I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.
Did you know that there are now over 150 titles in the Who Was ... ? series? This best seller series continues to add new titles every year, and provide kids with current topics, as well as historical ones! And right now, they are on sale for less than $3 a piece!
For her pick, Miss Grace opted for one of the 'What was' titles, and selected What Was the Vietnam War? Like the 'Who was" books, this one also features short, easy to read text, punctuated with pictures and line drawings. She really found it interesting and got through it very quickly. While she hasn't covered it in history yet, it's on the agenda for Spring, and with her grandfather a Vietnam Vet, it helped her to understand a little bit better what he went through and how it different from the World Wars she was familiar with already. The series is great for getting kids interested in topics and people, and one that we've used for years, and even though she is technically on the upper age for it, she loves to get the 'basics' from the books, and then go off and research more!
But the majority of the books we received came from the excellent selection of Reinforced Hardcover Library Binding Nonfiction books that they have. These books are hardcover nonfiction book series, with library style bindings, to help them LAST, yet are priced the same as most paperbacks! With usually 200 to 300 book series to choose from, it's easy to find books you can use for YOUR homeschool, or just as extra resources for your traditionally schooled kids, at home! I LOVE that these books are divided into three age groups, so that it is super easy to find the books aimed at your child's grade level, without having to slog through the entire inventory! We picked 3 sets from the middle and 1 from the upper age groups.
The Cartoon Nation Pack of 3 features 3 of the 10 books in the series, and come from the middle grade section. The series makes a core foundation for American Government, in a fun and easy to read way, and the set covers The US Congress, The US Supreme Court and The American Presidency (which covers up through Bush). As you can see it literally features cartoons along with the text, to teach kids about the different aspects of American Government. Even my dad looked at them and said, " Wow, these cartoons teach a whole lot!". Plus, you can pull up extra resources, videos, and more, on the series' website, which is divided by grade level, so your child only views appropriate info! How cool is that? The rest of the series covers political parties, government agencies,immigration and the Constitution. So you really CAN get a crash course in all things American Government from them! Well be using them as the start for Miss Grace's High School level Civics class!
The other set from this age group was the Documenting World War II series. While I debated on selecting one of the Holocaust sets (as I feel EVERY history book vastly underplays the reality of it), I knew I wanted to use different books, and needed books that helped her understand the large compass of WWII itself. This series of of 4 books covers more the second half of the war. I love how additional info is provided from core documents, like propaganda, books, speeches AND personnel recollections, which help to give the human side of war. Besides the easy text, full color photos and maps help to explain the war visually as well. My only complaint, is there is not enough photos from the Holocaust camps, and the ones shown don't tell a full story. Miss Grace was lucky to hear from vets who had been there when the camps were freed, and it's hard even for her to understand the cruelty of man. I think sometimes we block things kids NEED to see....There are 2 more books in this series-The Rise of the Nazis and War in the Pacific, which you can find separately.
The first set is only 2 books from the Flashpoints Series, but covers Northern Ireland and the Indian Subcontinent. I was really interested in the Northern Ireland book, as Miss Grace will be doing a semester of Irish History in high school, and there aren't many thorough texts aimed at grade students, just about all are aimed college level and up. This set is technically aimed at upper elementary, BUT as most of them will not have had a good delve into modern world history, it seems odd to have them not listed for high schoolers. The text is definitely in keeping with middle grade, and the basics are covered, but there is a WHOLE lot left out. But as a starting point for research and conversations, they are a good resource. Additional books in the series include The Balkans, Israel and Palestine, Russian Republics, Central Africa, Central America and the Gulf States.
The last set of books came from the Middle School age grouping, but we will be using for high school as well, as part of Personal Finance. The Economics in Action set features What is Supply & Demand, What is Importing & Exporting, What is Insurance? and What are Mortgages, Credit and Loans? As you can see, the books go into both practical and real scenarios to help illustrate to kids what Economics really IS and not only HOW it affects them, but how THEY affect the overall economy! Just flipping though the books when they came in, Miss Grace found some noteworthy info to pass on to friends. I love how they actually spell out budgets and financial paperwork! But realistically a middle schooler has NO need to read a credit card statement, so I really think the set is better used for high school, as a semester course. I actually bought another of the 8 books in the series, What are Taxes, to add to the curriculum I'm planning for Miss Grace!
As wonderful, and helpful, as all these books are, it's important to remember that Library and Educational Services LLC also had gift items, bibles sets of classic books and readers, and even textbooks from popular Christian publishers, like Masterbooks, at REDUCED costs! Plus they offer frequent sales, which you can find out about by subscribing to their free newsletter! They truly can become YOUR number one homeschool resource!
Want to see what other great items they have? Check out the reviews from my fellow homeschoolers first, so you'll know just what YOU want to head over and order! Just clock on the picture below:
If you aren't big on newsletters and more emails in your inbox, then follow Library and Educational Services LLC on their social media channels, to find out about their special sales,closeouts, discounts and new items:
We've always been a bit eclectic when it comes to homeschooling. While our first year we started with a guided program, covering all subjects, we soon realized that Miss Grace needed different levels on all her subjects, and she was actually able to grasp concepts more than we realized. BUT she needed a high visual context. Which led to using more resource books and videos. And when you're a history major, the opportunity to SHARE knowledge was a major component for me, the teacher! As you can imagine, that led to a lot of book buying bookshelf collapsing! So when I heard about a GREAT resource that lets you bring library books HOME to KEEP at super reasonable prices, I had to find out more!
Library and Educational Services LLC has been in business for over 40 years, but you might not have heard of them, as they sell primarily to traditional Christian school, speciality stores, re-sellers, and even churches!. As a wholesaler of books, CDs and DVDs, all aimed at children, and NEVER against biblical values and morals! They have had a vast resource for educators to choose from, like the Who Was ... ? series, Lifehouse Theater CDs like Hiding in Plain Sight, and Reinforced Hardcover Library Binding Nonfiction books.. Plus they ALSO offer homeschoolers the SAME discount program, that they offer to their primary buyers, 30-70% OFF publishers list prices! That is a HUGE savings!
For this review, I was able to select quite a LOT of books as you can see, covering different subjects, including World History, American Government, American History, Geography, economics and personal Finance! Even Miss Grace was like- "WOW that's a LOT of books!"
Let me show you just how many resource books and CDs, you can get for YOUR family for UNDER $75!
The Lifehouse Theater CDs series features 7 different CDs that are either $6.99 or $9.99, in price. The stories range in topic and are suitable for all ages to listen to. While I had originally thought we would get Pride and Prejudice, we actually got sent Hiding in Plain Sight.
This title is set in 1848, prior to the Civil War, and features the true story of slaves William and Ellen Craft, and how they escaped from Georgia to New England, and then to Europe.
The actors do an AMAZING job with setting not only the mood, put the place and time, so that you feel like you are back in the 1800s with them, on their journey to freedom. We listened to it in the car, and I found Miss Grace finishing it up at home later that night, while looking up the Crafts real story!
She really enjoyed the story, and spent the next day discussing it with me at length. We did have quite a few side not discussions, as she brought in other historical parts of the story. I love any story that can make my child head off and do more research, don't you?
Did you know that there are now over 150 titles in the Who Was ... ? series? This best seller series continues to add new titles every year, and provide kids with current topics, as well as historical ones! And right now, they are on sale for less than $3 a piece!For her pick, Miss Grace opted for one of the 'What was' titles, and selected What Was the Vietnam War? Like the 'Who was" books, this one also features short, easy to read text, punctuated with pictures and line drawings. She really found it interesting and got through it very quickly. While she hasn't covered it in history yet, it's on the agenda for Spring, and with her grandfather a Vietnam Vet, it helped her to understand a little bit better what he went through and how it different from the World Wars she was familiar with already. The series is great for getting kids interested in topics and people, and one that we've used for years, and even though she is technically on the upper age for it, she loves to get the 'basics' from the books, and then go off and research more!
The Cartoon Nation Pack of 3 features 3 of the 10 books in the series, and come from the middle grade section. The series makes a core foundation for American Government, in a fun and easy to read way, and the set covers The US Congress, The US Supreme Court and The American Presidency (which covers up through Bush). As you can see it literally features cartoons along with the text, to teach kids about the different aspects of American Government. Even my dad looked at them and said, " Wow, these cartoons teach a whole lot!". Plus, you can pull up extra resources, videos, and more, on the series' website, which is divided by grade level, so your child only views appropriate info! How cool is that? The rest of the series covers political parties, government agencies,immigration and the Constitution. So you really CAN get a crash course in all things American Government from them! Well be using them as the start for Miss Grace's High School level Civics class!
The other set from this age group was the Documenting World War II series. While I debated on selecting one of the Holocaust sets (as I feel EVERY history book vastly underplays the reality of it), I knew I wanted to use different books, and needed books that helped her understand the large compass of WWII itself. This series of of 4 books covers more the second half of the war. I love how additional info is provided from core documents, like propaganda, books, speeches AND personnel recollections, which help to give the human side of war. Besides the easy text, full color photos and maps help to explain the war visually as well. My only complaint, is there is not enough photos from the Holocaust camps, and the ones shown don't tell a full story. Miss Grace was lucky to hear from vets who had been there when the camps were freed, and it's hard even for her to understand the cruelty of man. I think sometimes we block things kids NEED to see....There are 2 more books in this series-The Rise of the Nazis and War in the Pacific, which you can find separately.
The first set is only 2 books from the Flashpoints Series, but covers Northern Ireland and the Indian Subcontinent. I was really interested in the Northern Ireland book, as Miss Grace will be doing a semester of Irish History in high school, and there aren't many thorough texts aimed at grade students, just about all are aimed college level and up. This set is technically aimed at upper elementary, BUT as most of them will not have had a good delve into modern world history, it seems odd to have them not listed for high schoolers. The text is definitely in keeping with middle grade, and the basics are covered, but there is a WHOLE lot left out. But as a starting point for research and conversations, they are a good resource. Additional books in the series include The Balkans, Israel and Palestine, Russian Republics, Central Africa, Central America and the Gulf States.The last set of books came from the Middle School age grouping, but we will be using for high school as well, as part of Personal Finance. The Economics in Action set features What is Supply & Demand, What is Importing & Exporting, What is Insurance? and What are Mortgages, Credit and Loans? As you can see, the books go into both practical and real scenarios to help illustrate to kids what Economics really IS and not only HOW it affects them, but how THEY affect the overall economy! Just flipping though the books when they came in, Miss Grace found some noteworthy info to pass on to friends. I love how they actually spell out budgets and financial paperwork! But realistically a middle schooler has NO need to read a credit card statement, so I really think the set is better used for high school, as a semester course. I actually bought another of the 8 books in the series, What are Taxes, to add to the curriculum I'm planning for Miss Grace!
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