Books for Kids

C. S. Lewis begins his book The Abolition of Man by bemoaning the fact that too many intellectuals are unaware of the importance of children's books.  We usually think of children's literature as mere stories without any long-term consequences for the kids who read.  We see their main purpose as merely to entertain kids and inspire in them a general love of reading so they'll be ready to tackle the really important stuff in high school and college.

I agree with Lewis that the kind of reading we do as children will implicitly aid in the formation of our intellectual and moral character.  Every story is about people of certain character (either good or bad) who make choices (either right or wrong) that form the basis for the story's plot.  And quite frankly, there are many children's books out there today that actually celebrate characters with questionable personal qualities, making choices of dubious merit.  They certainly are not the kind of stories to which I want my young son Cyrus exposed. 

Thankfully, my wife is something of an expert in the field of children's literature.  She owns over one thousand children's books, and she shares my concern for exposing our son to good, uplifting stories that can inspire him to be a man of intelligence, integrity, and moral courage.  Here are just a few of the books that I personally evaluate as good literature for children.

[It should be assumed that The Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit are not mentioned in this particular list because those books are in a class unto themselves.]

• Anne Holm, I Am David.  An inspiring story of self-discovery, depicting a young boy who escapes from a Communist gulag in Eastern Europe and heroically navigates through dangerous country in an attempt to find his mother. 
• Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time.  An intriguing fantasy/science fiction story about three children who are transported to another galaxy by three mysterious ladies.  Meg, the main character, is on a quest to find her lost father...but in the process she is called upon to fight a great evil that threatens to overtake the entire universe.
• Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain.  This is historical fiction at its finest, set in Boston during the onset of the Revolutionary War.  Johnny, an independent and daring young man, gets caught up in the conflict between the Bostonians and the British, and he learns how to put his courage in the service of a great cause.
• Marguerite de Angeli, The Door in the Wall.  This story is set in late-medieval England.  The main character is a young boy named Robin who had dreams of being a knight, but during the Black Plague he became permanently handicapped.  With the help of a pious monk named Brother Luke, Robin learned that studying can take you places that your legs can't, and that you don't have to be a knight to display true courage and strength.
• E. L. Konigsburg, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  A young girl named Claudia feels unappreciated by her parents and decides to run away, joined by her younger brother Jamie.  She ends up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and takes an interesting walk through history, learning that she needs to do some appreciating of her own!
• Any of the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, or Encyclopedia Brown mystery stories.  I'm a huge fan of mysteries, and I grew up loving these stories.  As an adult, I can see why they are such great stories.  The main characters are presented as heroes not because they are cool, popular with their peers, or athletic.  Rather, they are heroes because they use their intelligence and skill to solve problems and help others; they display moral courage and have a real sense of right and wrong; and they earn the respect of their parents and other adult figures by acting mature and responsible. 

These are just a few.  But here are three common themes that I find in all of these novels:

• They are well-written stories.  They use language artfully and tell a story in an exciting, inspiring way.
• They present a view of the world as a benevolent place: while the characters have problems, they learn that they can overcome those problems and that life basically makes sense.  They are not victims of a fate beyond their control.
• The main characters model for the readers the values of honesty, intelligence, compassion, courage, self-discipline, and maturity.

Thanks to my beautiful wife for reminding me of the joy of reading children's books!  Happy reading!