Is This Book Beautiful? part 2

In my last post, I offered this thesis: the question we need to ask of any theological book we offer our kids is, ultimately, “is this book beautiful?” But what about truth? What’s the standard for measuring beauty? What about “true” books that aren’t beautiful? Is that an oxymoron? After a lovely dinner with Haley, [...]

Is This Book Beautiful? part 1

I have one overarching, albeit fuzzy, question in the back of my mind when I’m choosing books for my kids. It pretty much covers all of the pitfalls Haley and I have been writing about, and best way I can articulate it is: “Is this book beautiful?” I believe this is the most important question [...]

That Sentimental Feeling

One thing the old Puritans weren’t: sentimental. Most of our kids now learn their ABCs in brightly illustrated books with apples and cats. The New England Primer (first published at the end of the 17th century), on the other hand, goes right to the heart of the matter. The letter A? “In Adam’s fall, we [...]

The Noah Problem

We’ve all see them: Noah’s ark toys, Noah’s ark nursery bedding, and of course Noah’s ark books depicting cutesy animals trotting by in their characteristic two-by-two fashion.  It’s a curious choice, really, for an introduction to the Bible.  It’s not exactly a feel good tale, and if I had to choose one story that was [...]

Children’s Books for a Grownup Audience (or, “I Like This Book So Much More than My Three-Year-Old Does…”)

I was a philosophy major in college, a voracious reader of hefty novels, and I have a half-finished masters degree in systematic theology. Needless to say, my taste in books trends nerdy. I like books  - for me and for my kids – that deal with complexity, that aren’t sentimental, and that make me think. [...]

Poor Writing (or, “How Hard Can it Really Be to Write a Christian Book for Kids?”)

“Ever since there have been such things as novels,” observed Flannery O’Connor, “the world has been flooded with bad fiction for which the religious impulse has been responsible.” She goes on: “The sorry religious novel comes about when the writer supposes that because of his belief, he is somehow dispensed from the obligation to penetrate [...]

Common Pitfalls: Too Much Text

While browsing through children’s books at a local shop, I spotted one that looked promising.  It was a picture book with interesting artwork on the cover and a theme that seemed perfect for young kids.  But when I opened it up, instead of a few sentences per page there were a few paragraphs per page. [...]