30+ Years of Reading Aloud

Some of the chapter books that I've read aloud over the past thirty odd years to my children.

Elizabeth Shippen Green "The Library" 1905

Reading out loud together fosters warm ties in human relationships. The experience is shared, and then interesting and meaningful conversation ensues. Developing the ability and desire to pursue reading is education. That’s why in English universities you don’t “study history”; you “read history,” …

- Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

For a PDF copy of this newsletter click here.

There are many benefits to reading aloud to our children - intellectual, cultural, educational…but as I look back now over thirty plus years of doing this, it’s the memories of those times of sharing stories together that stand out to me. We’ve shared laughter, excitement, holy moments and tears (mostly mine). Reading aloud didn’t stop at a certain age or stage. I’ve read aloud to non-readers and all through the high school years: books on history, biography, nature, fantasy, culture, adventure stories, classic literature, fairy tales, missionary stories, travel, geography & nineteen of Shakespeare’s plays. Reading aloud fostered the love of certain authors that my children then went on to read for themselves: Rosemary Sutcliff, G.A. Henty, Mollie Hunter, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Gene Stratton Porter, Patricia St. John. Reading aloud classic literature or books that they may not have been inclined to choose for themselves have made these books more accessible to my children & given them a taste for more difficult works.

The books I've listed below were in most cases listened to by everyone present at the time. I haven't included most of the non-fiction titles or specific history books I've read aloud at different times as part of our more structured lessons. If you're curious about any of the titles just drop me a note in the comments and I should be able to give you some idea of the content, suitability & time period. Some of the books below may need a little editing if you have younger children listening. Depending on the book, I sometimes did a quick skim read beforehand. You'll probably notice certain authors cropping up regularly and I've listed books by the same author together.

Some of the books are linked to my older journey & destination blog where I reviewed/wrote about them, if you are interested in knowing more. (My Wordpress journey & destination blog, which some of you would know, isn’t active anymore.) Some of the links are to Blackwell’s Books in the UK. This is where I usually buy new books & is an affiliate link, mostly for the benefit of Aussie readers & others outside of the USA who may have trouble sourcing some books. If I’ve seen the books available cheaper elsewhere I’ve linked to them, but I may not have used the provider so can’t vouch for their service. Titles with an *asterisk means "don't miss it!"

What Would Jesus Do? by Mack Thomas; illustrated by Denis Mortenson (1991) - I’m including this as it’s the first chapter book I remember reading aloud. We bought it when our eldest children were 4 and 2 years of age and we've read it countless times to each of our 7 children so it's just holding together. Out of print now.

'When I'm faced with a fear or a bad attitude, When I want to be angry or worried or rude, When I don't want to serve, and don't want to love- When only MYSELF is what I'm thinking of - Right from the start I will ask in my heart, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?'

The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder - my husband went to the USA on business in 1993 and brought back the boxed set of these books and I started reading them aloud to our two older children who were 5 and 3 years of age.

I read the first five to them and left the other four for them to read themselves when they were older. My 3-year-old used to take one of the books to bed each night to 'read' and he would spend ages looking intently at the simple Garth Williams illustrations scattered through the book. The box has all but disintegrated and the books are just holding together after much use by our seven children:

* Little House in the Big Woods (1932)

* Little House on the Prairie (1935)

On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937)

* Farmer Boy (1933)

The Long Winter (1940)

Little Women (1868) by Louisa May Alcott

The Quiet Little Woman - one of Alcott’s books discovered more recently & published about 20 years ago

The Hidden Treasure of Glaston (1946) by Eleanor M. Jewett - set in England in the early 1100’s

Isaac Newton (1976) by John Hudson Tiner

Johann Kepler

George Frederic Handel

Robert Boyle

George Washington Carver

Michael Faraday (1978) by Charles Ludwig

* Johnny Tremain (1943) by Esther Forbes - classic set during the American Revolutionary War

A Father's Promise (1987) by Donna Lynn Hess - set during the Nazi invasion of Poland

* The House of Sixty Fathers (1956) by Meindert DeJong - based on the author’s actual experience in Japanese occupied China during WWII. Everything I’ve read by this author has been excellent.

* The Wheel on the School (1954) - ‘‘Why do the storks no longer come to the little Dutch fishing village of Shora to nest?’’ Six children in the local school decide to find out why & how to get the storks back again.

Far Out the Long Canal

Along Came a Dog

The Big Goose and the Little White Duck

Sign of the Beaver (1983) by Elizabeth George Speare

* The Witch of Blackbird Pond (1958) 17th Century new England. A wonderful story!

The Bronze Bow (1961) Historical fiction set in Galilee at the time of the Roman occupation

Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. Without books, the development of civilization would have been impossible. They are engines of change…windows on the world and lighthouses erected in the sea of time. They are companions, teachers, magicians, bankers of the treasures of the mind. Books are humanity in print.

-Barbara W. Tuchman

Mystery of the Roman Ransom (1990) by Henry Winterfield

* Treasures of the Snow (1950) by Patricia St. John (I recommend any of this author's books) I’d try looking for secondhand editions as many of her books have been unnecessarily revised.

* Understood Betsy (1916) by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Boy (1984) by Roald Dahl

All of a Kind Family (1951) by Sidney Taylor (as well as others in the series)

Doctor Doolittle (1920) by Hugh Lofting

* In Freedom's Cause (1885) by G A Henty (my husband read the first two of these aloud. Henty was a prolific author of historical fiction set in many different parts of the world - France, Afghanistan, Russia, Scotland & England…). His stories have been criticised as formulaic - young lad gets caught up with some famous man in some famous battle, grows to manhood & ‘wins his spurs’…but the writing is excellent, the settings interesting & my kids really liked them. Books like this helped prepare them for books such as Churchill’s History of the English-Speaking People which can be confusing for those who don’t know much about European history.

Under Drake's Flag

With Wolfe in Canada

Heidi (1880) by Johanna Spyri - try & get an older unabridged edition

The Wind in the Willows (1908) by Kenneth Grahame

* Winnie the Pooh (1926) by A.A. Milne

* Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales (1902 - ?1908)

* Sun on the Stubble (1961) by Colin Thiele (Hilarious. Great for Dads to read aloud)

River Murray Mary (1979) - the Murray River is Australia’s longest river & spans three states. Thiele’s books bring Aussie geography to life. His books are realistic, often poignant. This one is set in the 1920’s.

Storm Boy (1963) - An Australian classic about a boy and a pelican

Young Nick's Head (2001) by Karen Hesse (see here for some historical background on the story)

* Walkabout (1959) by James Vance Marshall (link to my review)

Bush Boys (1990) by John Tierney - there are a few in the series & the others were mostly read by the children on their own. These stories are set in the Australian bush and include quite a bit of know-how on camping and bush skills. It was a while ago, but I think I bought my copies here. Here is the blog where you can view the books. If you scroll down the page you’ll find a free eBook of the Bush Boys which is the first book in the series.

We of the Never Never (1907) by Jeannie Gunn (free online) - a newly married woman goes to live in the Australian Outback in the early 1900’s

All Sail Set (1935) by Armstrong Perry - a boy sails on a maiden voyage around Cape Horn

All About Captain Cook (1960)

Call it Courage (1940) - Mafatu, the son of a Great Chief, is terrified of the sea after it claimed his mother’s life. Scorned as a coward by his people who worship courage, the young boy must conquer his fear of the sea

John of the Sirius (1955) by Doris Chadwick - a fictional story based on the voyage of the First Fleet to Australia in 1787-1788

John of Sydney Cove

The Switherby Pilgrims (1967) by Eleanor Spence (Australian setting, early 1800's)

No one Went to Town (1980) by Phyllis Johnston (Pioneer life in N.Z) Some details here.

* I Can Jump Puddles (1955) by Alan Marshall - an Australian Classic of a boy with polio; early 1900's

The Scottish Chiefs (1809) by Jane Porter

The King's Swift Rider (1998) by Mollie Hunter - Scottish author; the story is based on actual events that occurred during the war of Scottish independence during the time of Robert the Bruce. It's a thrilling book, full of action, heroic deeds and patriotism. It does have a couple of gory moments but it was a gory time! The author has written some excellent historical fiction books set in Scotland which my children read for themselves.

* Vinegar Boy (1970) by Alberta Hawse (link to my review)

Jotham's Journey (2008) by Arnold Ytreeide (I didn't like his other books) A Christmas story

Morning Star of the Reformation (1988) by Andy Thompson (Historical fiction, John Wycliffe)

The Kon Tiki Expedition (1948) by Thor Heyerdahl. A journey by raft across the Pacific Ocean. See the Kon-tiki Museum

Longitude (1995) by Dava Sobel - a means for determining position at sea had been a challenge for nearly two centuries. The solution to the “longitude problem” came from an unknown, self-educated clockmaker, John Harrison, who devoted forty years to the effort. (Linked to the author’s website)

* Moccasin Trail (1952) by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

The Golden Goblet (1961) set in Ancient Egypt

Master Cornhill (1973) Charles II; Great fire of London - McGraw is an excellent author!

* Scout (1996) By Piet Prins - WWII during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. There are about 7 books in the series & feature a boy & his dog. Exciting stories that really appeal to boys aged 7 or 8 & up

* Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop (1952) WW2; suitable for a younger age group but fun for all ages. We all loved this book)

Strange Intruder (1968) by Arthur Catherall

* Phantom Patrol (1940) by A.R. Channel (same author as above writing under another name. My boys LOVED this book)

Caesar's Gallic War (1961) by Olivia Coolidge 

* Banner in the Sky (1988) by James Ramsay

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (1883) by Howard Pyle - linked to free Gutenberg

* Otto of the Silver Hand (1888) - also available at Gutenberg

*Men of Iron (1891) - Gutenberg

* Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan (1942) - a fun read for the whole family set in WWII

Swift Rivers (1932) by Cornelian Meigs - set in Minnesota in the early 1800’s, logging on the Mississippi River

The Princess and Curdie (1883) by George MacDonald

Benjamin West and his Cat Grimalkin (1947) by Marguerite Henry

King of the Wind

Misty of Chincoteague

The White Stallion of Lipizza

Door in the Wall (1949) by Marguerite de Angeli
Thee, Hannah! (1940) a Quaker girl helps a slave escape via the Underground Railway

* Black Fox of Lorne (1956) Viking twins shipwrecked off the coast of Scotland in the 10th Century seek to avenge the murder of their father

* Sarah Whitcher's Story (1994) by Elizabeth Yates - a lovely story for younger children based on a true incident. A little girl wanders away from her home in the woods. After four days of searching she was still missing and only her father believed she was still alive. As the searching came to its close, a stranger arrived having travelled by foot from thirty miles away. He said he'd come to find the child.

‘‘Last night, when I walked into the inn at Plymouth, I heard talk of a lost child. I prayed that she would be found, and when I went to bed I dreamed of finding her.’’

A beautifully told, simple story of a father's unshakeable trust in the Lord. For around ages 6 to 10 years.

Amos Fortune, Free Man (1950) - a fictionalised biography of a young African prince captured by slave traders and taken to America at the age of 15

I, Juan de Pareja (1965) by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino - Juan, a slave to the artist Velasquez, the court painter to Philip IV of Spain in the 17th Century, became an accomplished artist and trusted friend to the great painter

* The Hiding Place (1971) by Corrie Ten Boom - teen years, Holland & Germany during WWII

The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook (1928-1967) by Joyce Lancaster Brisely

The Kidnapped Prince (2000) by Olaudah Equiano - a children’s version of the author’s 1789 autobiography of his life as a slave, how he purchased his freedom and became a leading figure in the early abolition movement.

* The Trumpet of the Swan (1970) by E.B. White

Charlotte's Web (1952)

Church History

A Heart Strangely Warmed (1975) by Louise Vernon - John Wesley (good historical fiction series on Church history for younger age group) If you’re in Australia, Koorong stocks her books.

The King's Book (2007) the printing of the King James Bible, 1611

Ink on his Fingers (1972) Johann Gutenberg

The Man who Laid the Egg (1977) Erasmus

The Beggar's Bible (1974) John Wycliffe

Thunderstorm in the Church (1974) Martin Luther

Key to the Prison (1968) George Fox

The Hawk That Dare not Hunt by Day (1975) by Scott O'Dell - historical fiction based on William Tyndale

* Freckles (1904) by Gene Stratton Porter (A Girl of the Limberlost (1909) is another to look out for; some mature themes in this one but one of her best) Free on Gutenberg

Secret of the Andes (1952) by Ann Nolan Clark

Carry on Mr. Bowditch (1955) by Jean Latham

* The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) by C.S. Lewis

* Prince Caspian (1951)

Adam of the Road (1942) by Elizabeth Janet Gray

Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze (1932) by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis

* Calico Bush (1931) by Rachel Field - an orphaned 13-year-old French girl becomes an indentured servant to a family in an isolated part of Maine in the 1740’s.

* The Little Duke (1854) by Charlotte Yonge

A Piece of the Mountain (1995) by Joyce McPherson

Albrecht Durer (2001)

The Wright Brothers (1991) by Russell Freedman

* William Tell (1991) by Margaret Early - now my grandsons are enjoying this book, too (ages 3 years & up)

* The King's Shadow (1995) by Elizabeth Alder (wonderful book!) - a young Welsh serf has his dreams of becoming a storyteller shattered after an attack which left him orphaned and unable to speak

Island of the Blue Dolphins (1960) by Scott O'Dell

Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan - I’ve read a couple of very good, illustrated editions aloud that were true to the original story & also an old version from about 1910. This is a newer version that is just lovely. My 3- & 6-year-old grandsons loved it:

Just David (1916) by Eleanor H. Porter

String, Straightedge and Shadow (1965) by Julia E. Diggins

Bethlehem Books are a good source of historical fiction & I’ve found their age recommendations to be a good guide:

Madeleine Takes Command (1946) by Ethel C. Brill - based on fact, this is a stirring tale of a 14-year-old French Canadian girl who is left in charge of her younger brothers in her parent's absence. When their settlement is threatened by the Iroquois she takes charge.

* Andries (1942) by Hilda van Stockum (great for younger children but we all loved it)

The Mitchell's: Five for Victory (1945)

* The Winged Watchman (1962) - excellent, memorable WWII story. Highly recommended!

* Enemy Brothers (1943) by Constance Savery - excellent, WWII, Highly recommended!

Reb and the Rebcoats (1961) - Savery’s books deal with issues of trust & forgiveness

Augustine Came to Kent (1963) by Barbara Willard - This book commences in 585 A.D. with the story of Pope Gregory the Great passing through Rome, and seeing some fair-haired slaves being sold in the market place finds out they are 'Angles.' In 597 A.D. he sends the man who would later be known as St. Augustine of Canterbury to take the Christian faith to the land of the Angles (England).

If All the Swords in England (1961) the story of the events surrounding the life and death of Thomas Becket from 1164-1170 A.D. The narrative is told through the eyes of twins Simon and Edmund, one in the service of the King and the other in the service of Thomas Becket, when he was chancellor and afterwards when he was the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Son of Charlemagne (1997) - ‘The work Charlemagne began was nothing short of the founding of the Holy Roman Empire - the re-forging of a Roman Empire in the West, in alliance with the church.’ I read this book aloud years ago and thought it was an unusual look at Charlemagne. The story is told through the eyes of his son Carl and allows us to see the King as a son might, with love and candour.

Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal (1957) by Robert Reilly

Herodotus and the Road to History (2009) by Jeanne Bendick

Galen and the Gateway to Medicine (2002)

Archimedes and the Door of Science (1962)

Along Came Galileo (1999)

Boyhood and Beyond (2004) by Bob Shultz - nonfiction books about responsibility & growth in character I read aloud to my sons

Created for Work (2006)

The Magna Carta (1956) by James Daugherty

The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1951) by Richard L. Neuberger

Genghis Khan and the Mongol Hordes (1954) by Harold Lamb

* The Children's Homer (1918) by Padraic Colum

Ancient Rome: How it Affects you Today (1995) by Richard J. Maybury

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? (1989)

Dr Jenner and the Speckled Monster (2002) by Albert Marrin - the search for the smallpox vaccine

Victory on the Walls (2005) by Frieda Clark - a fictional book set in in 445 BC during the time of Nehemiah. I’ve linked to a sample of the book

Beorn the Proud (1961) by Madeleine Pollard - Ness, a young Christian girl in Ireland is taken captive in a Viking raid by Beorn, a young man on his first raiding trip around middle of 800 A.D. and is taken back to his homeland in Denmark.

She told him of the first Christmas and the coming of the Baby in the stable, while the star blazed in the East and the angels sang above the cowering shepherds on the frosty hill.

Beorn banged his bare brown knees and shouted with laughter, to think that a King should come so low and still hope to keep his subjects.

"But He has," Ness said, offended. "That was eight hundred years ago, and He is still our King. Can you tell me a Viking chief who has reigned eight hundred years?"

Beorn looked at her and was silent...

* God's Smuggler (1964) by Brother Andrew - the true, adventurous story of the man who smuggled Bibles into Communist Europe

Midshipman Quinn (1991) by Showell Styles

Flint's Island (1972) by Leonard Wibberley

* Little Britches (1950) by Ralph Moody - the first in a series of books listed below:

* Man of the Family (1951)

Shaking the Nickel Bush (1962)

The Fields of Home (1953)

Mary Emma and Company (1961)

The Home Ranch (1956)

The Dry Divide (1963)

Horse of a Different Color (1968)

The Story of Beethoven (1957) by Helen L. Kaufman - a good biography for ages of about 5 years & up

The Story of Mozart (1955)

The Swiss Family Robinson (1812) by Johann Wyss

It's a Jungle Out There! (1995) & others by Ron Snell - very funny stories about the author’s childhood in the Amazon jungle; great books to read with teenaged boys

Life is a Jungle!

Jungle Calls

The Eagle of the Ninth (1954) by Rosemary Sutcliff, the first book in a trilogy. An excellent author; most of her books I've given to my children to read on their own

Viking Tales (1963) by Clive Bulla

My Side of the Mountain (1959) by Jean Craighead George

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (1971) by Robert C. O'Brien

* The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1962) by Joan Aiken - a tense adventure/fantasy set in an alternative England where wolves ravage the country and two orphans fall into the hands of a cruel governess

Franz Shubert and his Merry Friends (1939) by Wheeler & Deucher

Joseph Haydn

Handel

Animal Farm (1945) by George Orwell

The Fallacy Detective (2009) by N & H Bluedorn - recognising bad reasoning

* The House I Left Behind (2012) by Daniel Shayesteh (Islam, Iran) - a unique insight into the life of a practicing Muslim through the lens of a man raised in an Iranian (Persian) culture dominated by fundamentalist Islam. Suited to older kids but my 7-year-old at the time listened in so I did some editing on the fly. A very moving account.

The Arrow Over the Door (1998) by Joseph Bruchac

Linea in Monet's Garden (1985) by Bjork & Anderson - well illustrated book about Claude Monet

Vendela in Venice (1999) by Bjork & Eriksson

Incident at Hawk's Hill (1971) by Allan W. Eckert

The Landing of the Pilgrims (1950) by James Daugherty

Naya Nuki (1983) by Kenneth Thomasma

In Grandma's Attic (1974) by Arleta Richardson

Peter Pan (1911) by J.M. Barrie

How to be Your Own Selfish Pig (1982) by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

Mr. Popper's Penguins (1938) by Richard and Florence Atwater

* The Matchlock Gun (1941) by Walter D. Edmonds

Albert Einstein (1961) by Marie Hammontree

Thomas A. Edison (1947) by Sue Guthridge

Anna and the King of Siam (1944) by Margaret Langdon - based on a true account of a young English widow and her influence on Thai history

Number the Stars (1989) by Lois Lowry

Huguenot Garden (1995) by Douglas M. Jones

The Snow Goose (1941) by Paul Gallico - a beautiful but sad story with a climax at the Battle of Dunkirk

The Small Miracle (1951) - set in post-war Assisi, a young boy’s love for his beloved ill donkey takes him on a trek to Rome hoping for a miracle from Saint Francis

Seven Daughters and Seven Sons (1982) by Barbara Cohen & Bahija Lovejoy - an Arabic fairy tale about a girl who disguises herself as a boy and travels to a distant city to make her fortune. A little editing may be required if younger children are listening in.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) by Mark Twain

Seabird (1948) by Holling C. Holling

Pagoo (1957)

Tree in the Trail (1942)

Paddle to the Sea (1941)

The Birds, Our Teachers (1999) by John Stott - Stott calls his work ‘an introduction to the science of orni-theology,’ & combines information about birds with biblical truths and personal anecdotes

* Warrigal the Warrior (1948) by C. K. Thompson - nature story about the Australian dingo

Thunderbolt the Falcon (1954) - the story of a peregrine falcon set in Australia, with history and the sport of falconry woven into the tale.

* Karrawingi the Emu (1946) by Leslie Rees - for a younger audience than the two above

* A Fortunate Life (1981) by A.B. Facey - an autobiographical account set during WW1 & the Great Depression. An Australian classic

My Family & Other Animals (1956) by Gerald Durrell - for the teen years; autobiographical; the author’s childhood on the Island of Corfu; natural history

All Creatures Great and Small & other memoirs (from 1972 onwards) by James Herriot about the practice of veterinary science in the post WW2 years. I had so much fun reading this series of books aloud over a couple of years; hilarious, touching & just ideal for the teen years. Website with summaries of his books & timeline of his life.

* The Story of the Other Wise Man (1895) by Henry van Dyke - linked to my review & where you can access the book for free

A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens

Hard Times (1854) - one of Dickens’ shorter novels at just over 300 pages

The Hobbit (1937) by J.R. Tolkien

Beowulf - an Old English epic poem; translated by Seamus Heaney, 1999.

Sourcing Books

New books are quite expensive in Australia, but I’ve picked up a lot of my books secondhand over many years & many of them are now out of print. If I want a new book I generally buy from Blackwell’s in the UK as they have free postage & their prices often cheaper than bookshops here. I fell in love with their shop in Oxford when I was there in 2019. I also occasionally use Amazon.

Koorong Books in Australia have sales a few times a year and I wait for those if I want anything there.

Living Book Press has reprinted many Australian titles & books recommended by AmblesideOnline that were very hard/expensive to get here. They have a $10 shipping fee no matter how large your order & provide some free eBooks.

Reformers Bookshop - I’ve never actually purchased anything from them, but their postage is very reasonable & it looks like they are stocking quite a few home education resources.

WOB - secondhand books, postage included.

Freedom Publishing Books - I haven’t ordered anything from them, but they stock Bethlehem Books which are a bit hard to find.

There is no Frigate Like a Book

There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away,
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry – 
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll – 
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears a Human soul.

by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)