Reviews
A Literary Education: Adapting Charlotte Mason for Modern Secular Homeschooling by Emily Cook
coysquirrel's review
3.0
I thought this was a pretty decent introduction to homeschooling for the secular crowd. I was extremely excited when I saw that a book had been written specifically about implementing a secular Charlotte Mason approach, as most CM books (as well as homeschooling books in general) tend to have a heavily evangelical bent. However, before you head into this book, be aware that the author is not promoting a purely Charlotte Mason style and would be classified as more “eclectic.” This does not detract from the usefulness of the book, though. I found that this book was quite short and gave a very quick overview of what a homeschool could look like and some tips for teachers. I wish that there had been more content. If a reader finds themselves interested in in this style of schooling, they would need to seek out much more information on the subject or read Charlotte Mason’s own writings. I was also disappointed in the amount of editing errors in the Kindle version of this book. It seems as though a bit more review would have been in order, especially for a book promoting home education.
dedeinzimm's review against another edition
5.0
Recommended reading before purchasing Build Your Library curriculum
Insight into how the author adapted the Charlotte Mason way of education for secular homeschooling her children. I recommend reading before choosing to use the BYL curriculum in your own homeschool. It helps pave the way to understanding how Emily Cook created BYL out of her experience choosing a literary education for her own children.
Insight into how the author adapted the Charlotte Mason way of education for secular homeschooling her children. I recommend reading before choosing to use the BYL curriculum in your own homeschool. It helps pave the way to understanding how Emily Cook created BYL out of her experience choosing a literary education for her own children.
jaraka's review against another edition
4.0
I read and finished an actual, paper book! Go me!
This was a quick and easy read. It’s written very conversationally. I read it because I was hoping for some insight into a more modern and secular Charlotte Mason education. Much of the CM purists focus on parts of her philosophy that I don’t think are the most important, so I wanted another view.
And this book is exactly that. But, it’s also very much an introduction, the basics, a I-don’t-know-much-about-CM book. Absolutely valuable... but not for me. I’ve read too much about CM and homeschooling for this book to offer much new info. Which helped make it a fast read.
This was a quick and easy read. It’s written very conversationally. I read it because I was hoping for some insight into a more modern and secular Charlotte Mason education. Much of the CM purists focus on parts of her philosophy that I don’t think are the most important, so I wanted another view.
And this book is exactly that. But, it’s also very much an introduction, the basics, a I-don’t-know-much-about-CM book. Absolutely valuable... but not for me. I’ve read too much about CM and homeschooling for this book to offer much new info. Which helped make it a fast read.
bookhound36's review against another edition
I discovered Emily via YouTube and wanted to "pick her brain" a little further by perusing her new book. A very approchable and easy to read guide on home education ... while I don't agree with everything she has to say, I still gleaned lots of wonderful information that I'm hoping to implement with my own child!
elsanore's review
4.0
A practical, simplified guide to homeschooling. Read alouds are my favorite part of homeschool, so this approach is right up my alley. After reading this, I feel reassured that I am doing this right and could even relax in some areas I have been stressing over like grammar and writing.