What Charlotte Mason Called Twaddle (and How to Find Grace It in Your Homeschool)
If you’re a new homeschooling mom, or even an experienced homeschooling mom, you’ve likely come across the word “twaddle” in reference to children’s literature. I first heard it on the Read Aloud Revival Podcast when my daughter was a toddler. As I dug deeper into this concept I came across this quote;
““One more thing is of vital importance; children must have books, living books. The best is not too good for them; anything less than the best is not good enough. And if it is needful to exercise economy, let go everything that belongs to soft and luxurious living before letting go the duty of supplying the books, and the frequent changes of books, which are necessary for the constant stimulation of the child’s intellectual life.””
I got it, Miss Mason. Only the best. From then on. I was determined, no twaddle should cross the threshold of my homeschool classroom- which was my dining room table at the time.
Ahh, to be so young and have a child who couldn’t read yet.
Twaddle is often used as a synonym for books that a parent doesn’t like. We uphold living books and diminish the ones that we don’t prefer, banishing them with the label of “twaddle.” I too used this formula until I was forced to re-evaluate it. It took my daughter looking at a book she wanted to get at the library and saying, “but mama doesn’t read twaddle.” I realized I was creating this arbitrary metric for literature without truly understanding what this meant. Worse than that, I was passing on this to my young daughter.
So, what is twaddle? And why does this matter?
What Does Charlotte Mason Say About Twaddle?
It’s true that Mason believed children should be given the best literature has to offer. A core principle upholds the value of children in her philosophy so it makes sense that she believes children should have the very best. In her time, publishing a book was no small feat. Today, with self-publishing, leveled readers, and the sheer flood of material available, we have more books than ever before. Which makes it even more important that we look at what we read with a discerning eye and a clear understanding of what Mason meant by “twaddle”.
Twaddle Talks Down to Children
“Grown-up people who are not mothers talk and think far more childishly than the child does in their efforts to approach his mind. If a child talk twaddle, it is because his elders are in the habit of talking twaddle to him; leave him to himself, and his remarks are wise and sensible so far as his small experience guides him. Mothers seldom talk down to their children; they are too intimate with the little people, and have, therefore, too much respect for them: but professional teachers, whether the writers of books or the givers of lessons, are too apt to present a single grain of pure knowledge in a whole gallon of talk, imposing upon the child the labour of discerning the grain and of extracting it from the worthless flood.
Home Education, p. 175”
Mason viewed the child as a person: whole, intelligent, and capable of complex thought and ideas. Twaddle, in contrast, speaks down to children. It assumes they cannot handle big words, complex ideas, or layered sentences. These books simplify thought to the point that they no longer respect the reader.
When an author writes in a singsong tone or uses overly cheerful dialogue, it is not a kindness. It is a subtle message that the child’s mind is not ready for the real thing. Charlotte Mason would say that our duty is not to entertain the mind with fluff, but to feed it with truth and beauty in words that invite growth.
Children naturally rise to the level of language they are given. They stretch toward meaning. When we give them writing that assumes smallness, we teach them to expect smallness.
Have you ever come across a book that might say something like: Joey exclaimed (exclaimed is a big word for said loudly)…. that might be an indication of twaddle.
2. Twaddle is “goody-goody” Morality Tales:
In her analysis of twaddle, Mason says that books that spoon feed didactic morality tales are the epitome of twaddle.
“What manner of book will find its way with upheaving effect into the mind of an intelligent boy or girl? We need not ask what the girl or boy likes. She very often likes the twaddle of goody-goody story books, he likes condiments, highly-spiced tales of adventure. We are all capable of liking mental food of a poor quality and a titillating nature.
School Education, p. 168”
A story that hammers its point again and again…“always tell the truth,” “always obey your mother”…turns the lesson into a lecture. This actually dilutes the point of the message. Children recognize when they are being preached to. Instead of inspiring virtue, it often creates resistance. Consider the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The moral would be diluted if there were pages of lectures about how the boy should have done the right thing and been honest rather than letting the consequences of the story sit in the child’s mind at the end.
Mason believed moral truth should be woven naturally into a story, not placed on top of it. When a child reads of courage in a tale that stirs the heart, they carry that courage with them. They see the good and love it for its own sake, not because someone told them to. If the title of the book is 3 Reasons Why You Should Never Lie…perhaps a better alternative may be found.
3. Twaddle Insults a Child’s Intelligence
“I am speaking now of his lesson-books, which are all too apt to be written in a style of insufferable twaddle, probably because they are written by persons who have never chanced to meet a child.
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Twaddle also underestimates how deeply a child can think and feel. Some stories rely on quick humor, exaggerated plots, or endless repetition because they assume a young reader cannot stay interested otherwise. More commonly, illustrators may be relying on extreme illustrations that don’t necessarily add to the story. These books might capture attention for a moment, but they leave nothing lasting behind.
Charlotte Mason believed that children have the same capacity for wonder and reflection that adults do, they simply bring a fresher sense of curiosity to it. When we offer them shallow writing, we rob them of the joy that comes from wrestling with ideas, forming questions, enjoying beautiful art, and finding beauty in words.
Books that honor a child’s intelligence do not simplify meaning; they clarify it. They trust the child to meet the author halfway, to read with imagination, and to think for themselves.
So Why Does All This Matter in our Homeschool?
When we understand twaddle, we move beyond simple labels of “good” or “bad” books. The goal is not to create a list of approved titles but to cultivate discernment. Mason’s call to avoid twaddle is, at its heart, a call to respect the mind of the child.
Children deserve books that speak with honesty, offer beauty, and awaken thought. They deserve words that will stay with them long after the story ends.
Choosing such books helps give us guidelines for shaping a living education, one that trusts that even the youngest reader is fully capable of meeting truth, goodness, and beauty on their own terms.
All of this is great but what if my child really wants to read Rainbow Magic Fairy Animal Pet Shop Rescue?
Honestly, I’d say let them. Do not rely of such books as the core of your academic lessons in your homeschool. At the end of the day, our goal is not to destroy a child’s love of learning by turning “no twaddle” into a rule to be kept at all costs. It is possible to love truth and still enjoy lighthearted stories. A living education is not built on legalism. The relationship between the child and knowledge, between the family and the joy of learning together matters more than a rule sheet you follow to a t. If your child picks up a bit of twaddle now and then, it will not undo all the good that has been planted. The important thing is that the feast of living ideas remains the centerpiece of your home, and that your children learn to love reading because it connects them to life, not because it earns your approval. At the end of the day, the constant exposure of rich, living literature will have more impact on your child’s literary life than having a blanket banishment. You may find as your child grows, they outgrow twaddle.
And lets be real, even the best readers in your life (perhaps you) loves a good “twaddle” book now and then.
