The book lists alone would make this a recommended resource, but I’m not done listing the wonders of this book yet. The books are also divided into age groups (Grades 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12) and types (Resources for all Ages, Overview of the Era, Specific Events, Biography, Historical Fiction, Literature, Culture). In one place were recommended books on all the topics we’ll be studying! It’s not just the titles and author, but also a short note for each: the specific event or dates, for biographies a quick reminder of what that person did, and extra information like that the book is beautifully illustrated or contains authentic journal excerpts. After that I went right to the time period we are studying. I read the introduction, which is a great overview of the book and how it’s arranged, the author’s thoughts on studying history chronologically and using “living” books, and several examples of sequences for study. I was immediately able to try out All Through The Ages. I love the written work and activities but wanted more than the lesson text for reading aloud. Right now we are studying the early 1800′s using a Time Traveler’s unit from Homeschool in the Woods. I felt disorganized and had a hard time keeping track of which lists I had checked, and realized I would have to repeat the process when we studied these time periods again. Before finding this book I would check several book lists when planning our history studies, trying to sort out which books would be appropriate for my children’s ages for both reading aloud and as independent reading. It contains books from over 20 respected sources: companies such as Beautiful Feet and Sonlight, books such as Honey for a Child’s Heart, award lists such as Newbery & Pulitzer ( visit the website for a list of sources). What is it?Īll Through The Ages was written to fill a need that the author recognized: a one-stop resource for teaching history through literature.

History was a great story! From then on I was hooked on learning history through good literature (with me learning right along with my children), then following up with narration (through notebooking or minibooks) and hands-on activities to cement those fascinating stories. I found myself fascinated as we read books together.

Fast forward 15 years and for our first summer homeschooling I chose a unit study on the Revolutionary War from Homeschool Share. I barely remember anything from my history classes in school, except complaining that I couldn’t remember dates and names very well. I’ll preface this review by saying that I’m becoming a bit of a history nut now that I’m a homeschooler. I’d sleep with it under my pillow if it wasn’t so thick. I’m wondering if this may possibly be the most glowing review I’ll ever write, because this resource just became my new best friend. All Through The Ages is a guide to over 7000 books–quality “living books” that can be used for teaching history through literature. I received a copy of the book All Through The Ages by Christine Miller from Nothing New Press for review.

History through the ages