Five Children and It by E.B. Nesbit
C.S. Lewis said, “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.” In that case, Five Children and It by E.B. Nesbit is a very good children’s book. We finished it for the third time recently, and it is one of the few books in…
Michael’s Gentle Wife by Karen Andreola
As a young teenager, I got caught up in “Christian” romance novels. All that entailed was God’s name being inserted haphazardly between pages that aroused romantic desires, and set forth unrealistic expectations about marriage. Mercifully, a distaste developed for this kind of literature. It was largely predictable, and unedifying; hardly a wise use of time.…
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jerimiah Burroughs
The thing about the Puritans is that they never let you read their writings with eyes and ears for other people. Modern Christian writers often deal with other people’s sins against us; the Puritans go straight for our sins against God, reminding us that we are not the greatest victims, Christ was. This directness is…
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
I greatly enjoyed reading A Single Shard last week with our middle two girls, ages nine and ten. Tree-Ear is an orphan boy who lives under a bridge in 12th century Korea with Crane-man, a homeless man with a bad leg. He epitomizes the saying, “The wisdom of the wise is an uncommon degree of…
It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach
It Could Always Be Worse is a good book to read with young children when the temptation to self-pity is high. (For us, that was last week when the stomach bug made its way through the family over Thanksgiving!) Humor can be an effective way to drive a needed message home without causing offense, and…
America’s War Heroes by Marilyn Boyer
Some of our kids are natural bookworms; others need a little more encouragement to read. I know a book must be exceptionally interesting if I catch them completely engrossed in the story of their own accord. Such was the case with Marilyn Boyer’s new book, America’s War Heroes, and our 12 year old son, who…
Portraits of Integrity by Marilyn Boyer
Portraits of Integrity quickly became the favorite book in our Morning Basket when we read it a few years ago. The kids always stuck it at the bottom of the pile because they wanted to “finish with the best.” Tears were shed more than once while I tried to blubber my way through the story…
Little Britches by Ralph Moody
Little Britches was recommended to me by three close friends, and it didn’t even take an entire chapter to understand its appeal. This autobiography by Ralph Moody is a coming-of-age story that shares how his experience as an eight-year-old boy on a Colorado ranch in the early 1900s turns him into a man. It is…
Profiles of Valor by Marilyn Boyer
Profiles of Valor by Marilyn Boyer was an interesting book to read as a Canadian, still part of the British Commonwealth that the Founding Fathers of America fought for freedom from when it was ruled by King George III. It chronologically follows the events that happened during the War of Independence from 1775-1783, with a…
Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula
If I could only suggest one church history book to read aloud to your kids this year, it would be Trial and Triumph. In this well-researched, well-written living book, Richard Hannula has brought to life forty-six heroes of the faith. Beginning with Polycarp in the Early Church, and ending with Richard Wrumbrand, Trial and Triumph…
Nothing Daunted: The Story of Isobel Kuhn by Gloria Repp
Of all the biographies my parents read to us as kids, Nothing Daunted: The Story of Isobel Kuhn by Gloria Repp is probably the one I loved most, so I recently bought it for our own kids. I think it resonated with me because Isobel grew up in a Canadian, Christian home much like mine,…
A Better Ending by Doreen Tamminga
Sometimes, when things get hectic (while dinner is cooking and everyone is tired and hungry, for example, or when it’s raining and there’s “nothing to do”), I find reading a short story generally puts everyone back in a good mood (including myself) and changes the atmosphere of the house for the better. Good short stories…
