CHARLOTTE MASON PRESCHOOL BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

First, I list our favorite preschool, or early years, read alouds! Next, I explain my journey of how I began homeschooling my children. Next, I discuss my favorite method and philosophy of Education.
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Please keep reading to the bottom for some great homeschooling resources!
FAVORITE BIBLES FOR PRESCHOOLERS
A big part of Charlotte Mason was her belief in God. However, I also come across another secular early years CM resource and it can be found here if that suits you better: Wildwood Curriculum.

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- The Jesus Storybook Bible – ABSOLUTELY our favorite Bible for the younger years!!!
- The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible – gorgeous illustrations and more in line with a traditional King James version of the Bible…a nice transition before the real deal for little ones!
- Random House Book of Bible Stories – gorgeous illustrations and more in line with a traditional King James version of the Bible…a nice transition before the real deal for little ones!
- The Wonder Book of Bible Stories – recommended by Ambleside online
FAVORITE GENTLE LEARNING BOARD BOOKS FOR PRESCHOOLERS
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- 1 is One – Beautiful, timeless illustrations and gentle introduction to counting numbers 1 through 20
- Counting with Barefoot Critters – you can’t beat these sweet illustrations and carefully created stories for each number 1 through 12
- Adventures with Barefoot Critters: An ABC Book – the illustrations are incredible and I love how this story includes both ABC’s and the calendar months
- B is for Bear: A Natural Alphabet – a nature-inspired alphabet book
- In a Pumpkin Shell – a beautifully illustrated alphabet book based on mother goose nursery rhymes
- A to Z Picture Book – wonderfully illustrated alphabet book by Gyo Fujikawa
CHARLOTTE MASON PRESCHOOL BOOKS TO PREPARE FOR HOME EDUCATION
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Although I’m no Charlotte Mason expert, I believe these books in the list below, represent Living Books. These books:
- create imaginative play in my children
- contain beautiful stories that my children ask for over and over
- are comprised of beautiful literature and pictures
- inspire good values and
- are passed down from generation to generation


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- Albert – a sweet story about a man overcoming his fears and how nature helped him learn how
- Blueberries for Sal – a sweet story, we just love almost everything from this author
- Corduroy – a sweet story of hope, adventure, and an adorable bear
- Make Way for Ducklings – both kiddos (ages JUST now 4 and 5) LOVE this book
- Miss Rumphius – what a lovely story…I may have shed a tear or two… We have read this one MANY TIMES by request of my kiddos
- One Morning in Maine – I just love everything by this author
- Roxaboxen – what a lovely story about the freedom of childhood and playing in nature
- The story of Ferdinand – a lovely, classic story about self-control and kindness
- The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit – my oldest REALLY loves these stories
- The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter – if you can swing the whole set, this is wonderful and my children love these stories! (The literature is rich, so its a nice preparatory for their future formal school readings)
- The Little Engine that Could – I love this version because of the lovely illustrations
- The Little House – a sweet tale of patience and kindness
- The Little Red Hen – if you can swing for a set from Paul Galdone, I think they are delightful versions of these classic tales
- The Three Bears – if you can swing for a set from Paul Galdone, I think they are delightful versions of these classic tales
- The Three Billy Goats Gruff – if you can swing for a set from Paul Galdone, I think they are delightful versions of these classic tales
- The Velveteen Rabbit – love this original version and illustrations
- The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree – this one has made me cry happy tears each time I have read it aloud to my children
- The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh – I can’t recommend this one enough! My boys love these stories
- Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes – we love this version by Tomie DePaola so I highly recommend it in the early years.
FAVORITE PRESCHOOL/KINDERGARTEN/FIRST GRADE READERS
Finally, here are some suggested wonderful First Readers if you are Preschoolers are beginning to read on their own!
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- Frog and Toad Storybook Treasury – my children BOTH love the stories in this Treasury. It’s going to be a great stepping stone to reading on their own!
- Little Bear – My children LOVE these stories and I’m excited for them to learn read them aloud to me one day!
- Treadwell Primer – these contain the classic stories hopefully your kiddos will grow up with and be inspired to learn how to read
- Treadwell First Reader– these contain the classic stories hopefully your kiddos will grow up with and be inspired to learn how to read
PRESCHOOL YEARS
My greatest joy is spending as much time with my children as possible. Have you read The Five Love Languages? It was recommended to me by a friend to strengthen my marriage, and I highly recommend it! The most important thing, to me, is building a relationship with my family.
CHARLOTTE MASON
Charlotte WHO???
When I first heard about Charlotte Mason, I had NO CLUE who she was. I searched homeschooling styles, and took this quiz and was surprised I scored the highest in a Charlotte Mason education style. Since I had no idea who she was, I did some research! WAY TOO MUCH RESEARCH.
Then, I reached out to the Peaceful Preschool Facebook group I was a part of, and the creator of the group, (and a very experienced homeschool mama) along with other mamas, steered me in the direction of some of my favorite and first Charlotte Mason resources: A Charlotte Mason Companion and For the Children’s Sake.
Have you read these? If not, please do yourself a favor and start reading!
LOVE AT FIRST READ
From the first few pages into A Charlotte Mason Companion, I was IN DEEP! It was like the author, and Charlotte Mason herself was speaking directly to my heart. Since what I was reading made so since much sense to me, I wanted to begin educating my children using the Charlotte Mason method immediately!
CHARLOTTE MASON PRESCHOOL BOOKS
The BEST WAY to learn about a Charlotte Mason Education is to read her volumes. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you begin with Volume 1 Home Education. Really, I recommend the whole set of Charlotte Mason’s volumes since they have SUCH great value to parents, mamas, home educators or anyone caring for children.
Home Education lays the foundation for children ages 0-9 years old therefore it is a perfect starting point for your preschoolers. Charlotte Mason (CM) stresses the importance of forming good habits, points out the value of spending long hours outdoors daily, reading good quality literature through reading aloud, and introduces the concept of the early lessons. She recommended formal education began at age six for the child.
Some of my favorite Charlotte Mason quotes:
- “Never be within doors, when you can rightly be without.” CM Home Education pg. 42
- “In this time of extraordinary pressure, educational and social, perhaps a mother’s first duty to her children is to secure a quiet growing time, a full six years of passive receptive life, the waking part of it spent for the most part in fresh air.” CM Home Education pg. 43
- “An Observant child should be put in the way of Things worth observing.” CM Home Education pg. 69
EARLY YEARS (PRESCHOOL) CURRICULUM RESOURCES
These are MY FAVORITE PRESCHOOL CM RESOURCES and I’m happy to share them with YOU!
- Ambleside Online – Year 0 Explanation and Book List (Children Ages Birth – 6 Years Old)
- Charlotte Mason Help – Preschool and Kindergarten Book List and Schedule (Children Ages Birth – 6 Years Old)
- A Delectable Education – Episode 79 Podcast: The Early Years (Children Ages Birth – 6 Years Old)
- A Charlotte Mason Soiree – Free Charlotte Mason Courses and a wonderful Facebook Community!
- Exploring Nature with Children – A Beautiful and Gentle Introduction to Nature Study that we LOVE! Make sure to click on “Preview” if you click on this link to see a sample of the curriculum!
- Simple Living Mama – plenty of wonderful Charlotte Mason Preschool resources listed on this page! I particularly love her page about developing good habits – and I have it linked at the bottom.
FAVORITE PRESCHOOL BOOKS

Reading has always been a big part of my family culture. My mom would scour countless garage sales for me and bring home boxes of books, much to my delight! I was an early reader and an avid reader and I know this is because my parents and Grammie made it a priority to read aloud to me daily. As I entered middle school, my parent’s built their dream home and created a room dedicated to books…so we had our very own library!!!
Finally, I have used the Early Years Curriculum Resources above, as well as suggested books from the Peaceful Preschool, to hone and curate my very favorite Preschool books. I hope you enjoy this list as much as we do!!! Since we have ALL OF THESE BOOKS, I highly recommend them to you! If you have any questions about a particular book, please let me know because I would love to help!
LIVING BOOKS
Part of Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy was utilizing Living Books. Listen to this wonderful podcast to hear a description of what Living Books are and why you might want to use these. According to Livingbookslibrary.com, Living Books contain, “literary power, rich ideas, are virtuous, inspiring, told in narrative form, span generations, and inspire imagination.”
GENTLE LETTER LEARNING
Also, read about our gentle letter introduction. We are currently slowly and carefully are moving through Exploring Nature with Children in order to provide a gentle introduction to learning.
Finally, here are our favorite Preschool Supplies!
In conclusion, I hope this helps provide a resource to you in your preschool and early homeschooling years. If you are taking on a Charlotte Mason education, what are your favorite resources? I would love to hear from you!
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