Living Books
No matter what your homeschooling style, your children (and you!) will benefit from a good dose of twaddle-free literature. Living books can augment any studies, even math! But rich literature can also become the core of our children's learning experiences in history, geography and the natural sciences. So enjoy exploring the many ways to include a literature-rich environment in your teaching toolbox!
A living book definition. The term "living book" was coined by Charlotte Mason in her Original Home Schooling Series: "'Education is the Science of Relations'; that is, that a child has natural relations with a vast number of things and thoughts: so we train him upon physical exercises, nature lore, handicrafts, science and art, and upon many living books, for we know that our business is not to teach him all about anything, but to help him to make valid as many as may be of––'Those first-born affinities 'That fit our new existence to existing things.'"
Twaddle. Perhaps the best way to understand the concept of a "living book" is to understand what it is not: twaddle or dumbed-down, senseless literature devoid of rich meaning, thought and relation. Dry-textbook comes to mind here. Usually such a work is written by adults for children and has been stripped of life, broken into many "digestible" chunks and "tastes" rather like cardboard. Provide your children a steady diet of rich literature. They'll grow to know the difference between "twaddle" and living books for themselves!
Tool of learning. Living books are the sharpening stone for our tools of learning. They are the means by which we accumulate knowledge, exercise logic and, after absorbing and letting the mind chew, apply our newly formed ideas. They can be used as the basis for learning the proper use of the English language; improving our grammar and spelling through copying great passages from the masters. They provide the opportunity to reason through the "why's" of history, engaging in discussions that spotlight God's hand. They are the models that we copy to become excellent writers, learning from the great writers throughout time.
Grist for the mind. Rich literature provides the meat in discussions with our children as they work out the great ideas of life. Yes, this means mom has to read the book, too! This can be done as a read aloud - and discuss as you go. Or mom can pre-read the books and take notes, preparing in advance for any issues that she would like to discuss. What a better way to "train our children in the way they should go?"
Foster a love of learning. Through the process of digesting "living books" our children will learn to love to learn. Reading great books will become a lifelong project. When they need to know something, they won't need to ask an expert, but can become an expert themselves in any area that interests them.
Reading aloud. In the days before television and video games, families read together for entertainment. The entire family was engaged in a story, a shared experience binding all generations. Read-alouds do not have to be a thing of the past! Many homeschoolers are already taking advantage of read-aloud time and share at least one book during the day. Don't forget to include dad!
The greatest Book of all. There is no better Book for providing living ideas, fostering a love of learning, or providing insight into the great ideas of life than the Bible. It is truly THE Living Book!
- "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17
What then should we read? Each family needs to follow the Holy Spirit's leading in selecting quality literature. No booklist will fit every family. Let God's Word be your guide:
- "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." (Philippians 4:8)
Further Reading
- 100 Great Books
"The fact that most of us did not read these in our own educations presents a dilemma. They are considered too hard for regular folks to read without a university professor or some other great mind as a guide, explaining what is meant by it all. But I disagree. I think that anyone that can read and understand the Bible for himself can read and understand any of these books for himself. These books were originally written, for the most part, to be understood by the intelligent layperson of the day, after all. In reading them without a university professor or a guide, you might come to a different conclusion of what you’ve read than the 'experts' might have you draw. That is no loss. Take from them what speaks to your own heart, your own mind. Cherish what rings true, discard what doesn’t. Savor the beauty and poetry of the language, the elegance of thought. Enjoy meeting the minds that have contributed to Western Civilization. Have fun! You can’t ruin it because you aren’t an expert." A 1000 Good Books follow-up reading list from Classical-Homeschooling.org. - 1000 Good Books List
"The criteria we used to judge inclusion are: Does the book have literary value? Does the book re-emphasize a Biblical worldview or the Judeo-Christian heritage in some way? Does the book teach, through whatever means, what is moral or just or true? Does the book encourage to love and good works? Does the book exemplify warmth, tenderness, courage, humor, and other values and characteristics that we desire our children to be exposed to? Does the book nourish the intellect and fire the imagination? Does the book cross age barriers to be enjoyed by all?" A reading list from Classical-Homeschooling.org. - Alphabetized Booklist for All Years
Charlotte Mason reading list for all years from AmblesideOnline.org - Four Approaches to the Study of Ancient Literature
"The purpose of this article is to help Christians to develop their own Biblical approach to evaluating literature. We cannot describe every possible approach, but we will briefly describe three common approaches to the study of classical literature, then we will explain our own distinct approach. Nobody has appointed us judge over what others think or do, but we do have to judge what we ourselves think and do, and others may be able to use our opinions to help them explore the issues themselves." While this article by Harvey Bluedorn specifically addresses ancient literature, the principles can be applied when choosing any literature for your family. - In an English Garden: Book Selection
"Home schoolers have also noticed the value of "real" books, sometimes called whole books and living books. An entire book on one subject affords far more retention than a short paragraph in a textbook. Living books have facts in them just like any textbook would but they also feature people living through ocean exploration, wars, scientific discoveries, etc. When children read about people's lives in a book they tend to care and become connected, then they hang on to the facts far better than they do when they read boring, lifeless entries in other types of books." Article by Catherine Levison detailing the value of "real" books. - Living Books for the Mind and Heart
"A living book has more of the human touch. Usually only one author is writing, sharing his favorite subject with us. We pick up his enthusiasm for his subject as he writes affectionately about what he knows. These books are living in the sense that they are alive with ideas. Ideas give us something to ponder. It is better to ponder than to parrot." A wonderful article by Karen Andreola explaining the why's and how's of using living literature. Includes a few favorite titles. - Literature
"Want to teach your child literature? Then you have a problem!" Douglas Wilson provides six principles to guide us in choosing good literature for our children. - Literature Reading Lists
A twaddle-free Charlotte Mason-type book list from Deborah Taylor-Hough. - Literature to Supplement History
Great literature listed by time period complied by Paula of Paula's Archives.