Although we have become Charlotte Mason (CM) homeschoolers, we are just finishing another 1st grade using Five in a Row (FIAR). There are many commonalities between CM & FIAR, including the use of living books, but the re-reading of material (as required by FIAR) is clearly not CM style. That said, I adore FIAR! At an early stage in our homeschool journey before we found Ambleside Online (AO), we tried FIAR. It is a great curriculum and I especially love it in the early elementary years. As we began this school year with our second child, I excitedly read over the booklist recalling the first time I enjoyed these stories with our eldest. So many wonderful living books, so many great memories…
The list includes more books than needed for the school year to allow for substitutions or additional reading. We’ve enjoyed them all so much, we plan to continue with the rest of the list for our summer reading. And another great benefit is that I’ve been able to find almost all of these books at the library. Jane Claire Lambert, author of FIAR, has cleverly arranged the books to coincide with seasons of the year, which has added immensely to our enjoyment of the books.
FIAR Volume 1
Lentil by Robert McCloskey
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
A Pair of Red Clogs by Masako Matsuno
The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills
Who Owns the Sun? by Stacy Chbosky
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
The Glorious Flight by Alice and Martin Provensen
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman
Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say
Another Celebrated Dancing Bear by Gladys Scheffrin-Falk
Papa Piccolo by Carol Talley
Very Last First Time by Jan Andrews
The Clown of God by Tomie DePaola
Storm in the Night by Mary Stoltz
Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
Night of the Moonjellies by Mark Shasha
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost (with illustrations by Susan Jeffers)
FIAR Volume 2
Three Names by Patricia MacLachlan
Wee Gillis by Munro Leaf
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert
Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco
Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully
They Were Strong and Good by Alice and Robert Lawson
Babar, To Duet or Not to Duet based on characters by DeBrunhoff
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Down, Down the Mountain by Ellis Credle
The Tale of Peter Rabbit written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter
Mr. Gumpy’s Motor Car by John Burningham
All Those Secrets of the World by Jane Yolen
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
The Little Red LIghthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde Swift
Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
Gramma’s Walk by Anna Grossnickle Hines
FIAR Volume 3
Andy and the Circus by Ellis Credle
The Wild Horses of Sweetbriar by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, illustrated by Ted Rand
Henry the Castaway by Mark Taylor
The Finest Horse in Town by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
The Duchess Bakes a Cake by Virginia KahlAndy and the Lion by James Daugherty
Daniel’s Duck by Clyde Robert Bulla
Warm as Wool by Scott Russell Sanders
The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer
Climbing Kansas Mountains by George Shannon
Amber on the Mountain by Tony Johnston
Little Nino’s Pizzeria by Karen Barbour
FIAR Volume 4
The Raft by Jim LaMarche
Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnell
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
The Gullywasher by Joyce Rossi
Arabella by Wendy Orr
Higgins Bend Song and Dance by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Cowboy Charlie by Jeanette Winter
Albert by Donna Jo Napoli
The Hickory Chair by Lisa Rose Fraustino
Hanna’s Cold Winter by Trish Marx
The Hatmaker’s Sign Retold by Candace Fleming
The Pumpkin Runner by Marsha Diane Arnold
Angelo by David Macaulay
These lists are also available at fiveinarow.com.
AO is highly advanced & I felt as if we needed to wait a year before beginning the intense (albeit rich) readings of the Year 1 schedule. And now that we’re finishing up the year with FIAR, I’m so glad we waited! It has been a wonderful year!
So, if you’re interested in FIAR, or you just need a reading list for the summer with your little ones, I highly recommend these books! They’re great “snuggle” books!
We are starting FIAR this fall. I actually was so excited about it that we tried a few weeks of it once my manual came in. I fell in love. I adore CM homeschooling and look forward to AO, but this is an excellent way to wean into it! So fun 🙂
Jes – You’re going to LOVE these stories! We’ve even made some of them annual readers, especially some of the holiday ones. I find myself looking forward to winter months (& I’m a spring/summer girl) just because we get to snuggle next to the fire during reading time.