A Christian Classical School Reading List: Grades 1-3

There are hundreds of thousands of books written for children. The challenge is discerning what is best for them to read, given so many options. I’m a sucker for good reading lists, so I’m grateful for the folks at Calvary Classical School—a classical Christian school in Hampton, VA—who has given me permission to reproduce this list below. The classical school where our kids go provides a similar list, and it’s enormously helpful.

So far I’ve been able to provide links for the grades 1-3 lists. Lord willing, and time permitting, I will provide the other lists (up to 8th grade) in future posts.

For outside reading, the books divided into three levels. Books with a “+” denote that any title in that series would be acceptable.

I’ve done my best to link to the paperback or cheapest version at Amazon. I hope this proves helpful for a lot of parents and teachers!

First Grade Reading List

Read aloud by teacher in class:

Leaf, Munro. How to Behave and Why

Leaf, Munro. How to Speak Politely and Why

Lloyd-Jones, Sally. The Jesus Storybook Bible

Taylor, Helen. Little Pilgrim’s Progress

Leithart, Peter. Wise Words: Family Stories that Bring the Proverbs to Life

Brown, Jeff. Flat Stanley

Dalgliesh, Alice. The Courage of Sarah Noble

Silverstein, Shel. A Light in the Attic

Outside Reading

Level 1

Bulla, Clyde. Daniel’s Duck

Changler, Edna. Cowboy Sam +

Frasconi, Antonio. The House that Jack Built

Graham, Margaret. Benjy’s Dog House +

Hoff, Syd. Sammy the Seal

Hoff, Syd. Danny and the Dinosaur+

Krauss, Ruth. The Carrot Seed

Lionni, Leo. Inch by Inch

Littledale, Freya. The Magic Fish

Lobel, Arnold. Frog and Toad Are Friends +

Offen, Hilda. A Treasury of Mother Goose

Seuss, Dr. Beginner Books +

Seuss, Dr. Bright and Early Books +

Tabak, Simms. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

Wood, Audrey. Quick as a Cricket

Level 2

Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar +

Davoll, Barbara. The Potluck Supper +

Daugherty, James. Andy and the Lion

Duvoisin, Roger. Petunia

Flack, Marjorie. Angus and the Ducks

Freeman, Don. Corduroy +

Galdone, Paul. The Little Red Hen

Galdone, Paul. The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Hoban, Russell. Bedtime for Frances +

Hunt, Angela. A Gift for Grandpa

Keats, Ezra. Peter’s Chair

Marshall, James. George and Martha +

McGovern, Ann. Stone Soup

Minarik, Else. Little Bear +

Numeroff, Laura. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie+

Parish, Peggy. Amelia Bedelia +

Rey, Margaret & H.A. Curious George +

Richardson, Arleta. A Day at the Fair

Sharmat, Marjorie. Nate the Great +

Zion, Gene. Harry the Dirty Dog +

Level 3

Buckley, Helen. Grandmother and I

Burton, Virginia. Maybelle the Cable Car

Coerr, Eleanor. The Josefina Story Quilt

De Regniers, Beatrice. May I Bring a Friend?

Ets, Marie. Just Me

Gramatky, Hardie. Little Toot +

Hader, Berta. The Big Snow

Keats, Ezra. Whistle for Willie

Lewis, Kim. Floss +

Lowry, Jannette. The Poky Little Puppy

McCloskey, Robert. Make Way for Ducklings

Piper, Watty. The Little Engine that Could

Potter, Beatrix. The Tale of Peter Rabbit +

Sendak, Maurice. Where the Wild Things Are

Turkle, Brinton. Thy Friend, Obadiah +

Ward, Lynd. The Biggest Bear

Wilder, Laura. My First Little House Books +

Williams, Vera. A Chair for My Mother

Second Grade Reading List

Read in class or assigned for outside reading:

Andersen, Hans C. The Emperor’s New Clothes

Brown, Marcia. Dick Whittington and His Cat

Burton, Virginia. The Little House

Burton, Virginia. Mike Mulligan and His Steamshovel

Cauley, Lorinda. The Ugly Duckling

Cleary, Beverly. The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Cleary, Beverly. Ribsy

Dalgliesh, Alice. The Bears on Hemlock Mountain

Lewis, C. S. The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe

McCloskey, Robert. Time of Wonder

Steig, William. Doctor De Soto

Warner, Gertrude. The Box-Car Children (vol. 1)

Williams, Marjorie. The Velveteen Rabbit

Outside Reading

Level 1

Cannon, Janell. Stellaluna

Galdone, Paul. The Gingerbread Boy

Galdone, Paul. The Three Bears

Galdone, Paul. The Three Little Pigs

Kessel, Joyce. Squanto and the First Thanksgiving

Roop, Peter and Connie. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie

Slobodkina, Esphyr. Caps for Sale

Yolen, Jane. Owl Moon

Level 2

Anderson, C. W. Billy and Blaze +

Bemelmans, Ludwig. Madeline +

Bontemps, Arna & Conroy Jack. The Fast Sooner Hound

Calhoun, Mary. Cross-Country Cat

DeBrunhoff, Jean. Babar +

Flack, Marjorie. The Story about Ping

Gag, Wanda. Millions of Cats

Gauch, Patricia. Thunder at Gettysburg

Haywood, Carolyn. Betsy & Billy +

Hope, Laura Lee. The Bobbsey Twins +

Leaf, Munro. The Story of Ferdinand

Loveless, Maude. Betsy-Tacy +

Milne, A. A. When We Were Young

Milne, A. A. Now We are Six

Politi, Leo. Song of the Swallows

Steig, William. Doctor De Soto Goes to Africa

Taha, Karen. A Gift for Tia Rosa

Warner, Gertrude. The Boxcar Children +

Ziefert, Harriet. A New Coat for Anna

Level 3

Aardemas, Verna. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears

Harness, Cheryl. Three Young Pilgrims

Le Gallienne, Eva. Seven Tales by H. C. Andersen

McCloskey, Robert. Blueberries for Sal

McCloskey, Robert. One Morning in Maine

McCloskey, Robert. Lentil

Mowat, Farley. Owls in the Family

Nesbit, E. The Railway Children +

Sobol, Donald. Secret Agents Four

Sproul, R. C. The King Without a Shadow

West, Jerry. The Happy Hollisters +

Williams, Jay. Danny Dunn +

Third Grade Literature List

Read in class or assigned for outside reading:

Atwater, Richard. Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Barrie, James. Peter Pan

Farley, Walter. The Black Stallion

Fleischman, Sid. The Whipping Boy

Gannett, Ruth. My Father’s Dragon

Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows (Scholastic Jr. Classic)

Kipling, Rudyard. The Jungle Book (Scholastic Jr. Classic)

Lewis, C. S. The Horse and His Boy

Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s Stories (Scholastic Jr. Classic)

White, E. B. Charlotte’s Web

White, E. B. Stuart Little

Winterfeld, Henry. Detectives in Togas

Outside Reading

Level 1

Bulla, Clyde. A Lion to Guard Us

Bulla, Clyde. Shoeshine Girl

Cleary, Beverly. Henry Huggins +

Dalgliesh, Alice. The Courage of Sarah Noble

Gardiner, John. Stone Fox

Hall, Donald. Ox-Cart Man

Kellogg, Steven. Paul Bunyan

MacGregor, Ellen. Miss Pickerell +

MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah, Plain and Tall +

McSwigan, Marie. Snow Treasure

Scieszka, Jon. The Time Warp Trio: Sam Samurai

Sobol, Donald. Encyclopedia Brown Series +

Stanley, Diane. The True Adventure of Daniel Hall

Warner, Gertrude. The Box-Car Children (excluding vol. 1) +

Level 2

Collodi C. Pinocchio

Edmonds, Walter. The Matchlock Gun

Henry, Marguerite. Misty of Chincoteague

Herriot, James. James Herriot’s Treasury

Hope, Laura Lee. The Bobbsey Twins +

Hurwitz, Johanna. Aldo Applesauce

Lindgren, Astrid. Pippi Longstocking +

Milne, A. A. Winnie the Pooh

Nesbit, E. The Railway Children +

Richardson, Arleta. In Grandma’s Attic +

Roddy, Lee. Family Adventures +

Rupp, Rebecca. Dragon of Lonely Island

Wilder, Laura. Little House on the Prairie +

Level 3

Bailey, Carolyn. Miss Hickory

Bond, Michael. Paddington +

Butterworth, Oliver. The Enormous Egg

Cleary, Beverly. Ramona +

D’Aulaire, I. E. Benjamin Franklin +

Estes, Eleanor. The Moffats

Fritz, Jean. The Cabin Faced West

Holling, H. C. Paddle-to-the-Sea +

Jackson, Dave & Neta. Trailblazer Series +

Kipling, Rudyard. Just So Stories

Lawson, Robert. Rabbit Hill

McCloskey, Robert. Homer Price

Nesbit, E. The Story of the Treasure Seekers

Peretti, Frank. The Door in the Dragon’s Throat

Reece, Colleen. American Adventure Series +

Streatfeild, Noel. Ballet Shoes