Designed to be used in Amish classrooms, these basal readers are solidly wholesome, with none of the fantasy that is commonplace in both Christian and secular readers. If you are weary of the brashness that is evident in readers with contemporary story lines, you'll find these a refreshing alternative. Here the children are expected to obey their parents, respect their teachers, ask forgiveness when they do what is wrong, and humbly submit to the discipline of those in authority! And they still enjoy life!! Because the Amish don't use electricity, you won't find stories dealing with the latest in videos, computers or TVs. Instead the stories are centered around farm life, with horse auctions, harvests and LARGE families. We have compared these books to several home school basal readers, and have found that they are more challenging in the lower grades and infinitely more interesting. With simple typesetting and a few black-and-white sketches, these hardback books are not splashy, but are lovely in their simplicity. from Timberdoodle.com