Heidi, Johanna Spyri
-the beloved story of one Swiss girl who brings joy, hope, and life to all around her (suitable for even very young children) 

The Chestry Oak, Kate Seredy
-this is our family’s favorite book–very hard to locate, but well worth the effort and cost; a Hungarian prince lives through WW2 and learns courage and dignity in the face of extreme injustice 

The Wheel on the School, Meindert DeJong
-this story is set in Holland on the edge of a dike and chronicles one tiny village’s cooperative efforts to bring storks back to nest on their school roof, bringing grace to lives of all involved (suitable for even very young children) 

The Winged Watchman, Hilda van Stockum 
-if there was only one book to read about WW2 this would be it; a young boy and his family help the Dutch Resistance; superb examples of self-sacrifice and loving your neighbors 

The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett 
-a story of growing things—unfolding flowers and awakening souls; full of mystery and delightful surprises

Little Britches, Ralph Moody 
-the true story of a boy and his father set in Colorado during the early 1900s; full of horses, adventures, and character-building lessons 

Roller Skates, Ruth Sawyer 
 -one girl’s year of relative freedom in 1890s New York City, how she touches the lives of all classes of people she meets

Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder
-the classic true pioneer story of a little girl and her family trying to settle on the prairie, the second in a series of nine books 

Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls 
-the story of a boy and his two hunting dogs and their adventures in the Ozarks

Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White 
-an unlikely heroine, a spider, and her efforts to save a loveable pig from his demise; people and animals alike experience the miracle of life