Before Austen Comes Aesop: The Children's Great Books and How to Experience Them

I can't remember which podcast I heard this book mentioned on, but after downloading a sample on my Kindle, I knew I needed a paper copy. This is one of those rare books worth the money and more. I had been on a hunt for literature study for my homeschooler since the Literature Singles guides we were buying for his age group had gotten too easy but he wasn't ready maturity-wise for the next level.Focused on great classical literature, the books lists for various time periods are well thought out. Are they perfect? No, and the author points out her sadness of leaving out a book she personally liked or even occasionally including one she did not. While we certainly won't read only the books listed here nor will read anywhere close to all of them, I love that she listed foundational works from each time period. Without the knowledge of these stories, one is put a tremendous disadvantage. In reality, it's hard to eventually excel in a college literature class or even understand the lyrics to some Leonard Cohen songs (Bible stories, Robert Frost) or enjoy a Monty Python movie (Dickens, King Arthur, Wordsworth, Grimm, etc.), for example, without having read classic children's literature. The only fault I suppose one could find is that the works listed are decidedly Euro-centric and Western - the book fails to give an overview of foundational global texts. However, the author points this out (as does the title honestly) and it is easy to add in foundational global works if one wishes (ex. Anansi stories, the Mahabharata, or the Popol Vu) in either an abridged or graphic novel form for younger students.This book not only lays out several methods (from relaxed to more scholarly) of studying these classics for both elementary and secondary students. It also suggests several excellent resources (for having book parties or reading instruction) which I had not previously heard of - that information alone was quite valuable. The books list by time period is a useful tool, particularly for when you wish to add more depth and context to the study of history.I now feel confident to tackle books without a guide which will certainly save us a lot of money.While I am using this with my homeschooler, I would find it equally valuable to supplement a public school education. With my older children, who went to public school, I had a 2 for 1 rule - they would choose two books and the third book would be my choice - to make sure they understood the difference between a commercial novel and one that was thoughtful and well-written. My eldest balked at the time but thanked me once in high school and college. This book's ideas for introducing children to great books are much better and give them more choice amongst a lot of excellent options.

First, a quick tip. The book behind _Before Austen Comes Aesop_ in my photo is a secondhand copy of _The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury_ (Schulman), and it contains many of the books Blomquist recommends for the lower grades in the time periods spanning the 20th century, if you want a one-stop-shop type resource. Similarly, you will find many books that have been published in collections such as Classic Starts.I'm a homeschooling parent of a current second grader and kindergarten student. I purchased this as a resource for guiding our literature choices going forward, and to gain a more scholarly perspective to consider for our formal literature study.While I have greatly appreciated other booklist resources such as _Honey for a Child's Heart_ (Hunt), which emphasizes truth, goodness, and beauty with books that are particularly helpful for children's moral and emotional development, and _The Read-Aloud Family_ (Mackenzie), which emphasizes books that showcase particularly delightful language and illustrations, engaging stories, and rich opportunities for discussion, _Before Austen Comes Aesop_ is a unique, exciting resource because:1--the books are organized by time period, which provides perfect can't-miss choices for those who organize their school years by historical periods, such as with many classical curricula, and would like to coordinate literature with the time period being studied to enhance the sense of immersion,2--a variety of ages/grade levels are represented for each time period, which creates an exciting way to review and then build upon one's exposure to the literature of the time if your historical studies are cyclical or to find appropriate choices for each of your students if you are studying the same historical period as a whole family,3--Blomquist's notes on the significance of each choice was intriguing, and the described themes or virtues it could be used to study, besides guiding discussion, could help guide those who don't organize their studies by historical time periods to make choices based on what they ARE wishing to introduce or teach their students about (and the appendices which organize her recommendations by genre will also be appreciated),4--my interest was definitely piqued to check out several books I have never heard of, yet that have made meaningful contributions to literature, simply to further my own personal appreciation and understanding of our literary heritage and expand our personal home library, and5--the study options (aka "Reading Adventures") are simple and easily adaptable, yet thorough, so that studying literature isn't intimidating, complicated, or so weighed down by structure, analysis, and steps that the simple joys of reading are completely sacrificed. You can tell she's an experienced literary guide for students of many age, ability, and interest levels. I LOVE the details such as her comparisons of summary vs. narration, and what literary analysis is and is not, also! She just has a gift to encapsulate and explain years of educational training in an accessible, straight-forward way that has really boosted my confidence that I CAN teach my kids to appreciate and navigate literature without big box curriculum or crazy expensive resources--or if you do want to supplement your child's curriculum-prescribed booklist, you'll know just what to pick and why.If you are a book person, I bet you'd just enjoy reading the lists and book descriptions the way cooks love to read cookbooks, too.Whether for scholarship or pleasure, this is a wonderful resource. I'm thankful to have it, and I will gladly recommend it to friends as an essential resource for literature.