Keenly Kept

Books in "The Book Tree"

Last Updated: December 7, 2025

Below you will find linked images to reviews of books recommended in The Book Tree: A Christian Reference for Children’s Literature by Elizabeth McCallum and Jane Scott. Please purchase the book for complete lists and their thoughtful commentary throughout.

This page is continually being updated as The Book Tree is one of the main resources from which I work. Happy reading!

Drop down to:
Preschool Literature
Elementary School Fiction
Middle School Fiction
Elementary & Middle School Biography
High School Fiction
High School Biography

Preschool Literature

Alligators All Around (Sendak) | keenlykept.com
Alligators All Around (Sendak)
All the Places to Love (MacLachlan) | keenlykept.com
All the Places to Love (MacLachlan)
Ameliaranne and the Green Umbrella (Heward) | keenlykept.com
Ameliaranne and the Green Umbrella (Heward)
Angus and the Ducks (Flack) | keenlykept.com
Angus and the Ducks (Flack)
Ant and Bee and the ABC (Banner) | keenlykept.com
Ant and Bee and the ABC (Banner)
A Apple Pie (Greenaway) | keenlykept.com
A Apple Pie (Greenaway)
Autumn Story (Barklem) | keenlykept.com
Autumn Story (Barklem)
Baby Farm Animals (Williams) | keenlykept.com
Baby Farm Animals (Williams)
Big Red Barn (Brown) | keenlykept.com
Big Red Barn (Brown)
Billy and Blaze (Anderson) | keenlykept.com
Billy and Blaze (Anderson)
A Birthday for Frances (Hoban) | keenlykept.com
A Birthday for Frances (Hoban)
Blueberries for Sal (McCloskey) | keenlykept.com
Blueberries for Sal (McCloskey)
Brave Cowboy (Anglund) | keenlykept.com
Brave Cowboy (Anglund)
Bread and Jam for Frances (Hoban) | keenlykept.com
Bread and Jam for Frances (Hoban)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear (Martin) | keenlykept.com
Brown Bear, Brown Bear (Martin)
Caps for Sale (Slobokina) | keenlykept.com
Caps for Sale (Slobokina)
The Carrot Seed (Krauss) | keenlykept.com
The Carrot Seed (Krauss)
Chanticleer and the Fox (Cooney) | keenlykept.com
Chanticleer and the Fox (Cooney)
Chicken Soup with Rice (Sendak) | keenlykept.com
Chicken Soup with Rice (Sendak)
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (Wojciechowski) | keenlykept.com
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (Wojciechowski)
Corduroy (Freeman) | keenlykept.com
Corduroy (Freeman)
Cowboy Small (Lenski) | keenlykept.com
Cowboy Small (Lenski)
Curious George (Rey) | keenlykept.com
Curious George (Rey)
Emily (Bedard) | keenlykept.com
Emily (Bedard)
Emmett's Pig (Stolz) | keenlykept.com
Emmett's Pig (Stolz)
Exodus (Wildsmith) | keenlykept.com
Exodus (Wildsmith)
Floss (Lewis) | keenlykept.com
Floss (Lewis)
The Foolish Tortoise (Carle) | keenlykept.com
The Foolish Tortoise (Carle)
Freight Train (Crews) | keenlykept.com
Freight Train (Crews)
A Friend is Someone Who Likes You (Anglund) | keenlykept.com
A Friend is Someone Who Likes You (Anglund)
Frog and Toad Are Friends (Lobel) | keenlykept.com
Frog and Toad Are Friends (Lobel)
The Giving Tree (Silverstein) | keenlykept.com
The Giving Tree (Silverstein)
The Glorious Flight (Provensen) | keenlykept.com
The Glorious Flight (Provensen)
Goodnight Moon (Brown) | keenlykept.com
Goodnight Moon (Brown)
Guess How Much I Love You (McBratney) | keenlykept.com
Guess How Much I Love You (McBratney)
The Happy Lion (Fatio) | keenlykept.com
The Happy Lion (Fatio)
Happy Little Family (Caudill) | keenlykept.com
Happy Little Family (Caudill)
Harold and the Purple Crayon (Johnson) | keenlykept.com
Harold and the Purple Crayon (Johnson)
Harold at the North Pole (Johnson) | keenlykept.com
Harold at the North Pole (Johnson)
Henny Penny (Galdone) | keenlykept.com
Henny Penny (Galdone)
Katy and the Big Snow (Burton) | keenlykept.com
Katy and the Big Snow (Burton)
Katy No-Pocket (Payne) | keenlykept.com
Katy No-Pocket (Payne)
Little Bear (Minarik) | keenlykept.com
Little Bear (Minarik)
The Little Engine That Could (Piper) | keenlykept.com
The Little Engine That Could (Piper)
The Little Fir Tree (Brown) | keenlykept.com
The Little Fir Tree (Brown)
Little Fur Family (Brown) | keenlykept.com
Little Fur Family (Brown)
The Little House (Burton) | keenlykept.com
The Little House (Burton)
Make Way for Ducklings (McCloskey) | keenlykept.com
Make Way for Ducklings (McCloskey)
Many Moons (Thurber) | keenlykept.com
Many Moons (Thurber)
May I Bring a Friend? (de Regniers) | keenlykept.com
May I Bring a Friend? (de Regniers)
A Medieval Feast (Aliki) | keenlykept.com
A Medieval Feast (Aliki)
Millions of Cats (Gág) | keenlykept.com
Millions of Cats (Gág)
Miss Rumphius (Cooney) | keenlykept.com
Miss Rumphius (Cooney)
Miss Suzy (Young) | keenlykept.com
Miss Suzy (Young)
The Mitten (Brett) | keenlykept.com
The Mitten (Brett)
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present (Zolotow) | keenlykept.com
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present (Zolotow)
A New Coat for Anna (Ziefert) | keenlykept.com
A New Coat for Anna (Ziefert)
One Morning in Maine (McCloskey) | keenlykept.com
One Morning in Maine (McCloskey)
Over the River and Through the Wood (Child, Manson) | keenlykept.com
Over the River and Through the Wood (Child, Manson)
Ox-Cart Man (Cooney) | keenlykept.com
Ox-Cart Man (Cooney)
Petunia (Duvoisin) | keenlykept.com
Petunia (Duvoisin)
A Quilt for Baby (Lewis) | keenlykept.com
A Quilt for Baby (Lewis)
The Snowy Day (Keats) | keenlykept.com
The Snowy Day (Keats)
Stone Soup (Brown) | keenlykept.com
Stone Soup (Brown)
The Story About Ping (Flack) | keenlykept.com
The Story About Ping (Flack)
The Story of Babar (de Brunhoff) | keenlykept.com
The Story of Babar (de Brunhoff)
The Story of Ferdinand (Leaf) | keenlykept.com
The Story of Ferdinand (Leaf)
The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Potter) | keenlykept.com
The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Potter)
The Tale of Three Trees (Hunt) | keenlykept.com
The Tale of Three Trees (Hunt)
Time of Wonder (McCloskey) | keenlykept.com
Time of Wonder (McCloskey)
Too Much Noise (McGovern) | keenlykept.com
Too Much Noise (McGovern)
A Tree is Nice (Udry) | keenlykept.com
A Tree is Nice (Udry)
Umbrella (Yashima) | keenlykept.com
Umbrella (Yashima)
The Velveteen Rabbit (Williams) | keenlykept.com
The Velveteen Rabbit (Williams)
Whistle for Willie (Keats) | keenlykept.com
Whistle for Willie (Keats)
White Snow, Bright Snow (Tresselt) | keenlykept.com
White Snow, Bright Snow (Tresselt)

Elementary School Fiction

Abel's Island (Steig) | keenlykept.com
Abel's Island (Steig)
Adam of the Road (Gray) | keenlykept.com
Adam of the Road (Gray)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Carroll) | keenlykept.com
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Carroll)
Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery) | keenlykept.com
Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery)
Babe the Gallant Pig (King-Smith) | keenlykept.com
Babe the Gallant Pig (King-Smith)
Bambi (Sarten) | keenlykept.com
Bambi (Sarten)
The 101 Dalmatians (Smith) | keenlykept.com
The 101 Dalmatians (Smith)
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain (Dalgliesh) | keenlykept.com
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain (Dalgliesh)
Betsy-Tacy (Lovelace) | keenlykept.com
Betsy-Tacy (Lovelace)
Black Beauty (Sewell) | keenlykept.com
Black Beauty (Sewell)
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths (D'Aulaire) | keenlykept.com
Book of Greek Myths (D'Aulaire)
Caddie Woodlawn (Brink) | keenlykept.com
Caddie Woodlawn (Brink)
The Canada Geese Quilt (Kinsey-Warnock) | keenlykept.com
The Canada Geese Quilt (Kinsey-Warnock)
Detectives in Togas (Winterfeld) | keenlykept.com
Detectives in Togas (Winterfeld)
Emil and the Detectives (Kästner) | keenlykept.com
Emil and the Detectives (Kästner
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Sidney) | keenlykept.com
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Sidney
The Golden Key (MacDonald) | keenlykept.com
The Golden Key (MacDonald)
Gone-Away Lake (Enright) | keenlykept.com
Gone-Away Lake (Enright)
Heidi (Spyri) | keenlykept.com
Heidi (Spyri)
Huguenot Garden (Jones III) | keenlykept.com
Huguenot Garden (Jones III)
The Hundred Dresses (Estes) | keenlykept.com
The Hundred Dresses (Estes)
The Incredible Journey (Burnford) | keenlykept.com
The Incredible Journey (Burnford)
Lad: A Dog (Terhune) | keenlykept.com
Lad: A Dog (Terhune)
The Light Princess (MacDonald) | keenlykept.com
The Light Princess (MacDonald)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Lewis) | keenlykept.com
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Lewis)
A Little Princess (Burnett) | keenlykept.com
A Little Princess (Burnett)
The Matchlock Gun (Edmonds) | keenlykept.com
The Matchlock Gun (Edmonds)
The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook (Brisley) | keenlykept.com
The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook (Brisley)
Misty of Chincoteague (Henry) | keenlykept.com
Misty of Chincoteague (Henry)
Mountain Born (Yates) | keenlykept.com
Mountain Born (Yates)
Mr. Popper's Penguins (Atwater) | keenlykept.com
Mr. Popper's Penguins (Atwater)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (O'Brien) | keenlykept.com
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (O'Brien)
My Father's Dragon (Gannett) | keenlykept.com
My Father's Dragon (Gannett)
My Side of the Mountain (George) | keenlykept.com
My Side of the Mountain (George)
Old Yeller (Gipson) | keenlykept.com
Old Yeller (Gipson)
Owls in the Family (Mowat) | keenlykept.com
Owls in the Family (Mowat)
Paul Revere's Ride (Longfellow, Rand) | keenlykept.com
Paul Revere's Ride (Longfellow, Rand)
Peter Pan (Barrie) | keenlykept.com
Peter Pan (Barrie)
The Phantom Tollbooth (Juster) | keenlykept.com
The Phantom Tollbooth (Juster)
Pinocchio (Collodi) | keenlykept.com
Pinocchio (Collodi)
The Railway Children (Nesbit) | keenlykept.com
The Railway Children (Nesbit)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (Wiggin) | keenlykept.com
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (Wiggin)
The Reluctant Dragon (Grahame) | keenlykept.com
The Reluctant Dragon (Grahame)
The Rescuers (Sharp) | keenlykept.com
The Rescuers (Sharp)
The Rescuers 02: Miss Bianca (Sharp) | keenlykept.com
The Rescuers 02: Miss Bianca (Sharp)
Riding the Pony Express (Bulla) | keenlykept.com
Riding the Pony Express (Bulla)
Saint George and the Dragon (Hodges) | keenlykept.com
Saint George and the Dragon (Hodges)
Sarah, Plain and Tall (MacLachlan) | keenlykept.com
Sarah, Plain and Tall (MacLachlan)
Scout: The Secret of the Swamp (Prins) | keenlykept.com
Scout: The Secret of the Swamp (Prins)
The Secret Garden (Burnett) | keenlykept.com
The Secret Garden (Burnett)
Shiloh (Naylor) | keenlykept.com
Shiloh (Naylor)
The Sign of the Beaver (Speare) | keenlykept.com
The Sign of the Beaver (Speare)
The Story of Doctor Dolittle (Lofting) | keenlykept.com
The Story of Doctor Dolittle (Lofting)
The Story of Holly & Ivy (Godden) | keenlykept.com
The Story of Holly & Ivy (Godden)
The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow (French) | keenlykept.com
The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow (French)
The Story of the Treasure Seekers (Nesbit) | keenlykept.com
The Story of the Treasure Seekers (Nesbit)
Strawberry Girl (Lenski) | keenlykept.com
Strawberry Girl (Lenski)
Stuart Little (White) | keenlykept.com
Stuart Little (White)
That Wild Berries Should Grow (Whelan) | keenlykept.com
That Wild Berries Should Grow (Whelan)
Three Young Pilgrims (Harness) | keenlykept.com
Three Young Pilgrims (Harness)
The Trumpet of the Swan (White) | keenlykept.com
The Trumpet of the Swan (White)
Understood Betsy (Fisher) | keenlykept.com
Understood Betsy (Fisher)
The Wheel on the School (DeJong) | keenlykept.com
The Wheel on the School (DeJong)
Return to Top

Middle School Fiction

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain) | keenlykept.com
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain)
Around the World in Eighty Days (Verne) | keenlykept.com
Around the World in Eighty Days (Verne)
The Bronze Bow (Speare) | keenlykept.com
The Bronze Bow (Speare)
A Christmas Carol (Dickens) | keenlykept.com
A Christmas Carol (Dickens)
The Dragon and the Raven (Henty) | keenlykept.com
The Dragon and the Raven (Henty)
The Gift of the Magi (Henry) | keenlykept.com
The Gift of the Magi (Henry)
The Hobbit (Tolkien) | keenlykept.com
The Hobbit (Tolkien)
Kidnapped (Stevenson) | keenlykept.com
Kidnapped (Stevenson)
Little Women (Alcott) | keenlykept.com
Little Women (Alcott)
Scottish Seas (Jones III) | keenlykept.com
Scottish Seas (Jones III)
Son of Charlemagne (Willard) | keenlykept.com
Son of Charlemagne (Willard)
Treasure Island (Stevenson) | keenlykept.com
Treasure Island (Stevenson)
Where the Red Fern Grows (Rawls) | keenlykept.com
Where the Red Fern Grows (Rawls)
The Yearling (Rawlings) | keenlykept.com
The Yearling (Rawlings)

Elementary & Middle School Biography

Augustine: The Farmer's Boy of Tagaste (de Zeeuw) | keenlykept.com
Augustine: The Farmer's Boy of Tagaste (de Zeeuw)

High School Fiction

Oliver Twist (Dickens) | keenlykept.com
Oliver Twist (Dickens)

High School Biography

TO COME
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