. Miller
Mosque. Macaulay
Arabs in the Golden Age. Moktefi.
The Minstrel in the Tower (Stepping Stone). Skurzynski. (Crusades)
Anna of Byzantium. Barrett.
A Journey of Souls. Baker.
Winning His Spurs: A Tale of the Crusades. Henty.
Seven Daughters and Seven Sons. Cohen
Star of Light. St. John.
Ali and the Golden Eagle. Grover.
The Beduins’ Gazelle. Temple.
Shadow Spinner. Fletcher
The Middle East and North Africa (Regions of the World). Bowden
Peril and Peace: Chronicles of the Ancient Church. Withrow
Ancient Africa (Week 13-14)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale (Picture Puffin)
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale. Aardema.,
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain. Aardema.,
Too Much Talk: A West African Folktale. Medearis.,
Kente Colors. Chocolate.,
Ancient Africa (Modern Rhymes about Ancient Times). Altman.,
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
Mary Slessor: Forward into Calabar. Benge.
African Crafts: Fun Things to Make and Do from West Africa. Garner
Beat the Story Drum Pum Pum. Bryan (Nigerian Folk Tales)
The Rat Catcher’s Son and Other Stories. London.
In Search of a Source. Anderson & Moore.
Hands-On Africa: Art Activities for All Ages. Merrill
A Glorious Age in Africa: The Story of 3 Great African Empires. Chu & Skinner.
The King’s Drum and Other Stories. Corlander. (African folktales)
The Adventures of Spider: West African Folktales. Arkhurst
Henry the Navigator & Colonial Africa (Week 15)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
David Livingstone: Courageous Explorer (Heroes for Young Readers). Meloche.,
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions. Musgrove.,
Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti,
Kofi and His Magic. Angelou. (Illustrated),
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
Escape from the Slave Traders: David Livingstone (Trailblazer Books #5)
David Livingstone: Africa’s Trailblazer (Christian Heroes: Then & Now). Benge.
Journey to Jo’burg: A South African Story. Naidoo.
Around the World in a Hundred Years: From Henry the Navigator to Magellan. Fritz.
Explorers Who Got Lost. Sansevere-Dreher.
Explorers of the New World: Discover the Golden Age of Exploration With 22 Projects (Build It Yourself)
Aztecs – Olmecs – Mayans (Week 16)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
The Ancient Maya (True Books). Maloy.,
The Aztec Empire. Apte.,
The Ancient Aztecs: Secrets of a Lost Civilization to Unlock and Discover,
Rain Player. Wisniewski,
Life in Ancient Mexico Coloring Book. Green,
Aztec Designs Coloring Book,
Incas Aztecs and Mayas-Coloring Book,
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
Incas Mayas and Aztecs. Holzmann.
Mayas Incas and Aztecs: World Cultures Through Time (Primary Source Readers). Conklin
Aztec Inca & Maya (DK Eyewitness Books)
Secret of the Andes. Clark.
The Ancient American World. Fash.
The Corn Grows Ripe. Rhoads
Awesome Ancient Ancestors!: Mound Builders Maya and More (America’s Horrible Histories). Levy.
Your Travel Guide to the Ancient Mayan Civilization (Passport to History)
Cortes and Montezuma & Aztec Empire (Week 17)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
The Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss. Matthews,
Exploration and Conquest: The Americas After Columbus: 1500-1620 (American Story),
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
By Right of Conquest: With Cortes in Mexico. Henty.
The Aztec News. Steele.
Hernando Cortes: Spanish Invader of Mexico. Zronik.
DK Eyewitness Books: Explorer
North American Indians & Anasazi (Week 18-19)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
The Very First Americans (All Aboard Books). Ashrose.,
North American Indians. Gorsline.,
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
Moccasin Trail. McGraw.
Naya Nuki: Shoshoni Girl Who Ran. Thomasma.
More Than Moccasins: A Kid’s Activity Guide to Traditional North American Indian Life (Hands-On History),Om-Kas-Toe. Thomasma.
Mysteries of the Ancient Mounds. Sohner.
Star Mounds: Legacy of a Native American Mystery. Hamilton.
Sing Down the Moon. O’Dell
Wait for Me. Watch for Me. Eula Bee Beatly
Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison. Lenski.
Sign of the Beaver. Speare.
Children of the Longhouse. Bruchac.
Mound Builders & Cliff Dwellers (Lost Civilizations). Brown.
Awesome Ancient Ancestors!: Mound Builders Maya and More (America’s Horrible Histories)
Mounds of earth and shell (Native Dwellings)
Native American History for Kids: With 21 Activities (For Kids series) Gibson.
Mexican Revolution (Week 20)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
Canada (Week 21-22)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
O Canada. Harrison. (Illustrated),
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
O Canada Her Story. Akins.
John Cabot (Famous Explorers). Larkin.
Jacques Cartier (Brave Explorers Every Child Should Know). Akins. [Kindle]
A Unit About Canada. Coe.
Samuel De Champlain: From New France to Cape Cod (In the Footsteps of Explorers). Morganelli.
Voyages of Samuel De Champlain
South America – Bonaparte – Portuguese Empire (Week 23-24)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
The Heroic Symphony. Celenza. (Illustrated book about Beethoven and Napoleon),
A Picture Book of Simon Bolivar. Adler.,
The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest. Cherry.,
Dancing Turtle: A Folktale from Brazil. DeSpain.,
Nate Saint: Heavenbound. Meloche,
Jim Elliot: A Light for God (Heroes for Young Readers). Meloche,
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
Simon Bolivar: The Liberator. De Varona.
In the Land of the Jaguar: South America and Its People. Gorrell.
Napoleon: The Story of the Little Corporal. Burleigh. (Illustrated w/ great quotes)
The Story of Napoleon. Marshall.
Napoleon: Emperor and Conqueror. Heuston.
Napoleon to Lady Liberty: The World of the 1800’s (Draw and Write Throuh History 5). Gressman.
South America. Moore. (Geography projects)
Simple Geography: A Guide to Brazil. Turner.(Illustrated)
Marco’s Travels: Hello Brazil (Volume 1) (Illustrated)
Nate Saint: On a Wing and a Prayer. Benge
Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose. Benge
It’s A Jungle Out There (The Rani Adventure Series Book 1). Snell.
Bruchko. Olson.
Out of Many Waters. Greene.
U.S. Presidents (Week 24)
Picture Books Readers or Activity Books (Grade K-3)
The President’s Stuck in the Bathtub: Poems About the Presidents,
Have Fun with the Presidents: Activities Projects and Fascinating Facts,
Yo Millard Fillmore!: (And all those other Presidents you don’t know),
So You Want to Be President?,
American Presidents Coloring Book (Dover History Coloring Book),
Smart About the Presidents (Smart About History),
Don’t Know Much About the Presidents
Read Alouds & Reference (Grade 3 and Up)
The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents. Blassingame
The New Big Book of U.S. Presidents: Fascinating Facts about Each and Every President Including an American History Timeline
Geography, Science, Fine Arts, and English Grammar
The following resources are picture books, readers, references, and read alouds.
Overall Geography
Kids Around the World Cook!: The Best Foods and Recipes from Many Lands. Braman
A Childs Geography Explore the Holy Land (Vol 2). Voskamp
A Childs Geography Explore the Classical (Vol 3). Johnson
Science – Nature & Nature Study (Week 1-12)
The Nature Connection: An Outdoor Workbook for Kids Families and Classrooms. Leslie.
Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You. Leslie.
Drawn to Nature: Through the Journals of Clare Walker Leslie
A Handbook of Nature Study. Comstock.
Usborne’s First Book of Nature
Usborne Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Natural World
Kaufman Field Guides
Peterson Field Guide Coloring Books: Birds
Peterson Field Guide Coloring Books: Mammals
Peterson Field Guide Coloring Books: Wildflowers
Peterson Field Guide Coloring Books: Butterflies
Peterson Field Guide Coloring Books: Reptiles and Amphibians
Peterson Field Guide Coloring Books: Shells
National Audubon Society Pocket Field Guides
National Audubon Society First Field Guides
Christian Liberty Nature Readers
Mysteries and Marvels of Nature
Listening to Crickets: A Story about Rachel Carson (Creative Minds Biography)
The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature (Dover Children’s Science Books)
Overall Biology (Week 1-12)
Exploring the World of Biology: From Mushrooms to Complex Life Forms. Tiner
Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day — Young Explorers Series (Apologia Science Young Explorers)
Exploring Creation with Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day (Young Explorer Series) (Young Explorer (Apologia Educational Ministries))
Exploring Creation with Zoology 3: Land Animals of the Sixth Day (Young Explorer Series)
Exploring Creation With Botany — Young Explorer Series (Young Explorer (Apologia Educational Ministries))
Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution 1 (DVD)
Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution 2 (DVD)
Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution 3 (DVD)
Classifications (Week 1)
The World of Animals (God’s Design for Life)
The World of Plants (God’s Design for Life)
Carl Linnaeus: Father of Classification (Great Minds of Science)
Kingdoms (Week 2)
The World of Animals (God’s Design for Life)
The World of Plants (God’s Design for Life)
Animal Cell (Week 3)
The World of Animals (God’s Design for Life)
Plant Cell (Week 4)
The World of Plants (God’s Design for Life)
Exploring Creation With Botany — Young Explorer Series (Young Explorer (Apologia Educational Ministries))
Invertebrates (Week 5)
The World of Animals (God’s Design for Life)
Spinning Spiders (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)
Vertebrates (Week 6)
The World of Animals (God’s Design for Life)
The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon
What’s It Like to Be a Fish? (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)
Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?. Wells
What’s Smaller Than a Pygmy Shrew? Wells
Animal Reproduction (Week 7)
The World of Animals (God’s Design for Life)
Caterpillars and Butterflies. Turnbull.
Where Butterflies Grow. Ryder
A Nest full of Eggs (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out). Jenkins
Where Do Chicks Come From? (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)
From Tadpole to Frog (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)
From Caterpillar to Butterfly (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science). Heiligman
Seed Plants (Week 8)
The World of Plants (God’s Design for Life)
How a Seed Grows (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)
How Flowers Grow
The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow
Incredible Plants. Taylor
Exploring Creation With Botany — Young Explorer Series (Young Explorer (Apologia Educational Ministries))
Seedlings: Fables from the Forest (not a science book)
Plant Parts (Week 9)
The World of Plants (God’s Design for Life)
Zinnia’s Flower Garden. Wellington
Exploring Creation With Botany — Young Explorer Series (Young Explorer (Apologia Educational Ministries))
Leaves (Week 10)
The World of Plants (God’s Design for Life)
Exploring Creation With Botany — Young Explorer Series (Young Explorer (Apologia Educational Ministries))
Parts of Flower (Week 11)
The World of Plants (God’s Design for Life)
Exploring Creation With Botany — Young Explorer Series (Young Explorer (Apologia Educational Ministries))
Plant Systems (Week 12)
The World of Plants (God’s Design for Life)
Exploring Creation With Botany — Young Explorer Series (Young Explorer (Apologia Educational Ministries))
Earth Science (Week 13-24)
A Childs Geography Explore His Earth (Vol 1). Voskamp
Our Planet Earth (God’s Design for Heaven & Earth). Lawrence.
Our Weather & Water (God’s Design for Heaven & Earth). Lawrence.
Exploring Planet Earth: The Journey of Discovery from Early Civilization to Future Exploration. Tiner
A Childs Geography Explore His Earth (Vol 1). Voskamp
Big Book of Earth & Sky. Hodge
Parts of Earth (Week 13)
What Is the World Made Of? (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2)
Visual Factfinder: Planet Earth (Pocket Encyclopedia). Curtis
The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth
How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World. McNulty
Kinds of Rock (Week 14)
Let’s Go Rock Collecting (Let’s-Read-And-Find-Out Science. Stage 2)
National Geographic Kids Everything Rocks and Minerals: Dazzling gems of photos and info that will rock your world
Highest Mountains (Week 15)
You Wouldn’t Want to Climb Mount Everest!: A Deadly Journey to the Top of the World. Graham
To the Top: Climbing the World’s Highest Mountains (Step Into Reading). Kramer.
Volcanoes (Week 16)
Volcanoes (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)
Hill Of Fire (I Can Read Book 3). Lewis
Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens. Lauber
Pompeii…Buried Alive! (Step into Reading)
Volcano. Simon
Danger! Volcanoes. Simon
Volcanoes! Mountains of Fire (Step-Into-Reading Step 4). Arnold
The Magic School Bus Blows Its Top: A Book About Volcanoes
Oceans (Week 18-19)
The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor
First Encyclopedia of Seas & Oceans
Atmosphere (Week 20)
Major Circles of Latitude (Week 21)
Latitude and Longitude (Rookie Read-About Geography)
Weather Fronts (Week 22)
DK Eye Wonder Weather
The Kid’s Book of Weather Forecasting
National Geographic Kids Everything Weather: Facts Photos and Fun that Will Blow You Away
The Everything KIDS’ Weather Book: From Tornadoes to Snowstorms Puzzles Games and Facts That Make Weather for Kids Fun!
What Will the Weather Be? (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)
Clouds (Week 23)
Clouds (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)
The Weather Wizard’s Cloud Book
Globe Markings (Week 24)
Sea Clocks: The Story of Longitude. Borden
Maps and Globes (Reading Rainbow Book)
Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary. Knowlton
Drawing (Week 1-6)
Ish by Peter Reynolds
The Dot by Peter Reynolds
Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg
Harold and the Purple Crayon 50th Anniversary Edition (Purple Crayon Books)
Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
Lines That Wiggle
Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse
The Turn-Around Upside-Down Alphabet Book (ALA Notable Children’s Books. Younger Readers (Awards))
The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg
Draw 3-D (Learn to Draw)
Great Artists (Week 13-18)
Art Masterpieces to Color: 60 Great Paintings from Botticelli to Picasso (Dover Art Coloring Book)
Art Fraud Detective: Spot the Difference Solve the Crime!
Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters
Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought)
Giotto (Week 13)
Mario’s Angels: A Story About the Artist Giotto. Arrigan
A Boy Named Giotto. Guarnieri.
The Glorious Impossible. L’Engle.
Ghiberti (Week 14)
Angelico (Week 15)
Durer (Week 16)
Albrecht Durer: Art for Children. Raboff
The Complete Woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer (Dover Fine Art History of Art)
Michelangelo (Week 17)
Michelangelo (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists). Venezia
Michelangelo’s Surprise. Parillo
Michelangelo: Master of Italian Renaissance. Di Cagno
Michaelangelo (Famous Artists). Green
Michaelangelo (Famous Children). Hart
Michelangelo. Stanley.
Sistine Chapel Coloring Book
El Greco (Week 18)
El Greco (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists). Venezia
Orchestra (Week 19-24)
The Gift of Music: Great Composers and Their Influence
A Child’s Introduction to the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music!
Lives of the Musicians: Good Times Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought)
Listen to the Birds: An Introduction to Classical Music
Handel (Week 20)
George Handel (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers). Venezia.
Classical Kids: Hallelujah Handel.
Why Handel Waggled His Wig
Bach (Week 21)
Bach’s Big Adventure. Ketcham.
Sebastian: A Book about Bach. Winter.
Bach and Baroque Music. Catucci.
Johann Sebastian Bach (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers). Venezia.
Classical Kids: Mr. Bach Comes to Call.
Johann Sebastian Bach: Great Man of Music (Rookie Biography). Greene.
Mozart (Week 22)
Mozart: The Wonder Child: A Puppet Play in Three Acts. Stanley.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers). Venezia.
Classical Kids: The Best of Mozart.
Classical Kids: Mozart’s Magic Fantasy: A Journey Through ‘The Magic Flute’
Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Musical Genius (Rookie Biography). Greene.
Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
Math
Schoolhouse Rock: Multiplication Classroom Edition [Interactive DVD]
Exploring the World of Mathematics: From Ancient Record Keeping to the Latest Advances in Computers. Tiner
Sir Cumference and the First Round Table (A Math Adventure)
Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi (A Math Adventure)
Math Curse
Multiplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumpelstiltskin (A Math Adventure)
The Multiplying Menace Divides (Math Adventures)
Mummy Math: An Adventure in Geometry
Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar
The Grapes of Math
Math-terpieces: The Art of Problem-Solving
English Grammar
Under Over by the Clover: What is a Preposition? by Brian P. Cleary
Behind the Mask: A Book about Prepositions by Ruth Heller
Around the House the Fox Chased the Mouse: Adventures in Prepositions by Rick Walton
If You Were a Preposition (Word Fun) by Nancy Loewen
Other individual books of the (Word Fun) series
Kites Sail High: A Book about Verbs by Ruth Heller
Vinny the Action Verb and Lucy the Linking Verb by Coert Voorhees
My hope is that what I’ve provided here is a blessing to you. If you are overwhelmed by this list, you can check out our Favorite CC Cycle 1 Picture Books and Favorite CC Cycle 1 Read Alouds.
Other posts you may be interested in:
CC Cycle 1 Usborne Book List
CC Cycle 1 Planners
CC Reading Correlations: Story of the World, Mystery of History, Scholastic
If you are looking for resources for Cycle 2 or 3, click on…
Cycle 2 Resources or
Cycle 3 Resources.