Books as Tools: Why Books Matter, and What We’d Recommend
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Books are more than a glimpse into another world, they are one of the most valuable tools to cultivate qualities in us, and our children, that prepare them well for the world ahead.
Why Read?
C.S. Lewis says it best:
“Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker… Let there be wicked kings and beheadings, battles and dungeons, giants and dragons, and let villains be soundly killed at the end of the book.”
Reading as a skill lends itself to many rich and varied aspects of character. In our experience we have found that those benefits include:
Vocabulary Development – Introducing children to language and sentence structure. Reading at higher levels creates a palette for classic literature, and gives children a familiarity to learning language through context.
Widened Worldview – Books give us the gift of perspective. Historical fiction, memoirs, and fiction in general, encourages us to look beyond our day to day to empathize with people and circumstances we have not experienced.
Cultivating Creativity and Imagination – In a similar vein to expanding worldview, books are fertilizer to the creative mind. Give your children the gift of exploration to worlds they’ve never been, and watch it translate to their play.
Attention Span – Reading requires time and attention. Set aside an hour to read each day, either to your children, or alongside your children, and train focus, patience, and diligence.
Overarching Themes of Human Nature – Books can be wonderful springboards to conversation about universal truths. Philosophy, spiritual formation, and even the fight of good and evil, can be wonderful topics to explore when reading.
Below we have included a collection of books that have inspired and shaped us through the years. They are ones that Mom loved to read, and us girls (and our brothers!) loved as well. These books encompass some, if not all of the qualities we believe reading encourages, and we would consider topically appropriate (avoiding strong language, sexual or romantic overtones, or graphic violence).
While this list is by no means exhaustive, we hope it offers a place to begin. Weigh each against your own convictions, and enjoy the journey with your children! It is one worth taking!
Authors to Look For – Elementary Age
Laura Ingalls Wilder – Author of the popular series Little House on the Prairie, about a family settling in the midwest.
E.B. White – Popular for titles like Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpeter Swan
Kate DiCamallo – Our favorites are The Tale of Desperaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and Bink and Gollie!
Beatrix Potter – Her collection of stories surrounding animals and their daily living in the English countryside, the art and writing are both classically beautiful!
James Harriet – All Creatures Great and Small is a treasury of stories following a country vet and the patients and people he encounters.
Elementary Series You’ll Love
The Golden Books Series – A collection of classic, sweet stories like Scupper the Sailor’s Dog , The Poky Little Puppy, and The Saggy Baggy Elephant, denoted by their gold binding and hardcovers.
The Berenstain Bears by Stan Berenstain – Stories about a family of bears navigating life together, and the moral conclusions of daily decision making!
Wemmicks Series by Max Lucado – series about a town of little wooden people and their creator, Eli!
Curious George by Margaret and H.R. Rey – A monkey discovered and cared for by a man in a yellow hat, who gets in and out of trouble!
Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel – Two dear friends and their adventures through the seasons.
Books for Young Boys – Late Elementary through Middle School
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell – The books the movies are based on, and even more fun! Enjoy more adventures with the whole gang!
The Ratbridge Chronicles by Alan Snow – Follows the adventures of a boy named Arthur who is trapped in a town called Ratbridge, an odd place with trolls and nautical laundry pirates!
Hatchet by Gary Paulson – A survival story of a boy lost in the woods, and how to press on even in the face of hardship.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien – A classic, and an easier read than the lengthier Lord of the Ring series!
The Action Bible by Sergio Cariello – The artist was originally a Marvel and DC comic book artist, and it brings the Bible to life!
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson – Funny and sometimes philosophical, this comic strip is an ongoing classic!
Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary – A story about a mouse named Ralph and a motorcycle that belongs to a boy.
Middle School Favorites
Wrinkle in Time Trilogy by Madeline L’Engle – A science fiction fantasy following a family encountering the strange forces of the world and learning to triumph. There are five books, but the final two are a bit disjointed from the first three: A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet.
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis – An allegorical retelling of the Biblical story, from Genesis to Revelation, and the vast kingdom of Narnia!
Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket – Excellent for growing vocabulary, follows three siblings as they find creative ways to stay out of the reach of their uncle and track down the mystery of their parent’s death.
The Penderwicks Series by Jeanne Birdsall – A modern little women – there are five books in the series, and follows four sisters and their misadventures!
The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan – Written in first person, takes a modern day spin on greek mythology, and their adventures of Poseidon’s son, Percy!
The Princess Tales Series by Gail Carson Levine – Written by the author of Ella Enchanted, the book series of six books tells classic fairy tales in a whole new way!
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Geronimo Stilton Series by Elisabetta Dami – Colorfully illustrated, these books are excellent for slow or distracted readers!
N.E.R.D.S by Michael Buckley – A series about child spies who use their awkward traits as their superpowers…mechanized braces, sugar induced superspeed, for good!
Historical Fiction
The Trailblazer Series by Dave and Neta Jackson – A collection of short chapter books covering the stories of Christina heroes through the ages.
Dear America – A collection of books written like diary entries from different time periods, an excellent introduction to historical fiction!
Middle School Classics
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster – A Pilgrim’s Progress type novel, but in the navigation of reason rather than faith.
The Great Illustrated Classics – A collection of illustrated and paraphrased classics geared towards this age!
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett – The story of a newly orphaned girl adopted to her uncles house, with a mysterious garden.
Aesops Fables – A collection of short animal tales used to illustrate universal moral principals. Think The Tortoise and the Hare!
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift – The travels of a shipwrecked man named Lemuel Gulliver, as he discovers strange lands with strange people, both big and small!
The Swiss Family Robinson – A shipwrecked family and their survival on an island!
Books by Jules Verne – Considered the Father of Modern Science Fiction, his titles like Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea are exciting and detail rich adventures!
Favorites for High School
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien – A classic story of a hobbit traveling across the world to destroy an evil ring, and the journey of his companions.
The Mapmakers Trilogy by S.E. Grove – A steampunk world where time has been shattered and rearranged.
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer – A science fiction reimagining of popular fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood.
Project Hail Mary or The Martian by Andy Weir – Modern fictional space travel written at its best and most humorous.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman – A modern fairy tale about a a world trying to find a fallen star, and the boy who does.
Educational Books to Form How You Think
Atomic Habits by James Clear – A contemporary classic of how we form habits and keep them.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki – A book on financial literacy, and the mindset of thinking well about money.
Animal Farm by George Orwell – A satirical story about animals, now rid of their farmer, and how their newfound power corrupts.
Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs – Defining a woman’s need to to be loved, and a man’s need for respective, and how they get twisted.
Boundaries by Cloud and Townsend – Teaching where others end and you begin, how to create good boundaries and recognize bad ones.
Durable Trades by Rory Groves – Talks about the Industrial Revolution and how it impacted the household.
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis – The letters of a demon to his nephew, coaching him on how to tempt and bend a Christian away from the Lord.
