Mandy Davis, M.Ed., ran a school as its principal before she started teaching her own children at home, and The Homeschool Bible reads like advice from someone who has stood on both sides of the classroom door. It is practical from the first page. Approaches like unschooling and Charlotte Mason are laid out side by side, each with its strengths, its challenges and the books to read next, so you can choose a path with your eyes open.

Fourteen chapters take on the questions that actually come up: whether homeschooling is right for your family, the legal steps, choosing an educational philosophy, designing your own curriculum, becoming the teacher without pretending to be one, daily rhythms, building a social circle, special education, tracking progress and planning the transitions all the way to high school graduation. A glossary of homeschooling terms closes it out, so the jargon never stands between you and a decision.

The tone is calm and encouraging throughout, aimed at helping you build a home school that fits the children in front of you rather than a copy of a classroom. In a 272 page hardcover wrapped in a lush floral cover, it is the book to keep on the counter for yourself and the one to hand the friend who just said she is thinking about homeschooling.

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