885 ratings (3.68 avg)
700 reviews

Amber

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Amber’s Bookshelves

to-read‎ (1148)
currently-reading‎ (65)

read‎ (878)
loved-books‎ (98)

to-read-with-yaya‎ (26)
heart-warming-children-s-books‎ (6)

to-read-with-pb‎ (1)

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Amber is Currently Reading

Amber is currently reading

My Second Nature Reader

by Jenny Phillips (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Dec 13, 2025 09:23AM

Amber is currently reading

The Good and the Beautiful History Year 1 Course Book

by Jenny Phillips (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

read in April 2025

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Amber said: " update for the 2025 release:
I absolutely LOVE the changes made. My kids are little, so i appreciate that the information focuses on goodness and positive influences during hard times. However, I equally appreciate that Rhett acknowledged poor choices update for the 2025 release:
I absolutely LOVE the changes made. My kids are little, so i appreciate that the information focuses on goodness and positive influences during hard times. However, I equally appreciate that Rhett acknowledged poor choices and wrong doings since my oldest is able to understand that her heroes aren't perfect people. They also made an effort to include multiple perspectives, which is an important part of understanding historical narratives.
I love the diversity added to the book, the sticker timeline, the review cards (much better than memorizing random information), and the activity books. As a mom of three girls, i love that they made a strong effort to include more women (particularly women of diverse backgrounds) and celebrated their triumphs. They clearly took customer feedback very seriously.
I absolutely love the colonial/revolutionary Era lessons. Even though I've read a lot about American history, this was the first time I felt in awe of George Washington and his wise (and clever) leadership, the determination and faith of those who followed him into battle despite all odds, and God's hand in the creation of our country. It restored some patriotic pride I'd lost over the last few years.
Even though we could have easily finished out our old curriculum and been just fine, I'm glad we updated because I'm very pleased to have this history curriculum in my bookshelf for future use.

my review is for the older version, not the 2025 release
I tried several history books before landing on this one. I love the open-and-go layout that made it easy for me start a lesson without much effort. My kids loved the audio (I personally didn't, but I can't complain about anything that keeps my kids' interest). I love the accompanying storybook.

I did not love:
-the lack of diversity
-very dry text
-black and white pictures
-the memory game (we used it twice)
-lack of activities relating to the time period

However! I love that the company listened to feedback from users, and we're VERY happy with the updated version that addresses these problems.
I still think this deserves 4 stars because I tried several history books that had worse problems or were very prep-heavy. Even Scholastic left me disappointed. I was able to compensate because we lived in an area with ample museums and historians we could talk to, but a solid history curriculum is extremely important in our current location due to the lack of resources and museums in our area. ...more "

Sep 29, 2025 01:06PM · see review

Amber is currently reading

The Big Book of History Stories (Year 1)

by Jenny Phillips (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

read in April 2025

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Amber said: " I love the updated version of the stories for many of the same reasons I love the updated curriculum. however, some felt published in haste. The story about the Singing Revolution, for example. The illustrations aren't well done, the story isn't well ...more "

Oct 02, 2025 02:05AM · see review

See all 65 books that Amber is reading…

Amber’s Quotes

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

tags: frost, glitter, gold, lost, poetry, roots, strength, strong, wander, wither

58029 likes

“Somehow forgiveness, with love and tolerance, accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way.”
― Gordon B. Hinckley

6 likes

“Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
― Walt Disney Company

tags: creativity, curiosity, inspirational

1514 likes