Today’s topic is family stories: books that feature good, wholesome family relations.
To keep things as simple as possible, I divide the books into four ages ranges: preschool to early elementary; elementary; middle years (roughly 5th-8th grades); and teens. Keep in mind that many harder books can be read aloud to younger children and that older ones can still enjoy and get a lot out of easier books.
Family Stories
Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women, Eight Cousins, et.al. So many family books here. Middle years.
Birdsall, Jeanne. The Penderwicks (series). They have some issues but we love the Penderwicks. Middle years.
Carlson, Natalie Savage. The Family Under the Bridge. Set in Paris. Elementary-middle years.
Caudill, Rebecca. Fairchild Family (series). The first book in the series is Happy Little Family which says it all. Elementary.
Enright, Elizabeth. The Melendy Quartet (series). A fun series. Elementary-middle.
Estes, Eleanor. The Moffats (series). My daughter liked these. Elementary-middle years.
Horvath, Polly. The Pepins and Their Problems. We have really liked Horvath’s books. This one is pretty silly. Elementary-middle.
Langton, Jane. Hall Family Chronicles (series). She writes adult mysteries too. Middle years.
Nesbit, E. The Railway Children. I love Nesbit. This one is a don’t miss. Elementary-middle years.
Norton, Mary. The Borrowers (series). Tiny people. Middle years.
Peterson, John. The Littles (series). More tiny people. Elementary.
Ransome, Arthur. Swallows and Amazons (series). The parents don’t play a large role but the series is very good. Middle years.
Rylant, Cynthia. The Lighthouse Family (series). Rylant is prolific and I don’t like all her books but this series is good. It is an easy chapter book level. The Cobble Street Cousins series by her is also not bad and the same level. Elementary.
Sidney, Margaret. Five Little Peppers (series). An older series. Middle years.
Taylor, Sidney. All-of-a-Kind Family (series). The good family series par excellence. Elementary-middle years.
Warner, Gertrude. The Boxcar Children (series). Classic mysteries. Choose the earliest books only. Elementary-middle years.
Waugh, Sylvia. The Mennyms. Middle years.
White, E.B. Stuart Little. A good family with one mouse child (though it is actually my least favorite of White’s books). Elementary-middle years.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House on the Prairie (series). Elementary-middle years.
Wood, Mary Rose. The Incorrigibles (series). Okay, they are an odd family with some issues but we all adored this series. It is probably our family favorite of all the series/books we have read over the years. Middle years +.
What would you add to this list?
