100+ Living Books for Elementary Grades

One of the things that drew me to a Charlotte Mason education was the idea of living books. As an English major, I love literature. I know the power of a good story. I discussed in my post on living books for preschool and kindergarten just what a living book is and how children learn best through stories they can relate to. Today I want to share with you an epic list of living books for elementary grades. These books are often the chapter books that will spark a love for reading in a child.

• Pippi Longstocking
• Matilda
• The BFG
• James and the Giant Peach
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• The Little House series
• Where the Red Fern Grows
• The Indian in the Cupboard
• Mr. Popper’s Penguins
• Stuart Little
• The Trumpet of the Swan
• The Chronicles of Narnia
• My Father’s Dragon
• Charlotte’s Web
• Black Beauty
• The Courage of Sarah Noble
• The Blue Fairy Book
• The Red Fairy Book
• The Burgess Bird Book for Children
• Benjamin Franklin and all books by D’Aulaire
• Paddle to the Sea
• Minn of the Mississippi
• The Handbook of Nature Study
• James Herriot’s Treasury for Children
• The Aesop for Children
• Tales from Shakespeare
• Just So Stories
• Parables from Nature
• Peter Pan
• Pinnochio
• St. George and the Dragon
• The Boxcar Children
• An Island Story
• The Little Duke
• Tree in the Trail
• Seabird
• Understood Betsy
• The Wind in the Willows
• Robin Hood
• Heidi
• Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales
• The Story of Dr. Dolittle

• Mary Poppins
• The Door in the Wall
• Tanglewood Tales
• Pagoo
• The Jungle Book
• The Princess and the Goblin
• A Little Princess
• At the Back of the North Wind
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
• Through the Looking Glass
• Men of Iron
• Caddie Woodlawn
• Sarah Plain and Tall
• The Matchlock Gun
• The Twenty One Balloons
• My Side of the Mountain
• Madam How and Lady Why
• The Storybook of Science
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
• Robinson Crusoe
• Kidnapped
• Paul Revere’s Ride
• Rip Van Winkle
• Black Beauty
• Pollyanna
• The Secret Garden
• The Railway Children
• A Book of Golden Deeds
• Little Britches
• The Borrowers
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM
• The Cricket in Times Square
• Homer Price
• The Great Brain
• Rabbit Hill

• Lions in the Barn
• Boy of the Pyramids
• All of a Kind Family
• Old Yeller
• Shiloh
• The Thanksgiving Story
• The Story of the Pilgrims
• A More Perfect Union
• Bound for Oregon
• Daily Life in a Covered Wagon
• The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
• Among the People series
• The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales
• Because of Winn-Dixie
• King of the Wind
• Holes
• The Wednesday Wars
• The Apple and the Arrow
• Harry Potter Series
• Tuesdays at the Castle series
• The Boats on the River
• Swiss Family Robinson
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
• Five Little Pepper’s and How They Grew
• The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh
• Along Came a Dog
• Five Children and It
• The Cat of Bubastes
• The Green Ember

So, that’s my list of 100+ living books for the elementary grades! There are so many wonderful choices here!

More Living Book Lists

Living books for preschool

Chapter books to read aloud

Read Aloud Activities for Kids