“Living books” is a phrase that was originally coined by Charlotte Mason, an educational philosopher who lived until the early 1900s. It remains a term that those who follow her 20 principles continue using to this day.

In describing living books, Ms. Mason wrote: “We do not mean by a book any printed matter in a binding, but a work possessing certain literary qualities able to bring that sensible delight to the reader which belongs to a literary word fitly spoken.” She firmly believed that children “must grow up upon the best… There is never a time when they are unequal to worthy thoughts, well put; inspiring tales, well told.”

May we all seek to give our children the gift of growing up on the best.

A frequent misconception about living books that has grown in popularity has to do with its age.

Traditional living book lists (and let’s be honest—just book lists in general) have led too many educators to believe that only old, “classic” books should be considered living. But in reading Charlotte Mason’s words, the original proponent for living books, we will quickly find this isn’t required. After all, it was she who wrote, “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.”

Over a century since her death, we can only theorize as to what Ms. Mason might say about today’s contemporary works. But assuredly, we can attest that she did not view living books only as those from ages past.

Read our complete perspective on what we believe constitutes a living book.

Nicole Cottrell, a biracial, decade-plus homeschooling mom of three is our founder and curator. We would love to share our complete curation process with you. Learn more about how we curate—and you can help us cultivate—our living book lists.

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Choosing the right books for children can be tough, let alone choosing books that aren’t reinforcing racist thinking or stereotypes.

As you commit to this ongoing effort, we suggest you use 10 practical, repeatable steps to check children’s books for racist or biased content. Read and download a free, printable guide on the topic.

Turn to our help center for the answers and homeschool support you need. If that doesn’t work, you can always contact us, too.