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Stephanie_Q
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I have read a lot here on the forums about FIAR program and have been looking into BFIAR for my boys (3 in December and 4yo last March). Between the library and our bookshelf, we're short 6 books for BFIAR; 6 for Volume 1 and 9 for Volume 2. Some of these are on my wish list, anyway, but when I look ahead to Levels 3 and 4, I don't recognize most of the titles. Our library has no Level 3 books and only 3 of the Level 4 books.
I know this is well ahead of where we are, but I'm curious... For those of you who use the program, do you love all of these titles? If I wasn't using the curriculum but just using this booklist to build our library, would these books stand alone as excellent stories that are beautifully illustrated or were they picked because they filled a void in the curriculum?
One of the reasons I ask this is that I don't think I'd pick out "The Big Green Pocketbook" or "The Little Rabbit" from the BFIAR list on my own...there are definitely other books I'd choose for our home library first.
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Stephanie dh 6.01
dd 6.02, dd 8.03, ds 3.05, ds 12.06 at Catholic school.
dd 12.09 at home.
Baby boy due 10.13
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AndieF
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Well, I'm not going to be much help because I only did BFIAR, and I didn't even really do it in the way that it is outlined in the book. I used the booklist, and would occassionally do an activity out of the book, but most often, it would prompt me into thinking about the book, and MOST picture books in a different way than just the simple read a book once or twice.
I originally bought most of the books (I wouldn't pay over about $10 for an OOP book.) After using them during circle time for a couple of years, I weeded out a couple and sold them, but I still have almost all of the books (as well as a TON of other picture books LOL). I know get most of my books at thrift store. Many are classic, hardcover, OOP books. I almost feel guilty paying 35 cents for it.
I have really enjoyed the books that I have gotten from the booklists, but I think the process would be the same if you went off the lists - You need to find Good Literature, and teaching from it in a Living Books sort of way - incorporating science, math, geometry, religion etc. from it.
Andie, homeschooling mom to dd 9, dd 7, and ds 4.
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Bookswithtea
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I don't regret my scouring for used OOP FIAR books (I don't pay a fortune for them, though). I am almost always amazed at their beauty when I receive them, and I frequently use those books, even when I am not FIARing. One thing though...since you are planning for boys, some of them are very girly and I'd feel free to just skip those entirely. I don't own them all, and I don't miss the ones I don't own.
Oh! And no one in my house likes 3 Names or Babar, to Duet or not to Duet, or Mirette on the High Wire.
Absolute favorites:
Very Last First Time
Duchess Bakes a Cake
Salamander Room
Grandfather's Journey
Mrs. Katz and Tush (which can have a whole Polish JPII theme if you want to do it)
How to Make an Apple Pie
Favorite B4FIAR
Jesse Bear
Caps for Sale
Angus Lost
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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Sarah
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Stephanie
I was so disappointed last year when I read some of the books for FIAR. There are so many better books out there.
I realized it was probably better to use our favorite books in a FIAR style. I blindly took her list last year, sat on Amazon and ordered away! I will never do that again.
I recommend going to the library and previewing the titles first. Or ask here on this forum and get many opinions. There are good ones and then there are ones that did not fit our family at all.
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Six boys ages 16, 14, 11, 7, 5, 2 and one girl age 9
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Stephanie_Q
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Andie & Sarah - I will probably get the BFIAR program (but not all the books) for the benefit that you mentioned of seeing how to teach from great picture books.
Bookswithtea wrote:
...since you are planning for boys, some of them are very girly and I'd feel free to just skip those entirely. I don't own them all, and I don't miss the ones I don't own.
Oh! And no one in my house likes 3 Names or Babar, to Duet or not to Duet, or Mirette on the High Wire.
Absolute favorites:
Very Last First Time
Duchess Bakes a Cake
Salamander Room
Grandfather's Journey
Mrs. Katz and Tush (which can have a whole Polish JPII theme if you want to do it)
How to Make an Apple Pie
Favorite B4FIAR
Jesse Bear
Caps for Sale
Angus Lost
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Thanks, Books! This is what I'm looking for, too. Anyone else have strong opinions on specific FIAR books that just weren't that great...especially if we're talking about a book that is OOP.
Feel free to add your favorites, too...my list might get a little long...I love all the books that we have off the list - or I wouldn't have them! 
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Stephaniedh 6.01
dd 6.02, dd 8.03, ds 3.05, ds 12.06 at Catholic school.
dd 12.09 at home.
Baby boy due 10.13
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Waverley
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AndieF wrote:
but most often, it would prompt me into thinking about the book, and MOST picture books in a different way than just the simple read a book once or twice.
I have really enjoyed the books that I have gotten from the booklists, but I think the process would be the same if you went off the lists - You need to find Good Literature, and teaching from it in a Living Books sort of way - incorporating science, math, geometry, religion etc. from it. |
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I agree. I would recommend buying (or borrowing) the Before FIAR manual and using the books you already have, can get from the library, or can find inexpensively (try Goodwill). After you've used the B4FIAR manual, I believe you will have the hang of it and be able to teach any book you like in a FIAR format. Also check out the homeschool share website. It has lots of ideas for good books and unit studies based on the books.
Good luck.
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Waverley
wife to Dh for 19 years, dd (16), dd (11), dd (8), ds (6), dd (4), dd (9-13-1996)
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Donna Marie
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May I ask then...what would your favorites be that you could tweak ala FIAR? What titles would be worthy of limited shelf space and or make wonderful gifts??
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God love you!
Donna Marie from NJ
hs momma to 9dc!!
Finding Elegant Simplicity
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Sharyn
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I too would recommend trying to get them from the library to try out first. Because it really is an individual thing, what one family loves another will not.
FIAR taught me how to get more out of the books I read to my children and how to really open up when I share books with my children. I am really thankful I started out with it. But once you know how you can use it with your own favourite books.
I did FIAR 1 & 2 together by buying a few I thought we'd like and then I got the rest from the Library and did them in the order they arrived. The problem with doing this is when you are reading a book you can sometimes realise that it might have been good to reread one you just sent back because it ties in somehow or because something the children see, say or do would have made it great to read again.
BFIAR is one of those books that I never seem to use. Out of the ones we have read our favorites were:
Blueberries for Sal
Goodnight Moon
Caps for Sale
Angus Lost
The large majority of BFIAR I couldn't get from the library and wasn't keen to order unseen because my experience showed too that I didn't like all the suggestions.
From FIAR 1 we liked:
A pair of Red Clogs
The Rag Coat
How to make an Apple Pie and See the World
Grandfather's Journey
Katy and the Big Snow
Night of the Moonjellies
didn't like:
Papa Piccolo
Another Celebrated Dancing Bear
the others we either haven't read or were so so.
From FIAR 2 we liked:
Owl Moon
Make way for the Ducklings
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Miss Rumphius
Gramma's walk
quite a few of the rest we haven't read as we couldn't find them at the library either.
I never bothered to get anymore FIAR volumes because the book choices weren't for us.
I use FIAR 1 and 2 for K and I don't get too serious about it.
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antonina31
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Well, we LOVE FIAR! I do not use it in its purest sense. It is rather an add-on to everything else we do, so I am pretty laid back about just using whatever books I can find at our library, Paperback Swap, thrift stores or garage sales. To this day, I have not purchased a single book, although we found a lot of them through our PBS wish list.
Honestly, I have not found any books that I really dislike, and it would be very hard to name favorites. We have done almost all of the books in BFIAR and Vol 1-3 (only missed 8 books total). I splurged and bought Vol. 4 for this year, so we have not studied those books yet. But, we have read five for pleasure (all but four are at our library). In fact, I would say we enjoyed everything we read!
I really do agree that it depends on each family. My advice is not to put out more money than you would for a regular picture book unless this is your core curriculum. Use your library, friends, etc... if you can, and just enjoy it!
Most of the titles are ones we would never have chosen on our own, as well, but I believe we benefitted from reading them all. My children always told me they liked the books, too! This is one of their favorite parts of our days.
Oh, and I do have the Bible Supplement and Cookbook. We use the Bible Supplement with every book. The Cookbook we use once in a while.
I hope that helps a little.
Blessings,
Jenny
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Waverley
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Oops, I certainly didn't mean to imply that I don't love FIAR. I feel very fortunate to have found it. It really helped me get started using literature based learning. We did almost all the books in B4, vol 1 and vol 3.
In addition to the books we studied in B4, the back of the B4 manual is a wealth of information on activities to do with toddlers and early preschool age kids. I still go back to it for ideas when I need to keep a little one engaged in an activity.
Below is a list of our favorite titles. I agree with Sharyn that favorite books differ a lot from kid to kid and family to family. There were several books that 3 of my kids really loved that the other 2 didn't care for.
B4:
Ask Mr. Bear
The Big Green Pocketbook
Blueberries for Sal
Play With Me
Katy No-Pocket
Corduroy
Vol. 1:
The Story About Ping
Madeline
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
Clown of God
Grandfather's Journey
The Rag Coat
Vol. 3:
The Bee Tree
Truman's Aunt Farm
The Duchess Bakes a Cake
Andy and the Lion
The Salamander Room
Hope that helps.
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Waverley
wife to Dh for 19 years, dd (16), dd (11), dd (8), ds (6), dd (4), dd (9-13-1996)
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AndieF
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Here are the books that I have used from the BFIAR list over the years.
* Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by N.W. Carlstrom (I've since added a couple other Jesse Bear books to our library too.)
* The Little Rabbit by Judi Dunn (My kids enjoy the actual photography in this book)
* Ask Mr. Bear by Marjorie Flack (My kids have loved to act this one out or guess who is coming next, etc.)
* Blueberries For Sal by Robert McCloskey (Started a blueberry picking tradition for us!)
* The Big Green Pocketbook by Candice Ransom (A little girly, but you used this as a read ahead before we went on field trip of riding the public buses)
* The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss (I probably would have bought this and The Snowy Day anyway.)
* The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (See above.)
* Play With Me by Marie Hall Ets (Didn't love this book, and ended up giving it away.)
* Prayer for a Child by Rachel Field (Never purchased this book.)
* Angus Lost by Marjorie Flack (My children get a little freaked out about the whole getting lost part, so I didn't read it this year to my preschooler, but I still have it.)
* Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne (It's a little long for a preschooler's attention span, but my kids love it.)
* We're Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen (They love this book.)
* Corduroy by Don Freeman (Again, I probably would have bought this anyway.)
* Caps For Sale: A Tale of a Peddler by Esphr Slobodkina (Love this book. The kids love to act it out.)
We had these before and used them for night time reading instead of BFIAR:
* Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
* The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
I also had a couple of OOP books from a previous booklist version of BFIAR, one was something like Jenny's Summer, but I sold that one. My kids weren't impressed with it. I also sold one called The Red Carpet or something like that. They enjoyed the book, but again, it was a little long.
Andie, homeschooling mom to dd 9, dd 7, and ds 4.
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: FIAR books
