Some parents say: “My kid is not a big reader,” or “I can’t get them to read.” But have you ever thought that the problem may be the books you’re giving them or the ones you read yourself? Some books are not engaging to readers; they don’t speak to you. Only living books talk to you.
Charlotte Mason, a late 20th-century educator from England, believed that children should enjoy what they are reading. According to her, facts and figures should not be crammed into a child’s mind. Instead, they should “embed” naturally into their brain as they read, and that’s why she recommended living books.
What are living books?
If you’ve ever read a book you can’t put down, you understand what a living book is. Whether fiction or nonfiction, a living book is a captivating book that reads like the author is chatting with you. These books are usually written in a narrative style by someone passionate about the topic, and they should draw you (or your children) in. You become so engrossed that you become part of the book and the book part of you.
“Why in the world should we not give children, while they are at school, the sort of books they can live upon; books alive with thought and feeling, and delight in knowledge, instead of the miserable cram-books on which they are starved?”
These are Charlotte Mason’s words. She says living books should ignite your child’s imagination and inspire great ideas. But while living books are not standardized like textbooks, they should not be “dumbed down.” They should be rich in language and have characters full of life.
What are the benefits of living books?
Inspire your children to read and learn
Living books are popular among homeschooling parents because they engage their children and renew their interest in learning. Textbooks, on the other hand, are based on a curriculum, so they are usually formulaic.
Some of the best living books are fairy tales because they teach children character traits and morals through engaging stories. So if your children are no longer interested in textbooks, try introducing them to living books.
Help you create a curated library
Living books are not just for children. You probably know some science, history, or geography facts you didn’t even absorb from a textbook but from a novel or story somewhere.
There are living books on everything from science to space, and this is an excellent opportunity to create a custom library. Find books that everyone in your home wants to read repeatedly. But if you don’t have enough space for physical books, make a curated digital library that everyone can access.
Help to create stronger family bonds
Living books promote a cozy atmosphere in your home. One of the key points about living books is that they should be read-aloud books, and you should encourage your children to read them aloud. But even when read silently, imagine everyone curling up on their favorite sofa with their favorite throw blanket and reading their favorite books at a specified time every day or every week.
This will strengthen your bond as a family because you’re creating something close to a book club.
How do you know a book is a living book?
Living books purists may believe only specific old books qualify as living books, disqualifying others as “twaddle.” Twaddle books are “dumbed down” with easy-to-read sentences without any enrichment. Some have described them as “goody-goody” stories that only offer an emotional experience without enriching the reader.
However, other living books enthusiasts believe these books can differ depending on what your child is interested in or what works for them. To them, it doesn’t matter whether the books are modern, old, or their genre. What matters is that the books shape your child’s interest in the topics they are interested in a way textbooks cannot.
“A book may be long or short, old or new, easy or hard, written by a great man or a lesser man, and yet be the living book which finds its way to the mind of a young reader. The expert is not the person to choose; the children themselves are the experts in this case. ”
– Charlotte Mason
How do you find living books?
One of the easiest ways to find living books is by checking Simply Charlotte Mason (SCM) favorites. SCM is a group of Charlotte Mason enthusiasts who have compiled hundreds of living books. Better yet, they have categorized the books according to age and school subjects with links where to find them.
If you don’t find the books you want on SCM, search for other Charlotte mom sites or groups and see what they have in their online databases.
Another goldmine of living books is older books that are no longer under copyright. You can get thousands of books in places like Gutenberg.org, Heritage History, Internet Archive Library, and more.
Lastly, you can visit your local library. Ensure you sieve out “dumbed down” books because they aren’t enriching. Some good examples of living books include Paddington Bear and Curious George for preschool children, A Little Princess and Charlotte’s Web for elementary, and Rocks in His Head and Germs Makes Me Sick for Science.
Should you do away with textbooks?
Promoting living books doesn’t necessarily mean doing away with textbooks. Textbooks have their time and place.
Of course, living books may not cover every aspect of a topic like textbooks, but they make you feel like you are part of the story, and that’s why they engage you. Happy reading!
