Living books… 2 questions

My first question would be what ages are your children? It sounds like they are very little so I will go with that assumption. Read to them anyway, even if narration is not going well and it seems they arent getting it, they are getting more than you might think. Narration is a skill that requires practice and doesnt come easily for some kids. Just keep at it. It will have its rewards even if you cannot see them readily. My 8th grader has never been good at narrating books or writing down his thoughts, but when he has something to describe or explain he is incredibly articulate and interesting to listen to. I am certain from all the books he seemed to not listen to or understand When my kids were very little we loved a curriculum called Five in a Row, not super Charlotte Mason maybe, but so much fun for little ones and still our favorite picture books of all time. If budget is tight the library really is your best resource. I go on our library’s website and reserve books, then make one trip a week to pick ip and drop off. Many librarys have inter library loan and will get you books on your list. As for a list of books, there is a wonderful little American history list called Turning Back the Pages of Time. It costs about $5 and lists several books for each elementary grade and time period. You dont have to read them all so chances are your library would have some of them at least. Honey for a Childs Heart is another great bookslist for picture books. All Through the Ages is a bit pricey but well worth it for older students. It lists TONS of books for each time period from Creation to Modern Times, organized by grade level. And of course this website offers great tips and lists, the history lesson plans make it very easy to teach any time period. You can also often find used books on Amazon or my favorite Thriftbooks.com. There really are so many ways to give your kids a rich literature based CM education.