There is no shortage of books in the world. If you have ever browsed through a bookstore in your area, stepped foot in your local library, or simply scrolled on Amazon, you know what I mean. So how do you choose what to read?
When our children were growing up, we lived next door to an elderly gentleman who we affectionately called Mr. Dan. He was retired, and he regularly took strolls up and down our street. He meticulously kept track of what was going on in the neighborhood. As a result, I always felt an extra measure of safety knowing that Mr. Dan was keeping an eye on things.
Periodically, he would knock on our back door. His knock was in rhythm to the old saying, “shave and a haircut, two bits.” We always knew when it was him. Sometimes, he brought donut holes from the local bakery. Other times, he had sticks of Black Jack gum to pass out. But most often, he came with some little piece of news or wisdom.
A Quote to Help You Choose What to Read
One of Mr. Dan’s most quoted sayings went like this:
Good, better, best,
Never let it rest,
Until your good is better and your better is best.
We eventually printed and framed that saying, and it hung on the wall in our dining room. Mr. Dan’s little saying is very applicable to choosing what you will read as a family. While any old book might suffice for story time, why not make it your goal to read only the best books?
Herein lies the conundrum. Every family’s definition of what constitutes a good book will be different. As a parent, you are the gatekeeper for your family. You get to decide what moves a book into the best category. You will come to believe that certain characteristics should always be either included or excluded in the books that you choose.
My goal is supply you with an abundance of book titles that approach the best category. Most often, the recommendation will be for books that have stood the text of time for our family. They will be the books that we returned to again and again. But that doesn’t mean necessarily that we agreed with every word in every book we read. Nor does it mean that you will agree with every book I suggest or think that it is appropriate for your family. And that is okay.
Ways to Handle Less Than Perfect Content
The goal is to enjoy a wide variety of well-chosen books. It is an opportunity to learn what you as a family value. When you meet with content that does not meet the values that you hold dear, you have some choices to make. Will you:
- stop reading the book,
- go ahead and read the book with you as a parent editing out certain words or paragraphs,
- or read the book as is and use it as a teaching moment for explaining why it doesn’t match up to what you as a family value.
Over time you will learn as a parent how to choose what to read for your family. Take recommendations from others as a starting point. Know that you will never agree completely with anyone else’s book recommendations. Our differences add a dimension of spice to life. Enjoy that!