Our favorite books about kids in big families, updated 📚


Hey Reader,

There are lots of reasons to love books about kids in big families.

For kids in big families themselves, there is just something special about meeting a character whose family is similar to their own.

For kids who don’t come from big families, books about big families can be an adventure. They tend to have great dynamics, because there’s so much action and so many personalities mixing.

Here are our best books about kids in big families.

A few new favorites from the list:

Farmhouse

One of our tippy-top favorites. This gorgeous book, told in one windy sentence that twists and turns, is a delight. If you like big-family stories like Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler or The Seven Silly Eaters by Maryann Hoberman & Marla Frazee, this book is for you!

Mama Seeton's Whistle

We love this picture book, featuring Mama and Papa Seeton and their four beloved children who can be wooed home with a whistle for cake. Not enough people know about this book. It's a delight!

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

When their landlord decides he's not going to renew the Vanderbeekers' lease, the five Vanderbeeker kids launch a full-blown mission to change his mind. Highly recommended for kids of all ages. A practically perfect family story that's first in a wonderful series. Meet the author, Karina Yan Glaser, in the RAR Premium on-demand library. Also wonderful on audio.

A Place to Hang the Moon

This middle-grade novel, set in WWII London and featuring three orphaned siblings, is easily one of the best novels we’ve read in a long while.⁣ There is the English countryside. And tea. And a mischievous boy named Edmund (yes! Edmund!), siblings who work together to get themselves through a rough patch, and a librarian you will fall in love with. ⁣There are bookish references galore. ⁣

⁣Read it aloud to all ages (probably 7+ will enjoy it most). Or just read it yourself! It’s an utter delight.


You know where to find the rest! Head here to see them all and to grab the free printable list.

xo, The RAR Team

Read-Aloud Revival

For homeschooling mamas who want their whole family to fall in love with books. Join 135,000 email subscribers, and get Sarah Mackenzie's best tips and book recommendations in your inbox each week.

Read more from Read-Aloud Revival

Hello Reader, On the last episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast, we talked about why Shakespeare is not a school subject. I hope we were able to convince you! But if we know that Shakespeare isn’t a school subject or an item on a checklist, how do we actually do it? And how do we make Shakespeare not just doable in our homeschools, but delightful? Today, we’ll talk through a simple framework your family can use to experience one of the richest and most rewarding literary treasures in the...

"I love it so much" "I think it's awesome" "I just love learning the lines!"

Hi Reader, If I had a farthing for every woman who told me she wished she loved Shakespeare as much as I did . . . Or wished she had a Shakespeare class for her kids . . . Or wished she had the time to explore Shakespeare without skipping any other homeschool subjects . . . You get the idea. 😉 This is where Shakespeare Summer comes in. Because I am 100% convinced that Shakespeare can be: Delightful Simple Oh-so-easy We decided to take what I do in my local homeschool co-op, and make a way for...

Hello Reader, When most of us hear the name “Shakespeare,” we probably think back to a high school classroom, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, while we struggled through Romeo and Juliet line by line—“wherefore art thou” and all that. But here’s the truth: Shakespeare was never meant to be dissected like a frog under a microscope. His work, in fact, was never meant to be read AT ALL. He meant for his plays to be experienced. To be performed, seen, heard, and felt. While Shakespeare’s...