A child does not have to wait till 4th grade to begin on these books, nor must they begin these by 4th grade if they are still reading through the previous lists and not yet ready to move on. Rather, these books follow the previous lists in difficulty and can, and ought to, be read aloud to very young children even before they are ready to read them for themselves.
American Tall Tales by Adrien Stoutenburg
Beowulf, the Warrior by Ian Serraillier
Best-Loved Poems of the American People selected by Hazel Felleman
Blue Fairy Book and others by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford (Red, Crimson, Pink, Violet, Lilac, Orange, Grey, Yellow, Green, Olive, Brown) RA
Book of Americans by Rosemary and Stephen V. Benet
Book of Virtues by William Bennett
Cautionary Tales for Children by Hilaire Belloc
Child’s History of England by Charles Dickens
Child’s Geography of the World by V. M. Hillyer
Child’s History of Art by V. M. Hillyer
Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson RA
Favorite Poems Old and New by Helen Ferris
Hero Tales by Dave and Neta Jackson
Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Walter Crane RA
John Gilpin’s Ride by William Cowper
Little Bookroom by Eleanor Farjeon
LuLu’s Library and other short story anthologies by Louisa May Alcott
McGuffey’s Second and Third Reader by William McGuffey RA
Moral Compass by William Bennett
My Book House (6, 8, or 12 volumes) edited by Olive Beaupre Miller (Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) RA
Myths of the World by Padraic Colum
Perrault’s Complete Fairy Tales by Charles Perrault RA
Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning, illustrated by Kate Greenaway
Poems of Thomas Bailey Aldrich and others by Thomas Bailey Aldrich
Sketch Book by Washington Irving
Song of Hiawatha and other poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Stories of Great Americans by Edward Eggleston (Vol. 1 and 2)
The Story of the Ancient World, Greeks and others by Christine Miller (based on H. A. Guerber) RA
Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne RA
Treasury of Children’s Literature by Armand Eisen
Up One Pair of Stairs of My Bookhouse by Olive Beaupre Miller RA
Wonder Book by Nathaniel Hawthorne RA
Wonder Clock by Howard Pyle
1000 GOOD BOOKS | USING THE LIST
1-3 PRIMARY | 4-6 ELEMENTARY | 7-9 JUNIOR | 10-12 SENIOR
THE PRIMACY OF SCRIPTURE | ON GOOD BOOKS | PLUNDERING THE EGYPTIANS | THE GREAT BOOKS