Circle C Stepping Stones

Andi Saddles Up & Andi Under the Big Top

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Set in the wild west of the 1800s, the Circle C Stepping Stones books by Susan K. Marlow are geared toward early elementary age readers. The first two books of the projected six-book set are Andi Saddles Up and Andi Under the Big Top.

The Christian worldview books follow the adventures of nine-year-old Andi, through sweet, wholesome storylines and historical events. These books are easy to incorporate into a homeschool curriculum with the addition of the printable activities offered on the Circle C website. The books themselves even include a glossary of unfamiliar vocabulary.

In Andi Saddles Up, Andi is learning to trick ride with her horse Taffy, and she enjoys spending time with a new friend. However, there is a bit of a turf war going on between the kids’ families, which presents a challenge to the friendship. Important life lessons are interwoven throughout the story, and young readers can extend their time with Andi well off the page by exploring the many aspects of the book. The author includes a ‘History Fun’ lesson at the end, all about the sheep and cattle wars of the late 1800s.

The circus comes to town in Andi Under the Big Top, and another new friend is introduced as Andi meets a young boy who works for the circus. The boys turns out to be a runaway, and Andi sets out to help him. This book, like the first, also has a ‘History Fun’ section, that delves into the history of the circus. I highly recommend the printable resources that accompany this book on the Circle C website to extend the lessons of this book even further and serve as a month-long language arts unit study.

Especially if you enjoy incorporating ‘real’ literature into your lessons rather than textbooks, this series will provide hours of quality content for language arts and history lessons. But, regardless of whether you homeschool, these books offer valuable, character building entertainment for kids in the early grades.

The publisher provided advance review copies of Circle C Stepping Stones.