Books Children Love

A lot of parents understand the bankruptcy of the "read-and-regurgitate" educational method in which kids mostly just learn to hate any subject they have to study via textbook. But, almost as many parents aren't sure where to start instead, being unfamiliar with what many call "living books." Living books are usually written by a single author (as opposed to a board of experts) with a particular enthusiasm for his or her subject who passes that excitement to readers through an accessible narrative style.

The 19th-century British educator Charlotte Mason believed living books were the best way to teach children whatever they couldn't learn through simple observation, and so does Elizabeth Wilson, whose Books Children Love provides a great starting place for the uninitiated as well as an excellent resource for more experienced families. Besides a short introduction and a brief note on the book's organization, Wilson hasn't muddied her waters with explanations, instead opting to present hundreds of books in list form.

Each chapter (there are 25) simply contains a list of books grouped by subject. Subjects include history and geography, celebration days and seasons, talking animal stories, crafts and domestic arts, language, poetry, music, nature, etc. Two chapters at the end offer recommendations for parents with special needs kids, as well as supplemental teaching resources. A comprehensive index including authors and titles at the back helps with easy reference.

In every chapter, books are listed alphabetically by author (except in the "Biography" chapter, where books are listed alphabetically by subject). Wilson offers very helpful descriptions of each title, so you can find books particularly suited to your kids and family. Just about every type of book you'd ever want to read can be found here, and all of them are suited to younger readers—you won't find poorly written books or stories with sketchy content here, just books to expand kids' horizons by imparting a love of the subject and a curiosity to know more.

You also won't find books that controvert a Christian worldview. That's not to say every book listed is explicitly Christian, or written by a Christian author; simply that all these books support a Judeo-Christian values system, point kids to virtue, and help them learn more about God and His world by simply showing rather than telling. Wilson is a Christian and understands the need for kids to be given books that will support rather than challenge their faith, and she's done an excellent job assembling appropriate resources.

We offer a fair number of Wilson's chosen titles, though we want to bring in more; those we currently carry are listed below. Whether you intend to give your kids a Charlotte Mason education, or just want to open them to the world of great reading, Books Children Love deserves an honored place on your bookshelf. These aren't your typical recommended books: these are the sorts of books you need to hear about secondhand because you aren't likely to find many of them on your own. We recommend you let Elizabeth Wilson show you.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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129 Items found Print
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Bantam Classics
by Jules Verne, translated by Anthony Bonner
from Bantam Books
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$5.99
Adam of the Road
Puffin Newbery Library
by Elizabeth Gray
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99
Adam of the Road
Puffin Modern Classics
by Elizabeth Gray
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Puffin Classics
by Mark Twain
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop
from Signet Classics
Fairy Tales & Fables for 10th grade-adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$5.95
Aladdin and Other Tales from the Arabian Nights
Puffin Classics
by N.J. Dawood, illustrated by William Harvey
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales for 2nd-6th grade
$7.99
Anne of Green Gables
Anne #1
by L. M. Montgomery
from Bantam Books
Orphan Stories for 5th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Anne of Green Gables
Anne #1
by L. M. Montgomery
Reprint from Puffin Books
Orphan Stories for 5th-9th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Betty Greene
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-7th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
Big Red
by Jim Kjelgaard
from Holiday House
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Black Arrow
Dover Evergreen Classics
by Robert Louis Stevenson
from Dover Publications
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$5.99
Black Beauty
Puffin Classics
by Anna Sewell
from Puffin Books
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Black Stallion
Black Stallion #1
by Walter Farley
from Yearling
Realistic Animal Fiction for 5th-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
Blue Willow
Puffin Newbery Library
by Doris Gates
from Puffin Books
for 4th-7th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Cabin Faced West
by Jean Fritz
from Puffin Books
Historical fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Simon Pulse
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Call of the Wild
Dover Thrift Editions
by Jack London
from Dover Publications
Action/Adventure for 7th-10th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$3.00 $2.00 (1 in stock)
Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-6th grade
1953 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Chronicles of Narnia - Mass-Market Boxed Set
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$55.00
Companion to Narnia
by Paul F. Ford
from HarperCollins
for 5th-10th grade
in Exploring Narnia (Location: LIR-NAR)
$17.99
Courage of Sarah Noble
by Alice Dalgliesh
Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-6th grade
1955 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
Door in the Wall
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1950 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Ellen Tebbits
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.39
Encyclopedia Brown #01
by Donald J. Sobol
from Puffin Books
Mystery for 3rd-7th grade
in Encyclopedia Brown Series (Location: SER-ENC)
$6.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Escape From Warsaw
by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by Irwin Hoffman
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Five Children and It
Puffin Classics
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by H. R. Millar
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Frog and Toad Are Friends
An I Can Read Book Level 2 (Reading with Help)
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1971 Caldecott Honor Book
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99 $3.00 (3 in stock)
Gathering of Days
by Joan Blos
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
1980 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
George Washington's Breakfast
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 1st-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Gladys Aylward
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-7th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
Good Master
Puffin Newbery Library
by Kate Seredy
from Puffin Books
Realistic fiction for 4th-6th grade
1936 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Gulliver's Travels
Puffin Classics
by Jonathan Swift
from Puffin Books
Satire/Social Commentary for 9th-Adult
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales
Puffin Classics
by Hans Christian Andersen
3rd edition from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales for 2nd-6th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Hans Brinker
by Mary Mapes Dodge
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Heidi
Puffin Classics
by Johanna Spyri, translated by Eileen Hall and illustrated by Cecil Leslie
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Helen Keller
by Margaret Davidson
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Helen Keller: The Story of My Life
Signet Classics
by Helen Keller
Reprint from Signet Classics
Autobiography for 7th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.95
Henry Huggins
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
2nd edition from Ballantine Books
Fantasy for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Homer Price
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Humor for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
House at Pooh Corner
by A. A. Milne
from Puffin Books
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
House of Sixty Fathers
by Meindert DeJong & Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
House of Sixty Fathers
by Meindert DeJong & Maurice Sendak
from Inheritance Publications
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$16.95
Hurry Home, Candy
by Meindert DeJong & Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1954 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Iliad
Signet Classics
by Homer (translation by W.H.D. Rouse), Afterword by Adam Nicolson
from Signet Classics
Ancient Literature for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$6.95
Incredible Journey
by Sheila Burnford
from Bantam Books
Animal Stories for 4th-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'Dell
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1961 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'Dell
Anv from Sandpiper Books
Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1961 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Ivanhoe
Signet Classics
by Sir Walter Scott
from Signet Classics
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$5.95
Ivanhoe
Penguin Classics
by Sir Walter Scott, edited by Graham Tulloch
from Penguin Classics
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$12.00
Jane Eyre
Puffin Classics
by Charlotte Bronte
from Puffin Books
Realistic Romantic Fiction for 8th-Adult
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.19
Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte
from Dover Publications
Realistic Romantic Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$6.40
Johnny Tremain
by Esther Forbes
Reprint from Sandpiper Books
Historical Fiction/Adventure for 5th-9th grade
1944 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Jungle Book
Puffin Classics
by Rudyard Kipling
from Puffin Books
Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Just So Stories
Puffin Classics
by Rudyard Kipling
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-6th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Justin Morgan Had a Horse
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade
1946 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$6.39
Kidnapped
Puffin Classics
by Robert Louis Stevenson
from Puffin Books
Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
King's Fifth
by Scott O'Dell
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Lad: A Dog
by Albert Terhune
from Puffin Books
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.99
Landing of the Pilgrims
Landmark Series
by James Daugherty
from Random House
Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$6.99
Light Beyond the Forest
Arthurian Trilogy #2
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Lion to Guard Us
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Chronicles of Narnia Book 2
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Chronicles of Narnia Book 2
by C. S. Lewis, illustrated by Pauline Baynes
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Little Bear's Friend
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Else Minarik & Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.99
Little Women
Puffin Classics
by Louisa May Alcott
from Puffin Books
Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$10.99
Madeline
by Ludwig Bemelmans
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction, Rhyming Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1940 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1942 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Misty of Chincoteague
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade
1948 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$6.39
Mouse Soup
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
by Robert O'Brien; illustrated by Zena Bernstein
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Animal Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
1972 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #1
by Betty MacDonald
from HarperCollins
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Mythology
by Edith Hamilton
from Grand Central Publishing
Mythology for 7th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$10.00
On the Way Home
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
One Bad Thing About Father
I Can Read Book Level 4 (Chapter Book)
by F. N. Monjo
from HarperTrophy
for Grades 1-3
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Out of Darkness
by Russell Freedman
from Clarion Books
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Over Sea, Under Stone
Dark Is Rising Sequence #1
by Susan Cooper
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fantasy for 4th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Over Sea, Under Stone
Dark Is Rising Sequence #1
by Susan Cooper
from Margaret K. McElderry Books
Fantasy for 4th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Ox-Cart Man
by Donald Hall
from Puffin Books
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1980 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Perilous Road
by William O. Steele
from Harcourt
for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster
from Yearling
Satirical Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster
Reissue from Yearling
Satirical Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$19.99
Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster, illustrated by Jules Feiffer, appreciation by Maurice Sendak
from Random House
Satirical Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Prince and the Pauper
Signet Classics
by Mark Twain
from Signet Classics
Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$5.95
Princess and Curdie
Puffin Classics
by George MacDonald
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Princess and Curdie
by George MacDonald
from Canon Press
Fantasy for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$13.95
Rabbit Hill
Puffin Newbery Library
by Robert Lawson
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
1945 Newbery Medal winner
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
Rabbit Hill
Puffin Modern Classics
by Robert Lawson
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
1945 Newbery Medal winner
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Rascal
by Sterling North
from Puffin Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
1964 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Rascal
by Sterling North
from Puffin Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
1964 Newbery Honor Book
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories
Puffin Classics
by Washington Irving
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 5th-9th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Robinson Crusoe
Signet Classics
by Daniel Defoe
from Signet Classics
Realistic Adventure Novel for 8th-Adult
in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
$5.95
Robinson Crusoe (abridged)
Puffin Classics
by Daniel Defoe
from Puffin Books
Realistic Adventure Novel for 6th-12th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.99
Sam the Minuteman
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Nathaniel Benchley & Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlan
30th Anniversary from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
1986 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Secret Garden
Puffin Classics
by Frances Burnett
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Sign of the Beaver
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1984 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Story About Ping
by Marjorie Flack
from Grosset & Dunlap
Animal Realistic for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.99
Story of King Arthur and His Knights
Signet Classics
by Howard Pyle
from Signet Classics
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-9th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$6.95
Story of Thomas Alva Edison
Landmark Series
by Margaret Cousins
from Random House
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
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