I have been serving in children's ministry and am looking to purchase some new books for the classrooms. Specifically, preschool through 5th grade.
What faith-forming children's books do you love? Looking for books that are inclusive, diverse, and capture the imagination.
Comments
Books to read with and to children should not have an agenda that appeals to the adults. We should let the kids choose the book. Sit alongside them and see how they see the world in the book. Talk about it. Or just laugh with them. There are lots of books out there that are simply funny.
Thanks Hetty. I wonder if books that celebrate diversity and encourage the inclusion of people of all abilities aren't born of an agenda, but of a desire to more fully embody the church of Christ.
Either way, it's an agenda. My favourite childrens books are The Cow that fell in the Canal, The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse, Dreadful David, and The Tale of Little Black Sambo.
I know, I know...
I recently did a ton of research to update our Nursery and Children's book collections. Here are the titles I chose, based on a careful reading of each to make sure they suited our goals of promoting diversity and inclusivity:
-God's Very Good Idea- Trillia Newbell -The Big Wide Welcome- Trillia Newbell (these are part of a series called Tales that Tell the Truth and we will be adding the rest from this series to our collection gradually)
-Josey Johnson's Hair and the Holy Spirit by Easau McCaulley
-God Made Me Unique by Joni and Friends, -God made Me AND You by Shai Linne -God Made Me for Worship by Jared Kennedy (all part of the God Made Me series of six books)
-The Garden, The Curtain, The Cross Board Book- Carl Laferton
-Gracefull by Dorena Williams -Colorfull by Dorena Williams
-The Biggest Story ABC by Kevin DeYoung
-Indescribably for Little Ones by Louis Giglio
-We're Different We're the Same by Sesame Worshop
-Our Skin by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, et al
-My Heart Fills With Happiness by Monique Grey Smith
-Ten Little Fingers Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
Ashley! This is such a wonderful list and I am going to look through these books this week. Thank you so much for sharing.
I'd love to hear if your research brings you to other great titles!
5 of my favorites for telling particular Bible stories are in this post, and there are some great books for celebrating diversity at the end of this resource. Some other favorites that come to mind (not necessarily "Christian" but they have certainly been faith-forming for my kids):
- After the Fall and Beekle by Dan Santat
- The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
- Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour
- The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
- Can I Play Too by Mo Willems
That's a great list. Mo Willems is a gem. I also enjoyed your other article about books and stories. Sometimes the books that initially annoy us, as did The Runaway Bunny, go on to become favourites. Children have a knack for enjoying a story just because it tickles them somehow. No analysis required.
Let's Discuss
We love your comments! Thank you for helping us uphold the Community Guidelines to make this an encouraging and respectful community for everyone.