So far in our Grandma’s Bookbag series, I shared preschool book reviews with you. But, of course, as my grandchildren get older, I move into reading more advanced books to them.
Three of the favorites for the younger readers are from the “An I Can Read Book” series.
The Josefina Story Quilt by Eleanor Coeer (the Amazon’s links are Titus2’s Amazon affiliate link; see our Privacy Policy ) is the top favorite. It tells the story of a little girl traveling with her family to California in a covered wagon in 1850. She takes her hen with her, which makes for many adventures on the trail.
Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner is about a daddy and his three boys who move to Kansas for free land in 1878. It shares the difficulties they experienced and how they managed through them. Because the setting is in Kansas, the state the Maxwells live in, it holds particular interest for us.
The Long Way Westward by Joan Sandin tells of a boy from Sweden arriving in New York on an immigrant ship with his family and then making the trip to Minnesota where they would settle.
All three books give a picture of a child’s life in various parts of America’s past. I read the books aloud to my grandchildren during our reading time, but I first purchased them years ago as readers for my younger homeschooled students.
Trusting in Jesus,
Teri
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a
good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3).
You must be a very loved Grandma! Book reading provides great bonding and relationship time. Don’t kids get so excited over it every time and long for it if it is missed!
Love the Scripture you put with this post. Sharing Colossians 4:2 to go with the call to endure: “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving”.
Thanks for your faithful example, Teri. These times can be challenging for Hod’s people to continue serving and encouraging!
Reading time has been a special part of being a grandma for me. And you are right. The kids are excited about our reading time and are often at the door watching for me to arrive and disappointed the times it doesn’t work out. Great verse. Thank you.
Dear Teri,
Thank you so much for sharing! It is always so difficult to find wholesome reading books!
I think that is a good definition, Anne-Laure – wholesome. I miss the Christian aspect when we read books like these.
We’ve got a ton of these from when I was homeschooled in the 90’s. We love them! One of my 6 yr old’s favorites is Matchlock Gun. We will be reading Wagon Wheels soon!
I just looked the name of that book up and the cover looks familiar so I want to go up to our bookshelves and hunt for it. I am guessing we have it.
Our family appreciates your book recommendations, Mrs. Maxwell! We purchased the book Potato based on your recommendation a while back, and it was such a wonderful selection. It was a very helpful tool for our six-year-old to connect with her grandfather, whose family migrated during the Great Depression. I can’t wait to look into these current recommendations!
I am so glad that you liked the potato book and that it was not just good reading but had a practical, family connection too. It makes me happy when others like what we have read, liked, and recommend because I know that might not always be the case!
I always loved The Josephina story quilt as a girl,over the years I have often wondered what it was called as I had forgotten. Thank you for this! Getting ready to go quilt with my Grandma this weekend! Also there is a prequel to the long way westword that I loved as a girl if I remember right it is called The long way to a new land. Telling the story of what led many people to come to the USA, the hard journey and all of that but from a point of view that a child can understand.
Blessings,
Charisa.
It was good timing to get the name of the quilt book in your mind again. I will look for the book that you mentioned.
The 18 penny goose is another good “I can read” story.
Thank you.
Thank you for sharing these books with us as it is very hard to find good reading material. I always recommend Sarah’s books because they truly are the best series for kids.
Thank you, Shell. I agree about Sarah’s books. You know when she started writing them, she did it because it was so hard for me to find wholesome books with positive role models that I wanted to read to my children.
We get to finally hold our first grandchild this June! My Grandma Book Bag is already started – thanks to your blog posts on this idea over the years.
Congratulations on the soon arrival of your first grandchild. I love it that you have already started your grandma’s book bag!
Thank you for the recommendations. We love Wagon Wheels!
I have never heard of the Josephina Story Quilt; I put it on my list. The other book looks good too.
We have about a half dozen of these historical books, and I enjoy having them.
I added some titles to my list from what others have shared of this series too!
There is another good I can read book which is called Prairie School by Avi. It’s set in the 1880s in Colorado. Noah doesn’t want to do things like reading, but then his Aunt Dora in a wheelchair arrives to stay with his family. While she is there she wants to help him read. He is not very interested in reading because he would rather be outside, but once his aunt shows him that reading means he can find out more about the plants that grow near them, then he wants to read.
Thank you. Sounds like one we would like to read.