Our Good Books Literature Guides were written by Dr. James S. Taylor, author of the widely acclaimed Poetic Knowledge: The Recovery of Education. Dr. Taylor took his first formal course in Children’s Literature from Dr. Dennis Quinn at the University of Kansas and had many conversations concerning these poems and stories with his colleague, Dr. John Senior. He has taught Children’s Literature at the high school and college levels for nearly two decades.

“What I have to say about the selections in these guides draws from my childhood memories and adult reflections as well as my conversations with Quinn and Senior. None of the age and literature categories used in the Academy Good Books grade list are absolute. Think of the Good Books (grade levels) as notes of music with the freedom to work up and down the scale as you see fit.”

Books included in the Nursery Good Books Guide (54 pages total)

Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
Language of Flowers by Kate Greenaway
Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
Yellow Fairy Book by Andrew Lang