If you have children, please follow along. This is a no brainer!
In our home, we have more than one child that is reading age and, well, it is basically impossible to keep up with what book each child is currently reading. When they were younger, we all read together, so I knew what information they were getting. I wish I could tell you that I kept up with all of it until they were teenagers reading novels. This is not the case, however, I was left in a cloud of dust just after they passed picture books. How was I supposed to keep ahead of these little reading maniacs? To be a good mom, I was sure that I needed to pre-read everything before handing it over to their little spongy, naive minds. How in the world was I going to get ahead of them? Was I supposed to start reading at 3 a.m. for crying out loud?! I didn't want to hand over a book that would disturb them for life.
I also wanted them to know and read good literature, not just a bunch of words on paper. According to Gladys Hunt, a good book is always an experience containing spiritual, emotional, and intellectual dimensions. Sounds pretty good to me!
Sure, I could give them each any random book from the library, but that doesn't mean it is quality literature, or even appropriate. "Honey for a child's heart" is a compelling, essential guide to finding the best books for your children.
In this book, Gladys Hunt has done all of the hard work for us! She has compiled reading lists for various age groups (ex. age 0-3, 4-8, 9-12), as well as special interests lists (ex. animal lovers, fantasy novels). This is super easy. All you have to do now, is open the book, go down the list and reserve your picks at your local library. You no longer have to worry about whether the book your child is reading is "okay" with you or not.
You can use this amazing resource however it best fits your family. I go through and pick 2 books per child each week and reserve them at the library. Then as we make our visit to library, I pick up the books I have on hold and then also let them pick a few more books per child. I know when we leave that each of my children have at least 2 books that are good stories. Quality literature is a high priority. This will be a book that you truly utilize every week. You can purchase this book at any bookstore. Enjoy!
