Reading Lists · Elementary (K–5)

Kindergarten Reading List

Kindergarten: Bible stories, nursery rhymes and fables read aloud, with simple picture books that build a love of language.

Core

  1. The Bible · Anonymous · grades K–12Bible stories read aloud lay the foundation for everything a classical Christian school teaches.
  2. Psalm 23 · Attributed to David · grades K–12A short psalm of trust in God as shepherd, often memorized by young children.
  3. The Real Mother Goose · Blanche Fisher Wright (illustrator); traditional rhymes · grades K–2Traditional nursery rhymes train the ear for rhythm and rhyme, the first step in the grammar stage.
  4. Aesop's Fables · Aesop · grades K–5Short fables, each ending in a plain moral, begin a child's training in virtue.
  5. A Child's Garden of Verses · Robert Louis Stevenson · grades K–2Stevenson's poems of childhood are made for reading aloud and memorizing.
  6. The Tale of Peter Rabbit · Beatrix Potter · grades K–2A small, beautifully written story about disobedience and its consequences.
  7. Make Way for Ducklings · Robert McCloskey · grades K–2A gentle picture book about a family's care and the kindness of a city.
  8. Caps for Sale · Esphyr Slobodkina · grades K–2A patterned folk-style tale that invites young listeners to join in.
  9. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel · Virginia Lee Burton · grades K–2A story of hard work, faithfulness and an old friend who is not cast aside.

Stretch

For strong readers or extra time.

  • The Little House · Virginia Lee Burton · grades K–2A picture book about change over time, a first taste of history.
  • Winnie-the-Pooh · A. A. Milne · grades K–2Milne's gentle humor rewards reading aloud to the whole family.
  • Little Bear · Else Holmelund Minarik · grades K–2An easy reader of warm family stories for children beginning to read on their own.

The sequence follows the general pattern of classical Christian schools: nursery rhymes, fables, fairy tales and Bible stories in the early grades; myths, Greek, Roman and medieval stories in the logic years; and the Great Books and theology in the rhetoric years. These are suggestions, not any publisher's or school's official list. Core titles are the main reading for the year; Stretch titles suit stronger readers or extra time. Each title sits within the grade range given on its library page; check a work's notes for content parents and teachers may want to know about.