As Robin Wheatley pointed out in her article on homeschooling with literature, many homeschool methods recommend the use of living books. The term "living book," Wheatley says, may have first been used by the nineteenth century educator Charlotte Mason.
Charlotte Mason advocated a classical approach to educating the whole child, incorporating the home environment, the development of good character, the cultivation of living thoughts and ideas, and plenty of time spent outdoors and in free play and handicrafts.
Living books, according to Mason, are narrative stories told by people who care deeply about their subjects. Living books bring stories to life and engage readers' emotions making it easier to remember events, facts, and other information.
How to Find Real Living Books
Any book written by a single author about an area of great interest may fit the description of a living book. The book should tell a story in a narrative or conversational style and should evoke thoughts and emotions about the subject.
The Bookfinder at SimplyCharlotteMason.com allows users to search through hundreds of living book suggestions for a variety of subjects, time periods, and suggested grade levels.
Living Books Curriculum is a whole store devoted to living books, as well as curriculum packages and teaching guides based on Charlotte Mason's methods of living books and life experiences.
Living Books Encourage New Thoughts and Ideas
In the introduction to All Through the Ages: History through Literature Guide (Nothing New Press, 2001), Christine Miller wrote: "Textbooks tell you what the main points of a subject are; in essence, they tell you what to think about that subject. Real books require you to do your own thinking, which is why they provide a superior education."
Living books encourage and invite children to think and feel for themselves. This encouragement for free and creative thinking supports the emotional and mental development focus common among holistic homeschooling approaches.
Charlotte Mason, Gandhi, and former New York Teacher of the Year John Taylor Gatto each advocate a form of holistic education to address a child's body, mind, and soul. Living books support this aim by sharing an author's passion, evoking emotion, and provoking thought.
"Living books," says Robin Wheatley, "will open up new worlds for your children. Rather than just knowing about a subject, they will understand it. It will become part of them in a way that no list of dates or names ever will."
Leave the textbooks on the reference shelf and spend some time with a great story told by someone who really knows about and cares for their subject.
Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
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