9 Fantastic Books for Charlotte Mason Homeschool Moms to Read
This post shares 9 Charlotte Mason homeschool books, all of which I have read and re-read multiple times! These are some of the best books for homeschooling moms to read to encourage and inspire them in the Charlotte Mason homeschool philosophy.
It’s been about seven years since I first stumbled across Charlotte Mason’s name in a large, violently purple book on homeschooling. At the time, I knew nothing about her and didn’t understand most of what the book was talking about. However, the more I read and learned about various homeschooling philosophies, the more I was drawn to everything that Charlotte talked about. I loved her emphasis on slow and unhurried childhoods, nature study, and of course – beautiful living books!
After finally reading her original six books myself, I am astounded at the depth of her insights and perception into the nature of children and how they learn. She truly loved children, spent her life studying them, and cared deeply about giving them the best possible education that would honor and respect them as persons. What an example she is – for all of us!
Where to Start: What to Read First
Fair warning: if you are new to Charlotte Mason homeschooling, you might NOT want to begin with her original writings (all of which are fairly dense – not the simplest writing style to read), but if you’re interested in learning more about her ideas OR about how to apply these ideas in your real-life homeschool, I’d highly recommend any of the other books on this list. I’ve read them all and learned something from each of them!
However, if you already have a general idea of where she’s coming from and what her philosophy is, perhaps you will be ready to dive into her own writings! There’s nothing like getting the facts straight from the original source, and I have found that taking the time to slowly work through her books is well worth my time, every time.
Finally, if you aren’t sure if you want to take the time to read an entire book, and you would just like a broader overview of what a Charlotte Mason education looks like, take a peek at my post answering the question “What is Charlotte Mason homeschooling?”
In this post I’ve tried to give just the highlights in a clear and simple way, as well as practical examples of how we actually do this in our daily life, and perhaps that can be a good starting place for you.
Favorite Charlotte Mason Homeschool Books
- Morning Time: a Liturgy of Love by Cindy Rollins (all about using morning time in your homeschool)
- Modern Miss Mason by Leah Boden (practical tips for implementing Charlotte’s ideas in our modern culture)
- In Vital Harmony by Karen Glass (a summary of the main points of a Charlotte Mason education)
- Know and Tell by Karen Glass (all about narration in your homeschool)
- Consider This by Karen Glass (a comparison of Classical education with Charlotte Mason)
- For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
- When Children Love to Learn by Elaine Cooper
- A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola
- Charlotte Mason’s original six-volume series
BONUS: The Angel Orphan by Leah Boden (I have NOT yet read this one, but it is a biography of Charlotte Mason written for children – so fantastic! I can’t wait to get my hands on it and read it with our kids.)
There you have it – plenty of reading inspiration to help you on your way to a better homeschool! I hope these books will be an encouragement and inspiration to you in some way; and please, leave a comment and let me know if I’ve missed any – I’m always on the hunt for more great books to read.
Final Note for Any Super-Bookworms
If you are in need of EVEN MORE homeschooling books to read – or, you just need a break from Charlotte Mason and are looking for something more general to all types of homeschoolers – take a look at this post I wrote with my 12 favorite books for homeschool moms to read.
These books are not specific to a Charlotte Mason philosophy, but are fantastic resources for any homeschool family. I’ve read and loved them all, and I hope you’ll enjoy them also.
Readers are leaders, friends – and that applies to moms, too.
“The question is not – how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education – but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?” ~ Charlotte Mason
