Children and books go together in a special way.  I can’t imagine any pleasure greater than bringing to the uncluttered, supple mind of a child the delight of knowing the many rich things God has given us to enjoy.  Parents have this wonderful privilege, and books are their keenest tools.  Children don’t stumble onto good books by themselves; they must be introduced to the wonder of words put together in such a way that they spin out pure joy and magic.     ~Gladys Hunt, Honey for a Child’s Heart

I couldn’t agree more, and Gladys Hunt’s compelling book Honey for a Child’s Heart is my hands-down favorite guide for parents (and teachers, grandparents, etc.) who want the best books for their children.

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How to Choose the Best Children’s Books: Honey for a Child’s Heart

The first nine chapters–Part One–inspire, encourage, explain and implore parents to consider the weight of choices made and influences allowed in the lives of our family.  I could share so many stirring quotes from these pages, but I don’t want to steal her thunder.  So I’ll just say that reading through this section of the book never fails to light a fire under me.  Raising our children to be readers, and more than that to love reading, to love learning, is of utmost importance.  And the best way to do that is to read great books to them, often and with gusto.

The second part of the book contains list after list of wonderful books, organized by age range (0-14) and topic.  Many of the books we’ve discovered through these comprehensive lists have grown to be dearly treasured friends here at our Yankee Homestead.

As a Bibliophile with a capital “B”, I’ve read quite a few books about books. 🙂 There are others I like, and will share more about those in the days ahead, but Honey for a Child’s Heart is by far my favorite.  If you are a parent or a teacher, I highly encourage you to consider adding this book to your home library.  You won’t regret it!  The books you’ll “meet” as a result will enrich the lives of not only your children, but that of yourself as well.

If you read it, be sure to check out…

• The section entitled Making Choices in one of my favorite chapters, Milk and Honey.
• Ten Ways to Raise a Nonreader and Ten Ways to Raise a Reader–charts in the same chapter.
• The Goal, a brief but profound section of chapter seven’s examination of the Bible’s role in family life.
• Ms. Hunt’s excellent advice in the chapter entitled What Makes a Good Book?
• The sobering thoughts expressed in chapter eight: Who Influences Your Children?
• And much, much more!

Looking for great children’s literature?
Check out some of our favorite titles:

• Favorite Valentine’s Day Books for Children
• Children’s Books for St. Patrick’s Day
• Favorite Children’s Books for Spring
• 11 Favorite Children’s Books about Seeds and Gardens
• Favorite Picture Books for Fall
• Favorite Halloween Picture Books
• Favorite Thanksgiving Stories for Children
• Favorite Christmas Books for Children
• Our Favorite Winter Poem (The More It Snows)
• Happy Winter: this year’s favorite winter book
• Favorite Winter Books for Children
• Goodnight, Sleep Tight: Favorite Bedtime Books
• Excellent Nature Biography for Kids
• On-the-go Nature Guides for Kids

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