My plea is…that the young people shall learn what history is, what literature is, what life is, from the living books of those who know.
–Charlotte Mason
Few things compare with cuddling on the couch with my children reading a great story. Even my teen enjoys story time. And I enjoy her enjoyment.
Charlotte Mason refers to living books as “the living progeny of living minds.” They are gateways to places, experiences and ideas; they feed both the imagination and the soul.
Here is a list of some of our favorite stories. I will add to it, periodically, but this is a start:
Picture Books
“The Story About Ping” –Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese
“Lentil” –Robert McCloskey
“Five O’clock Charlie” –Marguerite Henry
“Chicken Soup with Rice” –Maurice Sendak
“Where the Wild Things Are” –Maurice Sendak
“Madeline” –Ludwig Bemelmans
“Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel” –Virginia Lee Burton
“Katy and the Big Snow” –Virginia Lee Burton
“Cranberry Thanksgiving” –Wende and Harry Devlin
“Little Bear” –Else Holmelund Minarik
“Horton Hatches the Egg” –Dr. Seuss
“The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins” — Dr. Seuss
“Jumbo” –Rhoda Blumberg
“Make Way for Ducklings” –Robert McCloskey
“Bread and Jam for Frances” (and other Frances stories) –Russell Hoban
“Miss Rumphius” — Barbara Cooney
“The Little Red Hen” –Paul Galdone
“There is an Alligator Under my Bed” –Mercer Mayer
“The Gingerbread Baby” –Jan Brett
“The Mitten” –Jan Brett
All of the tales of Beatrix Potter.
The Complete Adventures of Curious George –Margret & H.A. Rey
The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh –A.A. Milne
Short Stories
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” –James Thurber
“The Night the Bed Fell” –James Thurber
Fairy Tales, Folk Tales and Fables
Danny Kaye’s Around the World Story Book –Danny Kaye
Andersen’s Fairy Tales
Grimm’s Fairy Tales (although some of these are, indeed, grim)
Just So Stories –Rudyard Kipling
Novels
Anything and everything by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Wesley Dennis, including Brighty of the Grand Canyon, Misty of Chincoteague, Justin Morgan Had a Horse, Black Gold.
The Arabian Nights –Rene’ Bull
The Jungle Book –Rudyard Kipling
The Wanderings of Odyseuss and Black Ships Before Troy–Rosemary Sutcliff
The Chronicles of Narnia –C.S. Lewis
The Hobbit –J.R.R. Tolkein
The Lord of the Rings –J.R.R. Tolkein
A Christmas Carol –Charles Dickens
Little Britches –Ralph Moody
Anne of Green Gables –L.M. Montgomery
Treasure Island –Robert Louis Stevenson
Island of the Blue Dolphins –Scott O’Dell
The Witch of Blackbird Pond –Elizabeth George Speare
Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn –Mark Twain
Little Women –Louisa May Alcott
The Penderwicks –Jeanne Birdsall
God’s Smuggler –Brother Andrew (may need some editing for younger audiences)
A book serves the ends of education only as it is vital…having found the right book, let the master give the book the lead and be content himself with second place.
–Charlotte Mason
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