“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 philosophy 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.

Charlotte Mason frequently juxtaposed the concept of living books with another phrase you may hear from many homeschoolers who follow her philosophy: “twaddle.”

On this topic, she critiqued, “I am speaking now of [children’s] lesson-books, which are all too apt to be written in a style of insufferable twaddle, probably because they are written by persons who have never chanced to meet a child. All who know children know that they do not talk twaddle and do not like it, and prefer that which appeals to their understanding.”

Hear, hear.

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

Traditional Charlotte Mason 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 Ms. Mason’s words, we will quickly find this isn’t required. After all, it was she who wrote “The only vital method of education appears that children should read worthy books.”

When looking for worthy books—ones that aren’t twaddle and fluff—you are, of course, left with a smaller number. But even Ms. Mason was known to use and assign contemporary books in her schools. In fact, she made a point of actively seeking out the modern thoughts of the day to infuse her students’ education.

Of course, she preferred tried and true texts, but she was never opposed to new literature. It was Ms. Mason herself, for instance, 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.

This isn’t to say we shouldn’t use classic literature or veer entirely away from such titles, it simply means we must supplement those tales alongside more modern—and still living—stories, because both old and new can surely be considered worthy.

There are several phenomenal resources for living books. Stories of Color was created for this very reason, and you can find thousands of diverse living books in our catalog, as well as hundreds of living book lists on our website. We have also highlighted book lists beyond Stories of Color in our homeschool resource recommendations. Happy reading.

While our allies select the recommended books of the month, our main catalog of diverse living books is voluntarily curated with love by Nicole Cottrell, a biracial, decade-plus, Charlotte Mason homeschooling mom of three. The majority of books featured on Stories of Color have been carefully selected by her. If you’re interested, you can learn all about our curation process and even contribute book suggestions yourself.

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

It’s okay to admit that you may cringe now thinking about books you used in the past. Antiracism is about learning and doing the work to continue improving. Creating and cultivating a racially and ethnically diverse homeschool (and really, home) isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. You will mess up. You will unknowingly make mistakes as you seek to include more stories of color into your children’s education. It’s inevitable.

But learning and committing to doing better is still worthwhile.

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