Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Honey for a Child's Heart...

... is one of the best books about children's literature and reading aloud I have ever read. It's the best thing out there for parents who want to be intentional about reading good things to their children. Despite the rise of the e-reader, there are more books being published now than ever, and combined with everything that's been published since the advent of publishing, what's a parent to do? Our kids grow fast and we'll never be able to read everything to them. So, we need to be purposeful about choosing what is good.

I was thinking about this the other day as I was trying to read a book our library has been promoting for a community reading project. The idea is that everyone will be reading the same book. The problem is, I have not enjoyed the choices for the past two years. Last year's book promoted tarot card reading and the occult. This year's book is full of bad language, video game references and '80s media culture. None of these things are things that interest me. Nor do they promote thinking about beauty, truth, or goodness. So, I didn't finish the book - because I only have one lifetime and there are only so many books. I understand about broadening my genres, but my time is short and it is my own and I would rather be reading something better.

"Good is the enemy of best" is a favorite Lawson quote. There's a lot of good stuff to read out there, but if you only had limited time, wouldn't you rather read the best of the best?

That's why Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt is such a great resource. She thinks almost exactly the way I do about children's literature, so she's already done the work for me of searching and finding the best books based on the values we seem to both share. Parents, if you aren't reading to your children, you should be. And if you are, you need this book to help you navigate a buffet of choices. If you've read some of her suggested literature, let me know what your favorites are.

2 comments:

  1. Anne - leaving a comment here to let you know you won my Good Books for Young Souls giveaway! And also to say: I couldn't agree more with this recommendation of HONEY FOR A CHILD'S HEART. My mom used it to find good family read alouds when I was young - then I used it for my kids; and I know my daughter will use it for my grandson. From generation to generation...

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    1. Wendy, that's great news! I have been following your blog for a while now and I appreciate your emphasis on quality literature for children. We homeschool based on Charlotte Mason's philosophy of using "living books" - I think this is how I found your blog.

      Do you need me to send you my mailing address for the giveaway?

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