Teaching music appreciation and history...HELP!

Does anyone have any suggestions, links, books, whatever that might give me a representative work or selection of works from specific composers? I don't want to just choose random works from the various composers I'm trying to expose my children to, I want to find what is "generally" thought to be the best of that composer or the most representative of their style or genre.

Here is the plan, we will study a composer or two a week. I'll read a short biography, they will color a picture of this person from a Bellerphon coloring book, and during the week we will listen to works by this person. I'm not all that educated when it comes to this and I'd like to learn along with my kids.

Any suggestions?

(no subject)

Were my pictures that bad? That is the first time I've posted pictures of the girls and only gotten one comment! You guys think I spend that long posting pics of my kids for my health? I do it for COMMENTS! Where are the comments?

Heh. Just kidding. Sort of.