Or, “What Great Books Have Taught Us.”
As I’ve mentioned before, we do a lot of reading around here — together, alone, silently, aloud. I think of our books as the main and most important curriculum we use, because reading together does more than just impart a good story. Good books inspire and inform, prick the conscience and confirm the truth. They make us dig and think, laugh and nod, wonder and weep.
With these things in mind, I want to share a few of our favorites, and the fruits we’ve gained from reading these gems:
Charlotte’s Web taught us about kindness, friendship and loyalty. It taught us about how spiders reproduce, about how smart little girls can be, about holding hands, and about the firm but gentle power of an author’s voice.
The Secret Garden taught us about India and England, heather and gorse, psychosomatic illness, loneliness and loss, the magical spell of nature and about how love can make one “come alive” again.
The Chronicles of Narnia taught us about sacrificial love, freedom and selflessness. It taught us about Turkish Delight, greed and lying. And, it taught us about quiet but majestic power, about beauty and deep magic.
Anne of Green Gables taught us about Canada, orphans, late-life parenting, extraordinary characterization, laughter, foreshadowing, having “scope for the imagination,” kindred spirits, and puffed sleeves.
Little Women taught us about the Civil War and patriotic sacrifice, about family loyalty, following dreams, sisterly love, soaring joy and deepest grief, about reading and writing, and growing up.
A Little Princess taught us about how to weave a story, about benevolent strangers and loving friends, a daddy’s devotion, about irony, injustice, perseverance and about strength of character in the face of adversity.
Escape from Warsaw taught us about World War II, hope and trust, seeing the good in people, even those who often stumble, fall and disappoint us, about clinging to family and about never giving up.
Little House on the Prairie taught us about wanderlust, making butter, the pioneer spirit, and the best kind of dog. It taught us about relying on family through the longest of winters, both literal and figurative.
That’s the short list. Learning life lessons from literature is an ongoing event and a much anticipated joy. It’s one of the best, and most enjoyable, ways I know to spend our homeschooling days.