Which textbooks should a homeschool family use?

Textbooks matter for homeschool families because they provide the core curriculum.  Some families use the same textbooks and teaching objectives as the public schools.  This strategy precludes that the curriculum has merit.  I've taught in both public and private schools.  One thing private schools often do is tie the English instruction to History.  In other words, they teach Early American Literature and Early American History, the same general time period.  A good private school does teach History, not Social Studies.  Seton Educational Materials and The Catholic Textbook Project has excellent history textbooks.

My advice is to concentrate on the core curriculum.  I would use a good basal reader.  Open Court has a well earned reputation for fine basal readers. (This post has three complete lists of the books in the Open Court series to make it easier to locate the names when you scour eBay for used copies.) I would look for older copies; the new editions are expensive.  Don't you want an anthology?  The same is true of Math and Science.  Start by grounding your kids in the basics.  Try Saxon Math and Apologia Science.  English, History, Math, and Science.  Done.

What about the other subjects?  Health, Music, Art, Spanish, Keyboarding, PE?  Hold off!  Start with two hours of the basic core subjects every day.  You can always add projects, start piano lessons, join a soccer league, or take part in a Co-op later.  Start with the basics!