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Christian Children's Books Your Child Will Love Reading!
You face two risks with the usual Christian children's books | Have you heard about the Children's Behavior Books? They're stories with a message to help parents help kids overcome problem behaviors, like: - Lying/Fibbing
- Playing Poorly with Others
- Hard to Please
- Not Cleaning Up
- and more!
Stories should teach, don't you think? Check 'em out! | |
- That your child won't enjoy reading them
- That the particulars of what one book teaches may be slightly at odds with what you want your child to believe.
Books, Christian or otherwise, are under siege in our culture from more dynamic forms of entertainment. Books have to compete with TV, music and video games. The time your generation spent with books is now more likely to be spent text messaging on a cell phone! Since we know that a love of reading is key to our children's future success, it's up to us as parents to provide good fuel for that love! A Christian children's book that doesn't entertain, that doesn't compel your child to keep turning pages, is as bad as no book at all. Maybe worse if it turns your child off of reading! So how are you going to find good Christian books that your child will choose to read, even without your urging? Teachings: Broad-based or specific? | Best Children's Books seeks Christian children's books reviews. Click here if you're interested in reviewing a book. Click here if you're interested in reviewing lots of books. Titles that appear as links are reviewed on this site. | | Here's what I'm getting at. Should you be searching for books that are true to your specific form of worship?For instance, if you're Catholic, should you be looking for Catholic children's books? They're out there! They can be found! (Probably right at your church.) But are they the best way to go? I don't believe they are. I believe Christian children's books that compete in a broader marketplace are more likely to be enjoyed by your child. Why? For a very simple reason: they're more popular. It's easy to be a big fish in a small pond. You don't have to be very good. Church-goers worry their children are going to be led astray Of course we worry about our children. Here's the risk though: while we obsess over what we can control, our children are led astray by the things we can't control. So consider choosing Christian children's books that are broad-based in their teachings, that speak to all Christians. In fact, I would encourage you to consider books that promote Christian values even to children of secular families. That can mean books that are Christian without crowing about being Christian! What is your greater fear? - That your children will someday choose a different church?
- That your children will someday choose no church?
If you answered 2), then I suggest you cast about the broader marketplace of Christian children's books. Include Christian children's books that don't advertise themselves as such. How am I going to find such books? Well, yes, it is a little harder to know a book teaches good Christian values if it doesn't say This book is for Christian Kids on the cover! But the good news is I'm going to help you in your search. Because I know of some very good people who have made an effort to locate good Christian children's books that your child will enjoy! The Christophers Do you know of the Christophers? Their mission "is to encourage people of all ages, and from all walks of life, to use their God-given talents to make a positive difference in the world." The Chrisophers believe: "each person has a God-given mission to fulfill, a particular job to do that has been given to no one else. Love and truth come to us through God, but these gifts are not ours to keep. By sharing them with others each of us becomes a Christ-bearer, a 'Christopher' in the most fundamental sense of that word." Each year, the Chrisophers give awards for children's books (and other media) that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit." In other words, they give awards to the best Christian children's books, even if they don't say "Christian children's books" on the cover! The Christophers Christian Children's Book AwardsYoung Adult | Ages 10-12 | 8-10 | 6-8 | Preschool | All Ages Other children's Christian books reviewed on this site.
The Children's Crown Awards for Christian Children's Books Sandra Morrow, a librarian at Brentwood Christian School, is the woman who conceived and created the Children's Crown Awards for Christian children's books. The awards now cover three age groups: the Children's Gallery Award for K-2, the Children's Crown for Grades 3-6, and the Lamplighter for Grades 6-8. As a Christian school librarian, Ms. Morrow is of course an expert in Christian children's books. But the neat thing about her Christian children's book awards is how they're chosen... Parents, teachers, librarians and students nominate worthy Christian children's books recently published. (You could nominate a Christian children's books you think highly of.) And then, each Spring, children vote the winners. That's right! These Christian children's books are kid-certified. They're the Christian children's books that children themselves have said they loved reading! Children's Crown Christian Children's Book AwardsGallery (Grades K-2) | Crown (Grades 3-6) | Lamplighter (Grades 6-8)
The Christophers Book Awards Young Adult and 12 and up (The only problem with the Christophers is they're always changing the age range categories on their Christian children's books. I try to lump them together appropriately below.) - 2007 - Bread and Roses, Too, by Katherine Paterson
- 2006 - Hitch, by Jeanette Ingold
- 2005 - Thura's Diary: My Life in Wartime Iraq, by Thura Al-Windawi
- 2004 - The Silent Boy, by Lois Lowry
- 2003 - Left For Dead, by Pete Nelson
- 2002 - Soldier X, by Don Wulffson
- 2001 - The Wanderer, by Sharon Creech
- 2000 - Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy, by Sonya Sones
- 1999 - Shipwreck Season, by Donna Hill
- 1999 - Holes, by Louis Sachar
- 1998 - I Have Lived A Thousand Years, by Livia E. Bitton-Jackson
- 1997 - Glennis, Before and After, by Patricia Calvert
- 1997 - Irrepressible Spirit: Conversations with Human Rights Activists, by Susan Kuklin
- 1996 - Mother Jones: One Woman's Fight for Labor, by Betsy Harvey Kraft - (Ages 12-14)
- 1996 - Parallel Journeys, by Eleanor Ayer, with Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck
- 1995 - Taking Hold: My Journey Into Blindness, by Sally Hobart Alexander
- 1994 - Anne Frank: Beyond the diary, by Ruud van der Rol and Rian Verhoeven
- 1993 - Mississippi Challenge, by Mildred Pitts Walter
- 1990 - So Much to Tell You..., by John Marsden
Back to text The Christophers Book Awards Ages 10-12, 11-12, 9-12 (The only problem with the Christophers is they're always changing the age range categories on their Christian children's books. I try to lump them together appropriately below.) - 2007 - Listen!, by Stephanie S. Tolan
- 2006 - Friendship According to Humphrey, by Betty G. Birney
- 2005 - The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts, by Richard Peck
- 2004 - Iqbal, by Francesco D'Adamo
- 2003 - Pictures Of Hollis Woods, by Patricia Reilly Giff
- 2002 - Witness, by Karen Hesse
- 2002 - Uncle Daddy, by Ralph Fletcher
- 2001 - The Yellow Star, by Carmen Agra Deedy
- 2000 - A Symphony Of Whales, by Steve Schuch
- 1999 - Mary On Horseback: Three Mountain Stories, by Rosemary Wells
- 1998 - The Silver Balloon, by Susan Bonners
- 1997 - Frindle, by Andrew Clements
- 1996 - Been to Yesterdays: Poems of a Life, by Lee Bennett Hopkins
- 1994 - It's Our World, Too! Stories of Young People Whe Are Making a Difference, by Phillip Hoose - (Ages 10 and up)
- 1992 - The Star Fisher, by Laurence Yep - (Ages 10 and up)
- 1991 - Mississippi Bridge, by Mildred D. Taylor
- 1990 - Can the Whales Be Saved?, by Dr. Philip Whitfield
Back to text The Christophers Book Awards Ages 8-10, 9-10, 8-11 (The only problem with the Christophers is they're always changing the age range categories on their Christian children's books. I try to lump them together appropriately below.) - 2007 - The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo
- 2006 - Game Day, by Tiki Barber and Ronde Barber with Robert Burleigh
- 2005 - Shredderman: Secret Identity, by Wendelin Van Draanen
- 2004 - Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, by Kathleen Krull
- 2003 - The Ugly Princess And The Wise Fool, by Margaret Gray
- 2002 - Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech
- 2001 - The Mousery, by Charlotte Pomerantz
- 1999 - The Summer My Father Was Ten, by Pat Brisson
- 1998 - When Jessie Came Across The Sea, by Amy Hest
- 1995 - The Ledgerbook of Thomas Blue Eagle by Jewel H. Grutman and Gay Matthaei - Ages 8-12
- 1993 - Letters from Rifka, by Karen Hesse - (Ages 8-12)
- 1992 - The Gold Coin, by Alma Flor Ada
- 1990 - William and Grandpa, by Alice Schertle
Back to text The Christophers Book Awards Ages 6-8, 7-9, 5-8 (The only problem with the Christophers is they're always changing the age range categories on their Christian children's books. I try to lump them together appropriately below.) - 2007 - How We Are Smart, by W. Nikola-Lisa
- 2006 - I Could Do That! Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote, by Linda Arms White
- 2005 - The Hungry Coat: A Tale from Turkey, by Demi
- 2004 - The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds
- 2003 - DEAR MRS. LARUE: Letters from Obedience School, by Mark Teague
- 2002 - Beatrice's Goat, by Page McBrier
- 2001 - Hope Was Here, by Joan Bauer
- 2000 - Good Luck, Mrs. K! by Louise Borden
- 1999 - Raising Dragons, by Jerdine Nolen
- 1998 - The Gardener, by Sarah Stewart
- 1997 - Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman, by Alan Schroeder
- 1996 - The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, by Susan Wojciechowski
- 1995 - Prize in the Snow, by Bill Easterling
- 1994 - The Crystal Ball, by Gerda Marie Scheidl
- 1993 - Rosie & the Yellow Ribbon, by Paula DePaolo
- 1993 - The Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister
- 1992 - Stephen's Feast, by Jean Richardson
Back to text The Christophers Book Awards Preschool, Ages 4-6 (The only problem with the Christophers is they're always changing the age range categories on their Christian children's books. I try to lump them together appropriately below.) - 2007 - Hero Cat, by Eileen Spinelli
- 2006 - Am I a Color Too?, by Heidi Cole & Nancy Vogl
- 2005 - Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo, by Karma Wilson
- 2004 - Little Bear's Little Boat, by Eve Bunting
- 2003 - Mole And The Baby Bird, by Marjorie Newman
- 2002 - Kiss Good Night, by Amy Hest
- 2001 - How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?, by Jane Yolen
- 2000 - I Love You, Blue Kangaroo! by Emma Chichester Clark
- 1998 - Milo And The Magical Stones, by Marcus Pfister
- 1997 - The Log Cabin Quilt, by Ellen Howard
- 1995 - I'll See You When the Moon is Full, by Susi Gregg Fowler
- 1992 - Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, by Eileen Spinelli
- 1990 - Keeping a Christmas Secret, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Back to text The Christophers Book Awards All Ages (The only problem with the Christophers is they're always changing the age range categories on their Christian children's books. I try to lump them together appropriately below.) - 2000 - Grandad's Prayers Of The Earth, by Douglas Wood
- 1992 - Where Does God Live? Questions and Answers for Parents and Children, by Rabbi Marc Gellman and Monsignor Thomas Hartman
- 1991 - Paul Revere's Ride, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem as illustrated by Ted Rand
Back to text The Children's Crown Christian Children's Book Awards Children's Gallery (Grades K-2) - 2005 - The Sea Chest, by Toni Buzzeo ~ winner
- 2005 - Eaglet's World, by Evelyn Minshull ~ runner-up
- 2004 - A Fine, Fine School, by Sharon Creech ~ winner
- 2004 - Hank Aaron: Brave in Every Way, by Peter Golenboch ~ runner-up
- 2003 - I Love You Like Crazy Cakes, by Rose Lewis ~ winner
- 2003 - Olivia, by Ian Falconer ~ runner-up
- 2002 - Baby Whale's Journe ~ winner
- 2002 - Exodus ~ runner-up
- 2001 - Gingerbread Baby ~ winner
- 2001 - Stranger In the Woods ~ runner-up
Back to text The Children's Crown Christian Children's Book Awards Children's Crown Award (Grades 3-6) - 2005 - Runt, by Marion Dane Bauer ~ winner
- 2005 - Stolen by the Sea, by Anna Myers ~ runner-up
- 2005 - The Great Serum Race, by Debbie S. Miller ~ runner-up
- 2005 - Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot, by Margot Theis Raven ~ runner-up
- 2004 - The Good Dog, by Avi ~ winner
- 2004 - Fannie in the Kitchen, by Deborah Hopkinson ~ runner-up
- 2004 - Gleam and Glow, by Eve Bunting ~ runner-up
- 2003 - Salt in His Shoes, by Deloris Jordan ~ winner
- 2003 - Star in the Storm, by Joan Harlow ~ runner-up
- 2003 - Janitor's Boy, by Andrew Clements ~ runner-up
- 2002 - Sky Memories ~ winner
- 2002 - Black Nell ~ runner-up
- 2002 - Bird Boy ~ runner-up
- 2002 - Shelter Dogs ~ runner-up
- 2002 - Spirit Horse ~ runner-up
- 2001 - Saving Shiloh ~ winner
- 2001 - Mei Fuh ~ runner-up
- 2001 - Lucy's Wish ~ runner-up
Back to text The Children's Crown Christian Children's Book Awards Lamplighter Award (Grades 6-8) - 2005 - Among the Betrayed, by Margaret Peterson Haddix ~ winner
- 2005 - Tree Castle Island, by Jean Craighead George ~ runner-up
- 2004 - Moonshiner's Gold, by John Erickson ~ winner
- 2004 - Angel on the Square, by Gloria Whelan ~ runner-up
- 2003 - I'm Not Who You Think I Am, by Peg Kehret ~ winner
- 2003 - The Barn Burner, by Patricia Willis ~ runner-up
- 2002 - Paperboy ~ winner (two way tie)
- 2002 - Chinese Cinderella ~ winner (two-way tie)
- 2002 - Frightful's Mountain ~ runner-up
- 2001 - Bloomability ~ winner
- 2001 - The Adventures of Midnight Son ~ runner-up
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Best Children's Books - Find, Read or Write Home Page The Christophers also present awards for promoting Christian values in TV, film, and books for grown-ups as well. Find out more at The Christopher Awards - Christian Children's Books and more Christian Children's Book Reviews

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