Reading Good Children's Books: How to Find Good Books and a Few Books We Love

November 3, 2025

I guess I’m officially a nerdy homeschool mom because one of my favorite things to talk about with other homeschool mom friends is books! I love to know what books friends are reading and loving, and I’m often inspired to scour Abebooks or Thriftbooks for our own copies of friend’s recommendations.

Recently, during one of those nerdy book conversations, a friend kindly suggested that I write a post about books and where to find good books! So thanks, friend, for the wonderful suggestion. Ever learning about the world of truly well-written children’s literature, I am a humble student, eager to find new adventures, and I’m happy to share a little of what I’ve learned thus far.

As a Christian, I cannot help but see the world through the lens of God’s worldview. I see that we are in spiritual warfare as evil constantly rages against good in an epic battle. As a believer, I know Who will win in the end, but I still feel the effects of evil even in something as seemingly simple as finding quality books for my children to read and listen to. Finding truly good books for my children is an uphill battle, and I believe that struggle is intentional as evil does its best to snuff out the good and lovely.

Early on in my motherhood journey, I learned that I could not trust our local library even here in a relatively conservative area of the United States. Quickly, I learned that I must scan every single book to understand the basic tenor and mood of a book and if it was something that would align with our family’s Christian worldview. 

But let us not grow weary or discouraged in our quest for good, true, and beautiful books! Like a daring knight fighting the evil dragon, let us boldly pursue the best literature for our children. Like an inquisitive sleuth, let us seek out quality literature that will shape minds and hearts for eternity.

So how do I find quality, Judeo-Christian-worldview books? In a nutshell…I find books by searching and hunting and scouring, like a determined treasure-seeker, relentlessly pursuing the gold. I discover book secrets by listening to others with keen knowledge on book selections and by reading books about books.

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Reading Wonderful Children’s Books: How to Find Good Books

Books about Books

I find books about books to be a great starting point for searching out good and lovely literature. Here are a few I recommend.

Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt

Read for the Heart by Sarah Clarkson (This is perhaps my favorite book about books. Easy to use.)

Books Children Love by Elizabeth Laraway Wilson

Find Authors You Love

Another tip for finding good, wholesome books is to find authors you love and then seek out all the books they have written. For example, a book may be recommended in a book about books, but perhaps no other mention is made of other works written by the same author. A simple internet search for “all books written by ….” will lead you to the author’s complete body of work.

For example, we have loved Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John, but I had no idea that she wrote more books! We have been devouring her books and have already completed Star of Light and are currently reading aloud The Tanglewoods’ Secrets.

Suggestions in Books

Often at the back (or front) of books, you can find suggestions made by the publisher about other books that their publishing house produces. Or you may find a list of books by the same author. I have used this “tip” many times to find good books.

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Reading Wonderful Children’s Books: A Few Books We Love

There is simply not time or space in this blog post to exhaust all of the good books we have read over the years, but I hope you will find a title (or two) that interests you!

To all my organized, librarian-type friends, there is no particular order to these lists. Hope that doesn't drive you crazy!

Pictures Books for Younger Children

Building Our House by Jonathan Bean (We read this book every single day for about a month.)

This Is My Home, This is My School by Jonathan Bean (an affirming book about homeschooling)

The Christopher Churchmouse Treasury by Barbara Davoll (Barbara Davoll has so many other books for young readers, too!)

A Visitor for Bear by Bonnie Becker (Look for other books about Bear, too!)

You are Special by Max Lucado (A tear-jerker which helps us understand how each of us is uniquely special to God.)

Least of All by Carol Purdy (An affirming book about reading and its value in the Christian home. A must have for every Christian family.)

Kingdom Parables: Favorite Bible Parables for Children by Chistopher A. Lane

A Hive of Busy Bees by Effie M. Williams

First Peas to the Table by Susan Grigsby

The King's Stilts by Dr. Seuss (I love the older, more developed stories by Dr. Seuss.)

Howard the Horrible Gets Even by Gary Richmond (From the View from the Zoo Stories—funny stories about zoo animals with biblical principles)

Barnaby Goes Wild by Gary Richmond (View from the Zoo Stories)

The Forgotten Friend by Gary Richmond (View from the Zoo Stories)

The Prodigal Wolf by Gary Richmond (View from the Zoo Stories)

Henry and the Great Flood by Gary Richmond (View from the Zoo Stories)

Miss Otter Goes to the Movies by Gary Richmond (View from the Zoo Stories)

A Little House Picture Book Treasure: Six Stores of Life on the Prairie (Simplified retellings of Laura Ingalls Wilder. We have read this over and over.)

James Herriot’s Treasury for Children (Lush artwork with a Christian view on life and animals.)

The Complete Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem

 

Chapter Books for Family Read Alouds or Older Kids’ Independent Reading

Secret at Mossy Roots Mansion by Barbara Davoll (The first of the Molehole Mystery Club Series. Look for other titles! Perfect for young readers just starting chapter books.)

Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John

Star of Light by Patricia St. John

The Tanglewoods’ Secret by Patricia St. John

Rainbow Garden by Patricia St. John (Look for other books by Patricia St. John, too! I did not list them all here.)

Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers (Look for the other Mary Poppins books in the series—did you know there are more?!)

Addie’s Forever Friend by Laurie Lawlor

Addie Across the Prairie by Laurie Lawlor

Addie’s Dakota Winter by Laurie Lawlor

Addie’s Long Summer by Laurie Lawlor

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White

Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (My kids haven’t gotten into this book yet, but I hope someday they will. I adored this book as a child. Look for other excellent titles by Enright.)

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Well, friends this was a mere morsel of reading delight, and there are thousands of good and beautiful books out there just waiting for us to discover them in an imaginary world with our children. Keep searching, keep hunting, and don’t give up looking for excellent books that will shape your children’s hearts and minds for a life well-lived on this earth.

Happy reading,

Ashley

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