List of 100 Living Books – How to Find Great Kid Books

Learn how to find great books for your kids. This article will explain what a living book is and how you as a parent can be confident in the books you are reading to your children.

What is a Living Book?

A living book is a book that draws the reader into the story. This type of book is written in a narrative style. A living book is engaging. It has the ability to make you feel like you are a part of the narrative and illustrations. Living books are high quality books that cause children to use their imagination and be creative.

What is Not a Living Book?

A textbook is a good example of the type of book that isn’t considered a living book. This type of book is dry, boring and full of facts.

Charlotte Mason, a British educator, was passionate about living books. She had a word she used for books that weren’t living. She called them “twaddle.” Books that are boring and “dumbed down” for kids are considered to be twaddle. These types of books don’t encourage children to think, use their imaginations and develop ideas.

Why Should We Read Living Books?

We all want our children to have a quality education. By reading books to our children we are able to achieve this goal. When children read living books they move beyond just memorizing facts and dates but are able to experience true learning. This is achieved by imagining themselves in the pages of the story as well as developing grand ideas for future adventures. This type of reading is great for children and adults alike.

How Do You Find Living Books?

There are two ways that I have found that are best to discover living books.

Read Lots of Books

The first way that I recommend to discover living books is to start reading lots of children’s books. Go to your local library and just start reading. As you read ask yourself some living book questions.

1. Is the narrative interesting? (if it captures your attention it will probably do the same for your kids)
2. Does this book foster creativity and imaginative thinking?
3. Are the illustrations beautiful?

By reading lots of books yourself you will begin to understand and get a feel as to what is a good living book. However, the only downside to this method is that it can be quite time consuming.

Utilize Book Lists

Using already curated book lists are a great tool to help you discover living books. Book lists are a resource that have been put together by mothers and others; those who make these lists have read and researched and are passing on their knowledge of quality living books to others. When I first started trying to find quality books for my kids I utilized book lists frequently. I highly recommend this method.

I have created my own list of living books that I want to share with you. See the list below for 100+ living books that you can read to your children.

Homemaker Made Simple Living Books List

This list is a great way to start reading living books to your kids. With over 100+ titles you are sure to find some great books that your kids will love. My 2 year old and 5 year old love these books. Many of these titles are great for older elementary school age kids as well.

Get Your FREE Printable Book List

Maybe you are just beginning your reading journey and want your kids to fall in love with reading. Check out my article on How to Instill a Love of Reading in Your Children for more tips and suggestions.

Wishing you all the most magical, imaginative and wild reading adventures ever! Comment below and let me know your favorite living books to add to my list!