We’ve started adapting a Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool over the past year. I love the relaxed ways of Charlotte Mason curriculum and the style of learning that comes along with it. But, one thing I just can’t accept is the rule about twaddle books. Sometimes, we just need silly nonsense in our lives, so twaddle books are welcome in our homeschool.
I love using living books as a part of our curriculum. You can learn so much from real books that textbooks just won’t give you the same glimpse of. Classics are a must in our home and children are able to learn so much from them. However, I think there’s a place for twaddle in the home, too.
The case against twaddle books
I get it. We want our kids to read quality literature. I want that for my kids, too! Twaddle, according to Charlotte Mason, is reading-made-easy, predictable, goody-goody…
“They must grow up upon the best. There must never be a period in their lives when they are allowed to read or listen to twaddle or reading-made-easy. There is never a time when they are unequal to worthy thoughts, well put; inspiring tales, well told” (Vol. 2, p. 263).
In other words, twaddle is silly foolishness, when it comes to books, and a lot of Charlotte Mason followers don’t want a book that isn’t quality literature or thought provoking in their child’s hands or minds.
I disagree with this.
How twaddle books sparked a love of reading for my son
My son didn’t like reading. He could read, he just didn’t enjoy it. And that crushed me. I wanted him to have piles of books to read, to get in trouble for staying up way past his bedtime reading… The things childhood is made of! I found nearly the whole collection of The Magic Treehouse books, tried introducing him to mysteries, science fiction… But, he just didn’t want to read outside of what I made him to keep up with his reading skills.
That is, until he was introduced to Captain Underpants. This book is serious twaddle. Potty language, a professor called Poopypants, and a principal who wears underwear as a superhero? I mean, come on! It’s total nonsense. But, my son loved it. He read through the books as fast as we could get our hands on them.
Without twaddle, my son wouldn’t have found a love for reading. I can’t imagine if we didn’t allow twaddle in our home. My son may still refuse to read, instead of hiding under his covers at night to get in just one more page.
Our favorite twaddle books
Because we love twaddle in our home, I wanted to share just a few of our favorite books with you so that your silly book loving kids can find a love for reading, too.
Captain Underpants
Like I said, this is a total favorite for my kiddos. My son found the first book in the series years before the movie came out in my mother-in-law’s basement. Yep, it was my husband’s old copy! The rest is history.
Big Nate
Big Nate is a graphic novel style book that my kids devour. It has a lot of the same silliness they love about Captain Underpants.
Dragons Love Tacos
What is funnier than a bunch of dragons that can’t have hot sauce? Dragons Love Tacos will make your kids giggle, especially at the end of the book.
Dinosaurs Love Underpants
Want to know the real way the dinosaurs became extinct? Well, you won’t find that answer on this book. You will, however, giggle at the Dino’s fighting over their favorite underpants!
I Need a New Butt
Ever had a kid think their butt was broken because it has a big crack in it? Well, that’s what happens to this boy, and he goes about ways to find himself a new butt that will leave you and your kids rolling!
Walter the Farting Dog
This poor dog has gas. It leads his family to their limit as they decide they can’t take it any more and want to send him to the pound…until he becomes the hero of the day.
Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder
Part of a hilarious series, this chapter book is all about making farts. A crazy professor creates a fart powder that the main character and his friend sell in school. Lots of laughs for your kids in this one!
The Book With No Pictures
This one has us all cracking up! The Book With No Pictures is just that…but when a person reads a book with no pictures, they have to read every single word, no matter what!
Don’t Say That Word!
Michael is so excited to tell his mom all about his day, but she keeps stopping him from saying, “that word” every time, which will leave your kiddos rolling when they can imagine what that word may be!
Nibbles the Book Monster
Nibbles is eating his way through a bunch of beloved fairy tales! Your kids will laugh as they try to catch him, flipping the pages of books within the book that literally have holes in them!
Have FUN reading with your kids!
I hope that you have a blast reading through these books with your kids! There is plenty of time for the amazing classics and literature that is out there. Make sure that you are making time for life to be silly, too.
What silly books would you add to the list that your boys love? Let me know in the comments or in my online homeschool community!
You can find more of my favorite homeschool reading resources by clicking the image below.
I agree! Balance- they read some twaddle but some good quality literature as well.
Those twaddle-y books are where most kids, including mine, typically develop their love for reading, confidence in ther skill, fluency, and speed.
We love several of the books on your list! We read Dragons Love Tacos every night for weeks with my then 4 year old!
A really fun one we did as a read aloud was Shivers: The Pirate Who’s Afraid of Everything. We all laughed and laughed through this one! There are two sequels if you love it too.
That book looks sooo cute!! We’ll definitely have to check it out from the library on our next visit! Thanks for sharing!
I agree with you so much! We are transitioning into a more “Charlotte Mason” approach and when I saw what was considered “twaddle” I was a little taken back. I actually thought the way she described what children should not be subject to sounded so uppity and snobbish. It was a bit of a turn-off. What it all comes down to, is doing what is best for each individual child.