Your local library or bookshop (if you’re lucky, both!) is likely filled with children’s books. Many are simply marvelous—the kind of books you don’t mind reading aloud over and over, and that you’re delighted to hand to your kids.
Others? Not so much.
So how do we decide which books to read with our kids?
How do we connect our kids with books they’ll love… especially when we haven’t read most of them?
That’s what today’s episode is all about.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- What is a good book, anyway?
- How to choose books without a booklist using the 3-Question Test
- How to know when to ditch a book
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Listener Guide
Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast:
| 1:28 | Choosing books |
| 5:03 | Become a literary matchmaker |
| 7:46 | Raising real, adult readers |
| 11:32 | What is a good book? |
| 13:43 | ‘More grateful to be alive’ |
| 14:49 | Book lists are training wheels |
| 17:01 | Sarah’s 3-question test |
| 19:34 | Know when to ditch the book |
| 22:35 | The right jelly bean |
| 26:06 | A small bowl of marshmallows |
| 28:45 | Break the rules |
| 30:44 | Let the kids speak |
Links from this episode:
- Favorite picture books for October
- Or to get the October book list, text OCTOBER to 33777
- What Should I Read Next
- RAR #129: Storytime with Jim Weiss (and how to read aloud better!)
Quotes to remember:
“A book that fails to leave the reader with hope has neglected its most important role: to help the reader see the world afresh.” – Sarah Mackenzie
“There isn’t any book list your children must get through by a certain age to be well-read, well-educated or ready for the world. Might I repeat that? Your kids don’t need to read certain books by the time they leave your home.” Sarah Mackenzie
“I am almost inclined to set it up as a canon that a children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story. The good ones last.” – C.S. Lewis
Books mentioned in this episode:
