The Homeschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith. This is the book I wished for when I was first starting to homeschool. Mary gives a balanced view of what it's like to homeschool, describes the different approaches to homeschooling, and gives helpful lists of resources. This is a great first book for homeschoolers.
The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith. In her newest book, Mary explores what unschooling--also known as child-led learning or natural learning--looks like for different families. She demystifies unschooling for the uninitiated. This is the book I'm recommending to folks who wonder about unschooling, wonder how kids can learn without a curriculum or without Mom or Dad giving assignments, or wonder whether unschooling might work for their family.
The Homeschooling Book of Answers by Linda Dobson. Subtitled "The 88 Most Important Questions Answered by Homeschooling's Most Respected Voices," this book is a gold mine of homeschooling information. It is perfect for the beginning homeschooler, curious family members, and anyone else who wonders what homeschooling is all about. Each question ("But what about the prom?" "How much does it cost each year to homeschool?") is answered from a variety of viewpoints by homeschooling parents whose wisdom and experience has earned them the respect of homeschoolers across the nation.
Homeschooling: A Patchwork of Days by Nancy Lande. This is your opportunity to be a fly on the wall for a day each in a number of homeschooling families. A source of ideas for experienced homeschoolers and a good chance for new homeschoolers to get a feel for what a day in their homeschooling life might be like.
The Homeschool Reader edited by Mark and Helen Hegener is a compilation of articles that have appeared in Home Education Magazine. Written by parents in a conversational tone; a warm introduction to homeschooling or an encouraging pick-me-up along the way.
The Relaxed Homeschooler by Mary Hood. This slim volume gives a view of child-led learning from a Christian perspective.
For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. This is an introduction to the educational ideas of Charlotte Mason, a nineteenth-century educator in Great Britain. What I most liked about this book was the implicit challenge to take our kids' spiritual education seriously.
Homeschooling for Excellence by Micki and David Colfax. This is one of the first homeschooling books I read--a classic in the field! The Colfaxes left university careers to raise their family on a homestead in California; their homeschooled sons made the news when one by one they were admitted to Harvard.
How Children Learn, How Children Fail, Learning All the Time, all by John Holt. Holt was an educator advocating school reform in the sixties and seventies; by the eighties he had decided that school reform was unlikely to happen and started Growing Without Schooling. His writings on how children learn are fascinating and encouraging to read. I take his parenting advice with a grain of salt (he never had children of his own), but he was an astute observer of children and he communicates well.
Home Education Magazine is my favorite homeschooling magazine--warm and supportive, inclusive of folks of varied faiths and approaches to homeschooling, inspirational.
(See also my subject area resource lists!)
Games for Math and Games for Reading by Peggy Kaye. Fun, easy to put into practice games for young children (roughly ages 5 to 9).
Trust the Children by Anna Kealoha. A terrific compendium of learning ideas for young children covering all subject areas. I've barely scraped the surface of this one; it's a keeper!
Encouraging the Artist in Your Child by Sally Warner. The subtitle is "101 failure-proof, home-tested projects for kids age 2-10," and that about says it. This book is helpful especially if you feel a bit insecure about your own artistic abilities.
Core Knowledge Series edited by E.D. Hirsch, including Books to Build On. The Core Knowledge Series is made up of books with titles like What Your First Grader Needs to Know; it goes up to sixth grade. I find these helpful as a guideline--ideas for areas to explore together with the kids. I take the titles lightly--I'm not convinced my first grader "needs" to know much of what's in that book. But we pull the books down now and then for a read-aloud, and if the topic sparks an interest, we can go as far with it as we like. Books to Build On is essentially an annotated bibliography correlated with the series. The books recommended are real books, not textbooks, and have been winners with us. I would recommend Books to Build On whether you bother with the other books or not.
Good Stuff by Rebecca Rupp. Subtitled "Learning Tools for All Ages," Good Stuff is full of, well, good stuff. Arranged by subject area, Rupp recommends not just books but magazines, toys, games, equipment, and videos. Enough to make a homeschooler drool on every page.
The Complete Home Learning Source Book, also by Rebecca Rupp, is Good Stuff on steroids. Topping 800 pages, Rupp's newest volume is packed with reviews of books, videos, magazine, catalogs, kits, board games, CD-ROMs, web sites, and more. Entries are broken down by subject area and complete purchase information is provided. A gold mine!
The Home School Source Book by Donn Reed is a quirky compilation of resources and articles--even cartoons--for homeschoolers.