This post is part of the Favorite Children’s Books series. See all the posts in the series here.

I can’t believe it’s been over two years since the last post on my favorite children’s books! Do people still hang out on blogs? 

To make up for the long hiatus, this is a longer list than usual. Hopefully there’s something here for the special little humans in your life!

1. Giraffe Problems by Jory John

Giraffe Problems is a hilarious book about a giraffe who’s insecure about his neck. Jory John writes in a way that’s super fun to read, if you like doing voices and intonations when you read to your little ones. I have to say I crack myself up every time I read this one (and if I’m lucky, the kids will laugh too).

Amazon | Bookshop

2. The Storm That Stopped by Alison Mitchell

A fun retelling of the story of Jesus calming the storm, this book is a favorite with my kids. They really enjoy the silly illustrations, and I have to say, I love when illustrators have fun with Bible stories. They don’t always have to be so serious, you know what I mean?

Amazon

3. Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty

This is the newest addition to the wonderful series by Andrea Beaty that has been part of my favorites since my first favorite children’s books post. It’s a sweet story of Aaron who finds his language in artistry.

Amazon | Bookshop

4. Construction Site: Merry and Bright by Sherri Duskey Rinker

Do boys come pre-programmed to love trucks and trains? The Construction Site series is well-loved in our household and we have all the books in the series. The Merry and Bright one is a cute flap-book that will make a lovely gift for the truck-loving nugget in your life. We also love the recent Road Crew, Coming Through! Another cute Christmas-themed one is Construction Night on Christmas Night (although come to think of it, can be cynically interpreted as the capitalistic drive to work until the last minute before Christmas!).

Amazon | Bookshop

5. Don’t Forget to Remember by Ellie Holcomb

Singer and song-writer Ellie Holcomb writes another lovely book with nature-themed illustrations. The first one was featured in the fourth post of this favorite children’s books series.

Amazon | Bookshop

6. Read Island by Nicole Magistro

I found this little gem at an indie bookstore in Colorado, featuring local writer Nicole Magistro. It’s a whimsical story about the adventurous imagination of a girl that’s sure to give warm feelings to all book lovers.

Amazon | Bookshop

7. Little Blue Truck’s Christmas by Alice Schertle

Who doesn’t love the Little Blue Truck series? The most recent additions to our library are the cute Christmas edition and the school edition.

Amazon | Bookshop

8. Outside In by Deborah Underwood

Now the next two books are for the nature lovers. I love this reflective book, which is a meditation of how enclosed indoors our modern lives are. This book is an invitation to go outside.

Amazon | Bookshop

9. Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner

Reading this book is like going on a nature tour through an ecosystem. Kate Messner brings us to discover the interconnectedness of plants and animals that call a mountain pond their home. I plan to get the other books in the series too.

Amazon | Bookshop

10. The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson

Last but certainly not least, Jacqueline Woodson writes another poetic children’s book that holds space for the pandemic experience that the world just went through (and still going through). For your loved ones who struggled with being at home during lockdown, this book will resonate deeply and provide a soothing balm to that episode of our lives. I love the idea of having literature in our family library that marks the historic and human experience of COVID-19. My kids are still young, so they may not remember what the world went through. But in future years, this book will serve as a vehicle for us to talk about and reflect upon what happened, and how it impacted us.

Amazon | Bookshop

Favorite Children's Books Series

My Favorite Children’s Books: Part 1

My Favorite Children’s Books: Part 2

My Favorite Children’s Books: Part 3

My Favorite Children's Books: Part 4 (Christian Edition)

My Favorite Children's Books: Part 5. Books That Celebrate Differences

My Favorite Children's Books: Part 6

This post is part of the Favorite Children’s Books series. See all the posts in the series here.

For the fifth installment of my favorite children’s books, I’m focusing on children’s books that celebrate differences. With the ongoing racial reckoning in the United States that finds its echoes globally, it behooves parents to be acutely intentional with the way we teach our children about humanity and the various colors and cultures we embody. Even young children can embrace negative racial stereotypes that we consciously or subconsciously hold. So while we fight any racist idea or thought within ourselves, we need to also impart better values in our children.

One of the best ways to raise antiracist kids is by diversifying their reading selections. For example, pick up books by diverse authors, books that have diverse characters and graphics, stories that tell counter-cultural stereotypes. Have books that have diverse heroes–characters that center the story line that come in different colors and from different cultures. Also, read books with characters that your kids can see themselves in, not just as token characters, but as characters that truly represent who they are and how they do life.

We need to do better. I need to do better. And better is never inevitable; it always takes effort and work. Let’s do this together!

For an adult version of antiracist books, see this Reading Guide to Antiracist Books.

1. The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

I think this is my new all-time favorite book. The Day You Begin is poetic, beautifully illustrated, and most importantly, teaching the very important lesson to open up and share the gift of who you are with the world. My younger self could really use this lesson, as well as my present self.

Amazon | Bookshop

2. Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by Sonia Sotomayor

Written by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who has grown up with diabetes, this book tells the stories of kids with different abilities, with their challenges, and with their particular gifts of going through the world.

Amazon | Bookshop

3. One Big Heart: A Celebration of Being More Alike Than Different by Linsey Davis

One Big Heart is written from a Christian worldview. This fun book celebrates differences and the commonality in all of us–one big heart.

Amazon | Bookshop

4. Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller

Be Kind is an inner reflection of a child on What does kindness look like? And on the power of that kindness to each recipient.

Amazon | Bookshop

5. You Matter by Christian Robinson

For any child who may think that they don’t matter, You Matter!

Amazon | Bookshop

What are your favorite children’s books that celebrate differences? 

Favorite Children's Books Series

My Favorite Children’s Books: Part 1

My Favorite Children’s Books: Part 2

My Favorite Children’s Books: Part 3

My Favorite Children's Books: Part 4 (Christian Edition)

My Favorite Children's Books: Part 5. Books That Celebrate Differences

My Favorite Children's Books: Part 6

This post is part of the Favorite Children’s Books series. See all the posts in the series here.

For the fourth installment of my favorite children’s books, I’m focusing on Christian and Bible-based children’s books. Just like what any parent would want, I want to read books that communicate the values I hold dear to my kids, whether they be faith-based on not. But specifically for Christian children’s books, I apply a slightly different list of criteria compared to general children’s books.

What I Look for in Christian Children’s Books

There are a few things I look at when compiling a list of favorite Christian children’s books. 

1. Fresh re-telling or interpretation of Bible passages and stories. 

I’m looking for a language that’s not trite and not super formal. Simple, but fresh. Usually, if I read something that makes me say, “Huh, I never saw it that way,” that’s a good sign. The Jesus Storybook Bible featured in this previous post is a great example of this, and there are more books by the same author and illustrator that make it to this post. For example, in The Jesus Storybook Bible, the author interprets “Let there be light” as “Hello, light.” I just love that. It’s so accessible to kids, it sounds like us, and it’s creative.

2. Visually appealing graphics

Beautiful blend of colors, artistic interpretations, and willingness to push boundaries on what kids’ books should look like. They don’t all have to be cartoonish. 

3. Socially conscious graphics

I love to see diversity in the characters portrayed in the graphics. I care about representation in what my kid sees in his books, something that more accurately shows the world at large. This becomes more important if you live and socialize in less diverse locations. (Sometimes my son sees a random Asian guy and he thinks it’s his Dada. A good hint of how the world looks like through his eyes.)

Another part of this consciousness is how the book illustrates Jesus and other Bible characters. I have seen books, typically older publications, where the color of Jesus’ hair is different from one page to literally the next page. Others show baby Jesus and the people around him with blond hair and blue eyes. I mean, come on. For this reason, I tend to prefer more recent publications than older ones. 

4. Books that touch on the complexity of Bible stories

One of the things that happen when you grow up in the Christian faith is the surprises you get from Bible stories as you get older. When you’re little, you get the really happy version of Bible stories and everything ends happily. Then you grow up and realize that, oh my, a lot of Bible stories are actually horrific! It turns out that it’s not a collection of happy stories. 

For example, the story of Noah, the ark, and the flood is a staple in Christian books, Sabbath or Sunday schools at churches. It’s always a fun one because you get all the animals, and even as adults, you are almost persuaded that living in the ark is like a fun trip to the zoo. But really, the story is scary, and who wants to think about what living with animals in closed quarters for a year is like. 

As an adult, I learn that the Bible doesn’t shy away from grotesque details of the human life and it’s truthful in describing human nature (See more in this post). But I kind of wish that more of this nuance was talked about when I was a teenager.

Of course you can’t go all realistic and burst all your one-year old’s bubbles. You still need to focus on the happy parts of the story to introduce them to the Bible. But as a bridge, I like books that hint a little bit of the complexity that the Bible presents. Things like, a Jonah story that says something about his character development, not just a happily-ever-after ending with Nineveh turning to God. 

This idea still needs to be validated, of course. If any of you has thoughts or suggestions on this, please comment!

5. Focus on God’s love

There are many wonderful books that focus on building proper self-esteem in kids. They affirm how wonderful and wonderfully made you are. I think these are great for older kids, especially when they start to go through experiences that challenge their self-esteem. 

Since I’m reading for a one-year old, I try to focus on God’s love first and reserve those self-esteem books for later. I tend to choose ones that have an outward focus, like the wonderful things in the world, instead of the inward ones, for now at least. I also try to avoid stories in which the characters are showing bad behavior that I haven’t seen in my son yet to avoid him becoming what he sees. 

Again, this is a personal approach that may well change as soon as I publish this post. But I’d love to hear from other parents out there on how you all approach book selections for your kids!

As I go through more children’s books in this series, I will be developing my personal philosophy of children’s literature and sharing what I learn in the posts. I’d like to have a conversation with all of you on this, so please share your thoughts!

With that, here are my favorite Christian children’s books. Click on the images for Amazon links to the books.*

1. Good Night, God

This sweet life-a-flap book is a great first book for your kids. The story is not an uncommon one in the children’s Christian literature, where the child is thanking God for all the blessings she experiences throughout the day. But this particular version of the board book is just sweet and beautifully illustrated. 

2. Found

This one and the next in the list are brought to you by the creators of the Jesus Storybook Bible. Found is based on Psalm 23, a love story between God the shepherd and a lamb. This one wins for the fresh retelling of the psalm, which is very touching even for adults, and the illustrations. 

3. Loved: The Lord’s Prayer

Same strong points as Found. This one is based on the Lord’s prayer. I just love how the author condenses lofty ideas into words that a little child can express. 

4. The World is Awake

The World is Awake is about the wonder that we can experience in the world and in nature, but this one wins especially for the graphics. They truly show that awake-ness invoked in the title. Swing by your local bookstore and take a look yourself!

5. Who Sang the First Song

I love this re-imagination of the question, Where does music come from? Who Sang the First Song draws our minds to think about the sounds that nature makes, how each sings its own tune and rhythm. But most importantly, it imagines a God who sings, who plants music into everything He creates. 

What are your favorite Christian children’s books? Share your favorite titles by commenting!

Favorite Children's Books Series

My Favorite Children’s Books: Part 1

My Favorite Children’s Books: Part 2

My Favorite Children’s Books: Part 3

My Favorite Children's Books: Part 4 (Christian Edition)

My Favorite Children's Books: Part 5. Books That Celebrate Differences

My Favorite Children's Books: Part 6

*Product links on this post are affiliate links, which means I get credits if you purchase products through them. Would appreciate it if you do!