Books published by publisher Yesterday's Classics

A guide to discovery of the forces at work in the world of plants. Through germinating seeds and varying their growing conditions, students learn by observation the different ways seeds germinate and young plants respond to moisture and light. Further experiments shed light on the manner of nourishment, respiration, and reproduction. The reader is given plenty to ponder since the text often poses questions without supplying answers. The life stories of the sweet pea, oak, ferns, moss, and mushrooms and an account of some of the forces plants have to contend with in their struggle to survive encourage students to continue to read and interpret their surroundings. An engaging introduction to botany for middle school and beyond.

The wonders of plant and animal life told with rare literary charm by Uncle Paul in conversations with three children. Besides such stories as the ants' subterranean city, the spider's suspension bridge, and the caterpillars' processing, he unlocks the mystery behind thunder and lightning, clouds and rain, the year and its seasons, and volcanoes and earthquakes. Suitable for ages 9 to 12.

Nights were long in Iceland winters of long ago. A whole family sat for hours around the fire in the middle of the room. That fire gave the only light. Shadows flitted in the dark corners. Smoke curled along the high beams of the ceiling. The children sat on the dirt floor close by the fire. The grown people were on a long narrow bench that they had pulled up to the light and warmth. Everybody's hands were busy with wool. As the family worked in the red fire-light, the father told of the kings of Norway, of long voyages to strange lands, of good fights. And in farmhouses all through Iceland these old tales were told over and over until everybody knew them and loved them. Men who could sing and play the harp were called "skalds," and they called their songs "sagas." Eventually these stories were written down on sheepskin or vellum so that we can enjoy them today. We follow the fortunes of Harald from the time he is acknowledged by his father as a baby and given his own thrall at the cutting of his first tooth, through his exploits as a viking adventurer, to his crowning as King of Norway. It is when Harald is King of Norway that population pressures at home and eagerness for adventure and booty from other lands combine to drive some of the bolder Vikings to set forth from their native land. Sailing ever westward across the Atlantic, they hop along the chain of islands that loosely connects Norway with America-Orkneys and Shetlands, Faeroes, Iceland, and Greenland. It is from link to link of this chain that the characters in our story sail in search of home and adventure. Discoveries are made by accident. Ships are driven by the wind into unknown ports, resulting in landings and settlements in Iceland, Greenland, and America. The crude courage of these men and strangeness of their adventures appeal strongly to children, while their love of truth, hardy endurance, and faithfulness to the promised word make them characters to emulate. Suitable for children ages 9 and up to read to themselves and for children as young as 6 as a read-aloud.

Sequel to A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys by master storyteller Nathaniel Hawthorne. Six more Greek myths retold by the fictional Eustace Bright to his enthusiastic throng of young listeners, namely The Minotaur, The Pygmies, The Dragon's Teeth, Circe's Palace, The Pomegranate Seeds, and The Golden Fleece. Attractively illustrated by Willy Pogany. Suitable for ages 9 and up.

Stories of the heroes of ancient Greece, told in fine poetic prose. Includes accounts of Perseus who slew Medusa the Gorgon, Jason who sought the Golden Fleece, and Theseus who slew the Minotaur. By preserving the Greek spirit in the retelling of these myths, Kingsley gives us plain strength and seriousness, courage, steadfastness, and beauty. Dozens of attractive illustrations by T. H. Robinson enliven the text. Suitable for ages 9 and up.

This Yesterday's Classics edition is a complete reproduction and updating of the 1905 edition by Ednah Anne Rich. While the text remains faithful to the original, the models have been remastered to be more useful to the student and the teacher. Each project consists of a newly-redrawn model along with its accompanying directions. Great care has been given to the readability of the directions, particularly the numbers, both in the text and the diagrams. The book contains models for the first, second, and third year, along with supplementary models for the advanced student. Miss Rich's extremely helpful introduction to the book has been retained, which covers not only the pedagogical foundations for paper sloyd, and the necessary equipment and materials, but also offers guidance to the less-experienced teacher. Sloyd, which originated in Sweden and then grew popular throughout the world in the late 1800's and early 1900's, has been defined as "tool work so arranged and employed as to stimulate and promote vigorous, intelligent self-activity for a purpose, which the worker recognizes as good." The construction of a concrete product, as a result of careful measurement, attention to detail, and the close reading of instructions has been shown to be important for a child's intellectual development. In the completion of projects and progression through the years, a student will be gradually introduced to mathematical and geometric concepts and will be able to see the relation between a three-dimensional object and its corresponding two-dimensional pattern. Each project builds on the ones that came before, so the student moves from the known to the unknown, the simple to the more complex, and the concrete to the abstract.Paper sloyd has the benefit of using easily accessible and inexpensive tools and materials, many of which can already be found in the home. The projects are simple, but designed to be useful and attractive to both the child and the family. And each project is completed entirely by the child, which generates a sense of pride and ownership. Sloyd was practiced in Charlotte Mason schools in the first three elementary grades, and remains a part of the national educational curriculum in several Scandinavian countries to this day. "Observation is quickened; eyes are trained to see right lines and distances, thus aiding in free-hand drawing and writing; while the hand and wrist muscles, being used for a definite purpose, unconsciously become obedient assistants. Paper sloyd rightly presented justifies itself. " (Paper Sloyd for Primary Grades, p.1.)