How Carrie Chooses Books
Heart of Dakota (HOD) is literature-based, and it is full of incredible ‘can’t put ’em down books’! Having used HOD from preschool through 12th grade, our children truly have too many favorites to count! Families who homeschool with HOD share this love of excellent books. They often comment on how much they enjoy the connections their children make between books and across subjects. Many marvel at the gems Carrie includes in each guide, and at least once every week, HOD families I help on the phone ask me how Carrie chooses books. I do my best to answer them, but I always hang up feeling like I have more to say!
Much research and prayer goes into selecting books for each guide. Carrie and I live just a few minutes apart, and as sisters, I often pop over to her house for this or that. I cannot tell you how many times I have stopped by to see Carrie reading. Piles of books surround her, and in her hand she holds a book that may or may not ever make it into an HOD guide. Carrie chooses books very carefully with very specific criteria in mind. I will put forth my best attempt in this blog post to share some of the criteria for how Carrie chooses books!
The Age and Maturity of the Child
Heart of Dakota’s guides each include a target age range of three years (i.e. ages 8 – 10). This range acts as an important measuring stick for choosing books. The age and maturity of children matters immensely. As Christian homeschool parents, we take this seriously.
As HOD’s placement specialist for the past 20 years, I have enjoyed helping multitudes of families. While many families begin their homeschool journey with HOD, others find HOD later. Families switching to HOD often tell me they are doing so because they did not like the book selections in other curriculums. More often than not, the books were much too mature and were inappropriate for their children.
Wider age ranges make it difficult to choose appropriate books. This is why HOD keeps its target age ranges smaller. It helps Carrie choose books with specific ages and maturity levels in mind, and as a Christian homeschool parent, I am so thankful for that!
The Person Doing the Reading
Heart of Dakota’s guides note who is responsible for the reading of the books in each box of plans. Parents read aloud everything in younger guides, as children cannot read. However, once children reach the age of 9 or older, they become responsible for reading many books independently (silently, in their head). Charlotte Mason expected children to read their own books by the age of 9 if able, and HOD agrees. Not all 9-year-olds can do this. That is why HOD has a target age range for each guide; 9-year-olds fall within the target age range of three different guides. So, just as placement depends on age, maturity, and reading ability, so does book selection.
Carrie chooses books knowing who is responsible for the reading of them. Read alouds have higher reading levels than books read independently by the child. In Preparing Hearts for Glory on up, boxes are labeled “T” teacher-directed, “S” semi-independent, and “I” independent. Carrie matches books children read independently to the average reading level within the target age range. She also matches the reading pace to children’s ages. Younger children read fewer pages independently than older children. So, knowing who is responsible for the reading helps Carrie choose books wisely!
Chronological History Studies and Genre Studies
Heart of Dakota’s guides each include a specific history study. Carrie chooses books that bring history to life! She chooses books to add a needed element to the history study for the time period in the guide. Often she schedules books to add another point of view or differing perspective. She may schedule books to bring to life a little-known aspect of the time period that is needed to better understand it. Or, she may choose books to bring forth a spiritual awareness of the time period and to bring the listener closer to the Lord, sharing ways of dealing with trials and tribulations in a God-honoring way.
Heart of Dakota’s history studies are chronological. Even the history-based Storytime read-alouds and the Extension Package books match the chronological Learning About History studies. So, Carrie chooses books based on the timeline of history. As much as possible, books march through history matching the amount of time a given historical topic, event, or person made their mark on history. This is not easy to do! Much time and research accompanies this facet of choosing books.
Heart of Dakota’s Drawn into the Heart of Reading program includes nine genres of books. Each package of books represents these nine genres. Likewise, some of the Storytime read-aloud packages in the younger guides include all nine genres of books. This keeps them balanced and exposes children to all types of books! So, Carrie chooses books according to genres (and reading levels) as well.
Charlotte Mason: Living Books and Their Authors
Heart of Dakota closely follows Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education. Just as Charlotte Mason loved living books, so does Heart of Dakota! So, Carrie chooses narratively written living books. “Living” books make learning ‘come alive.’ They pull you into a subject and make you want to read more. Living books are often written by authors that are passionate about one thing, and that one thing is the topic of their beloved book(s). The author passionate about what he/she writes produces a far different book than a group of people mass writing a textbook together.
Heart of Dakota uses living books for as many school subjects as possible, including science. So, Carrie chooses books based on their authors as well. Ironically, an author may write one book in a very ‘living book’ style, but that same author may write another book in not a very living book style. Perhaps the author was more passionate about the topic or time period, so that first particular book was more living. Or, perhaps the author really hit his/her stride the more books he/she authored, so the latter book was more living. This explains why Carrie may choose one book from an author and not another from that same author, even if they are in the same series. Or, perhaps a different author simply wrote in a more narrative way.
A Balance of Academic Criteria and Christian Connections
Each Heart of Dakota guide includes skills that increase in difficulty as students move up in guides. The reading levels, maturity of content, amount of pages to be read each day, total number of pages, number of pictures/visual helps to aid reading, familiarity of content (especially for new, young readers), length of sentences (short or lengthy descriptive sentences), vocabulary, etc. of books all work together to meet academic criteria for a particular guide/range of ages.
Whenever possible, Carrie chooses books with Christian content or books that make Christian connections. The plans themselves provide Scripture references, applications, Godly character qualities, and Christian connections to books. This keeps a balance of academic criteria and Christ-centered content.
Carrie often chooses NOT to use a book based on the lack of Christian content as well. Inappropriate pictures, words, dialogue, and actions can cause a book not to be chosen. Often times Carrie has told me, with a long sigh, that she made it all the way to page 252 (or whatever page) only to come upon a line or two that just ruined it all. “Now, WHY did they put THAT in there?!? Oh Julie, can you believe it! Just read it. I can’t use this book now. What a pity.”
Photos, Pictures, Content, State Standards, and Length
Books with fascinating photos, beautiful pictures, and captivating illustrations beg to be read! As long as books fall into the ‘living books’ category because of their narrative qualities, Carrie would always love to choose books such as these! However, books that have a pretty ‘face’ but lack a narrative storyline – well, they just won’t do. Quality writing trumps pretty pictures – always.
State standards provide yet another guideline for choosing books. Specific content needs to be covered – thoroughly and well. Carrie has her master’s degree in education, so she also weighs books choices based upon typical state standards. Heart of Dakota takes preparing students well academically seriously, very seriously. We want them to be equipped to do whatever the Lord wants them to do in life.
Finally, simply the length of a book matters. Carrie chooses books based on the appropriate length for the plans and for the purposes they fulfill.
Just My Attempt
So, this is my attempt to write a blog post on how Carrie chooses books! She’s too busy choosing books right now to write this post herself. You can probably see why when I receive a phone call or an email asking about omitting a book or replacing a book –Â I pause, my heart flutters, all the conversations with Carrie, all her prayer and careful considerations, all the connections, all the matching follow-up plans flash before my eyes – and then I usually advise not to cast aside or replace that precious book.
Each book lovingly has its place in Heart of Dakota, and Carrie gave it that place with great consideration, prayer, and care. More time goes into choosing books than into anything else – they are the foundation. A strong foundation can be built upon to produce an incredible structure. Carrie’s book choices provide the foundation; Heart of Dakota’s guides provide the structure.
If I have overlooked something, and I am sure I have as this book choosing is serious business – please forgive me. My point is not to write the perfect blog about how Carrie chooses books; rather, it is to shed light on her heart and devotion to lovingly and wisely choosing the very best books – for her children, for my children, and for yours.
In Christ,
Julie
PS: Would you like to see my thoughts on how the Lord developed in Carrie this gift for choosing books? Click here!
