![]() If all my girls experience were Usborne instead of also Pooh, Beatrix Potter, etc., I don’t believe we’d have the same outcome. Having said that, I don’t think that a steady diet of such books would have worked in the same way. In fact, when my brother-in-law offered to read my 5 year old her favorite book, she brought him Pride and Prejudice (Usborne) □ Now what do they do with these Usborne books that are clearly below their level now? They read to their sweet sisters (5 and 2) who are now also developing a love for these stories. ![]() I have yet to get a couple of my Dickens books back as well. They still have my book in their room, reading it over and over. And how wonderful is it to see their interests grow! I couldn’t believe how much they enjoyed Jane Eyre. with them from books I thoroughly enjoy reading to this day. Not only did they grasp it, but I was delighted to be able to discuss plots, characters, ideas, etc. I even doubted that they could handle it and had them narrate to me chunks of chapters (again, doing CM before I knew it was CM!) just to see if they grasped it. In fact, at ages 9 and 11, they began going to MY bookshelf to pull out the “real” versions of these classics. Did that dumb down their experience? Not in the least. ![]() My DDs were able to read stories of Greek Mythology, Shakespeare, Dickens, etc., and know the basic, skeletal plot. Secondly, the “Illustrated Stories” line has also proven to be a real gem in this house. In fact, we are gathering books this year for them to study some of these topics independently. Because of those titles, they have had their interests piqued, and I have been able to give them great, dense books to further their interests. I don’t know when I would have discovered how much my other DD (12) enjoyed the topic of war, Greek mythology, and the German language. I don’t know when I would have discovered that my DD (10) had such a fascination with spying and forensic science as well as the “illusions” our brains/eyes provide, especially when it comes to color. The Usborne titles on science and history topics–especially the “Real Stories” line–have acted as spring boards for my girls to ask for more. These “browsing” moments have been momentous for them. Perhaps during the few moments before a meal or right after a return from the beach or nature walk (I’ve apparently been doing CM all along and didn’t know it!), they walk by the bookshelf and pull off a few Usborne books, knowing they have a few moments to read but not enough to dig into a dense book. Two major reasons contribute to why I would wholeheartedly offer these books to any children (but not ALL the Usborne books and certainly not their Kane-Miller imprint, which is twaddle).įirstly, my DDs (10 and 12) cling to great books for great lengths of time (you name the classic title they’ve read it at least three times), but they have enjoyed the “browsing” they can do casually with Usborne books. I continue to purchase select Usborne books. ![]() Whether these fit the CM mold, I have to respectfully say that I don’t worry about it. Against the advice of classical home educators I know, I purchased loads of them for casual reading. So I find myself building my own library of sorts. ![]() on a tiny island, and the library is just one room here. I am not certain that Usborne would be considered living books. ![]()
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