It can be difficult to choose the best books from the sea of books available to us. Books are plentiful, but quality books are harder to find. Here are my ideas to help you choose the best books for your kids!
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“Mommy, I need a book to listen to.” The request came from the sweetest of voices, and how could I resist such a wish?
“What kind of book do you want?”
“I don’t know… something cool,” came the reply.
Something cool. Hmm. I racked my brain, searched the library catalog, and finally googled “good books for boys,” before finding a book we both could agree on. It can be a huge job to find appropriate books that will encourage character and teach valuable life lessons.
Finding the Best Books
Never before in history has it ever been so easy to find information on almost any subject. We have access to thousands of new books in seconds via e-readers, and almost every city in America has a library for free access to books. With all of the choices available, it can be difficult to decide on the best books to read to our kids. It’s information overload! So how do we narrow the choices and find the best books?
Each year as I am planning our studies, I face the same question. How do I find the books that my kids need to read this year? Here are some of the things I do to narrow the choices down and choose the best books for my read-aloud and independent reading.
Consider the classics
Classic books are called classics for a reason. They have stood the test of time, and most are still wonderful reading material. These books were written in a time that virtues were still desirable, and they encourage character in our kids. Some of our favorites include Little Women, The Secret Garden, and the Little House books.
Consult your Kiddos
If I am looking for a good book to read together, I usually try to ask them what type of books they want to read. They have all kinds of great ideas! A few months ago, Superman was on a mystery kick, so I was able to introduce him to my childhood favorite detective, Encyclopedia Brown! That was so much fun to dig out and re-read!
I have three kids – a fourteen-year-old girl, an eleven-year-old girl, and an eight-year-old boy. It can be crazy-hard to find books that are interesting to all of them at the same time. Superman loves adventure and excitement, and the girls love a good relational story line. Great books for young children will probably be different from great books for older kids. It can be difficult, but there are some books that will hold the attention of all of my kids. Our favorites last year were Johnny Tremain and The Trumpet of the Swan.
Don’t Ignore your Own Interests
I have found that the books I love the best are the ones the kiddos love too. If you can find a book you enjoy, most likely it is a living book. Look for books that don’t “talk down” to your kids and that teach valuable lessons about life.
Ask for Advice
I try to pre-screen the books my kids read, but as they become more avid readers it can be really hard to keep up! I have found that other moms are a good place to start when trying to find wholesome books for my kids. Just a few weeks ago, I asked for book suggestions on Facebook and got lots of great answers. There are lots of great Facebook groups and online forums to chat with other homeschool moms. My favorites are Simply Charlotte Mason forum and Hip Homeschool Moms FB group.
Look at a {Book} List
If I don’t know where to start to find a book, I usually start with a book list. I really love the free list from Read Aloud Revival, and occasionally will peruse the Sonlight catalog for a starting place. Sometimes I check out Ambleside Online too, when searching for good literature. iHomeschool Network has a GIANT list of booklists – I’m sure you can find a book there!
Books about Books
Another great resource is a book that lists great books about a certain subject. (Did that make any sense to anyone but me??) Anyway, here are some examples of what I’m talking about! We can’t pass up real books on a What to Read Wednesday, can we?
I hope these tips help you out a little in your quest to help your kids learn through literature! How do you choose great books for your kids? What are your favorite books right now?
Now it’s time for the What to Read Wednesday Link-up!
The most popular post from last week was:
Learning about Brazil – Children Around the World
Our hosts will still share a themed selection of our favorite books each week.
If you’d like to join us as a co-host for What to Read Wednesday, please contact Anne.
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This list has our book themes for 2016, but you don’t have to stick to that to link up–any family-friendly posts are welcome. So, come on! Join in the fun!
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Leslie
August 17, 2016 at 1:38 pmI love Honey for a Child’s Heart. I’d never heard of Truth Quest, but now I want to check it out. Thanks for hosting! Join our Literacy Musing Mondays Linkup anytime, too.
Amberjane
August 18, 2016 at 3:10 amMine were avid readers and would get into series of books, they also read all the classics which I am glad about and even some of the books from my childhood I had kept. Thank you for sharing your great tips with I am Pinnable Amy
KT
August 18, 2016 at 9:32 amI agree that sometimes falling back on my own favorites is the best way to pick books for my boys. Great advice!