Kim,
a Chicago native and creator of the blogsite, 730 Sage Street (https://www.730sagestreet.com/holling-c-holling-books-teach-geography-literature-nature-studies)/,
says, “Holling C. Holling books are like a banana split of books:
literature, geography, history, nature study, travelogue, and all topped with
great illustrations. For homeschoolers, his books can be a spine for many
subjects, or the basis for a unit study. Even if you do nothing else, you
should read [Holling’s books], because your family will enjoy them.”
Kim begins, “We started
with Pagoo, the story of a hermit crab, because we had a bit of a
hermit crab obsession going on. I really didn’t have an idea of how good the
book would be. Pagoo follows the life of a hermit crab from birth
through adulthood in a tide pool. Readers
will learn so much about marine life in this book.
“Similarly, Minn of the Mississippi follows the life of a snapping turtle as she travels down the entire length of the Mississippi River. The book delves into the geology and history of the river as well as the animals that inhabit it. He also explains how humans interact with and have changed the river.”
She continues that the
next three books feature inanimate
objects as the main characters, “which is an interesting change in children’s
literature:” Paddle-to-the-Sea, Seabird,
and .Tree in the Trail.
.One of
her resources is from the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW), Geography Based Writing Lessons. She hails it as a source for writing
assignments. “We were very happy with it; it solidified the skills learned
with IEW Level A, without being boring,” she reports.
Holling’s
books can be a “launchpad for science and nature studies.” They can also revive a world that’s becoming
more distant as we thrash our way into the modern age.
