Ten Questions I Ask Myself When Evaluating Books for My Children

     Every time I walk into our fabulous public library, I’m overwhelmed by a sea of choices. If I read with my children for hours every day, there wouldn’t be enough time to read a small fraction of the extensive collection. Add all the books that find their way into our home via a variety of other routes, and the options are staggering. How do I guide my children into selecting good reading materials? 

     Here’s a Top Ten list of qualities I’m looking for in a book. I’ll flesh some of these out in a future post.

1. Does the book exalt Christ? Would I be embarrassed to be reading it if He walked into the room?

2. Does it meet the Philippians 4:8* standard?

3. Does it have a positive portrayal of home and family life?

4. Is the plot conflict suitable for the target age group?

5. Do young characters have unnecessary angst?

6. Are the characters well developed?

7. Is the vocabulary enriching?

8. Are the details well described?

9. Is the plot either unique or explored in a fresh way?

10. Are there specific issues we will need to discuss after reading?

*Philipians 4:8 “…Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Be sure to share any questions you like to ask yourself when picking out books for your children in the comments section.