Elson Readers

I'm so happy about these books that I have to put in a good word.  They were originally written in the early 1900's by the same author of the well-known Dick and Jane stories, William Elson.  They start at the prereading level called Primer and go through grade 8.  What's so neat is the idea behind these.  They are a collection of short stories, fables, poems, national songs, plays, and history.  They are a collection of quality stories that, over time, foster an appreciation for good literature in the child.  You won't find any pop characters or silly storylines.  These are collections of old tales and well known stories.  My kids have really enjoyed them so far, and we've had them for about a month or so now.  What's nice is you can read in any order you like, you don't have to go in order. 

In our homeschool schedule we have a mandatory 30 minutes (45 minutes for 4th grade) of "Structured Reading".  This time is spent reading quality books that I've usually selected for them.  They're usually tied in to our science or history lessons, but I sometimes have to read those books out loud b/c they're written on more advanced levels.  Anyhow, if we're caught up on those books then I pick a couple of stories out of the Elson readers for them to read.  Little Maryam loves reading them at bedtime, though!!  (Don't worry, they're allowed to read "junk" books the rest of the day if they want! And they do!!)

Here's a link to the Elson Readers on amazon. (love amazon)

Bottom line, I highly recommend these for quality reading for your child of any age.  It's a bunch of different styles all in one book.  And somehow, the stories are just fascinating.  Probably because they usually have a moral or a really interesting plot.