Favorite Books for Small Children

I was just searching my children's book collection for a few favorites to take to church tomorrow. 

Nola and I volunteer in the twos and threes nursery room once a month, and I like to bring something from home that I think the kids might like. Usually it's books. I love reading to babies and toddlers.

As I scanned through the books, and put my selection for tomorrow in a stack, I began to feel what I usually feel when I look through our bookshelves... a twinge of grief and regret.

Even though I stayed home with all my children and read to them each and every day, I still wish I had done more! I know it was not possible for me to have done more, since as moms we all do our best every day. So maybe what I feel is just a longing for those years. I miss Corduroy, Curious George, and Nurse Nancy!

That's probably why I enjoy serving in the nursery at church once in a while. It takes me back to those years. I remember when my kids were at that stage and it was all about finger paints, play doh, and silly games and songs. 

Well, peeking through our books today made me realize my kids have outgrown some of them, which makes me sad. But looking at their covers brings to mind many warm memories of reading them and absorbing their lesson with my children.

Most children can sense if we're trying too hard to pound in a moral or lesson, so they zone out. 

As Charlotte Mason wrote, "Many a revolt has been brought about by the undo rubbing-in of the Bible, in season and out of season, even in nursery days." She advises to, "Let the teaching, moral or spiritual, reach them naturally."

That's probably why Aesop was careful to only use animals, not people, when teaching character. It's far less abrasive that way.

Here are a few of my favorite books for small children that impart a valuable lesson, as books can sometimes influence far beyond our own words...

I think everyone should read Scuffy the Tugboat!

In this book children see the danger and uncertainty Scuffy endures all because he thought he deserved better. He had a family who loved him but he became "too big for his britches" and ran away. In the end, of course, he realizes he belongs at home where he is safe and loved. I appreciate this book's warning to those who may be tempted to betray their family and think, "I was meant for bigger things," like Scuffy thought.

A Good Life is about an orphan boy who sets out on a quest to find the meaning of life. Many people along the way offer their advice and opinion, but in the end he discovers that life is a gift, and giving our lives for others is the best way to enjoy that gift.

We all know this one, don't we? Chicken Little and her frantic, "The sky is falling!" uproar. 

This story shows, through how quick Chicken Little's friends believed her story, the foolishness of those who lack good judgement. Proverbs 14:15 says, "A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps." Children should be taught to reject what is false and think for themselves.

Is there a better children's story for discreetly teaching capitalism than The Little Red Hen? Haha

2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." The Little Red Hen was not wrong in refusing her bread to her friends in the end. Children see the consequences of laziness contrasted with the sense of accomplishment and self-esteem after a hard day's work in this classic book.

The Country Mouse and the City Mouse teaches that living a simple, contented life is a richer life than one may imagine. 

Of course we all know there's nothing wrong with living in the city. But Annie was lured away from her "dull country life" by the promise that city life was dazzlingly exciting. Only she spent her time there in constant danger and fear. Upon arriving safely back at home in the country, she tells her friends, "I would rather lead a simple life than dine on riches, and live in fear."

Elsa and I just read The Velveteen Rabbit together quite recently. It is just so touching and beautifully written. 

All small children go through a time when they believe their stuffed animals are real. I remember Nola, when she was around four or five, giving me strict instructions not to hold her animals by the neck or fling them into toy bins when I would tidy up. I am glad now I allowed those imaginations. Some people believe children should not be given fairy tales to read. But my own personal feeling on the matter is children have room in their lives for all sorts of miracles. Deep down they are able to distinguish between reality and make believe. And if they cannot, like in the example of Nola and her "real" stuffed animals, I can attest to the fact that only a little time is needed for a child to mature and sort it out on their own.

I know this was a tiny sampling of just a few favorites I've read to my kids over the years. But if you have babies and toddlers I hope I've given you one or two ideas for books with spiritual substance you can add to your family's library. Books can be a great tool for teaching a child to think, to develop character, to give high ideals, to inspire integrity, and to, "Train up a child in the way he should go." (Proverbs 22:6 ) Because, "Great literature has a way of building people." - Gladys Hunt

~ Courtney 

My Social Media Journey

 I have taken quite the minimalistic approach to social media.

For years I resisted ever becoming a part of it in the first place.

I just didn't think it'd be for me.

By the time I created a Facebook account for myself, everyone I knew had already been in Facebook Land for ten years!

I also started this blog around the same time.

I viewed it as sort of a scrapbook, or creative writing outlet.

I loved it because my favorite part of school when I was a child was a portion of our Language Arts hour called, Writer's Workshop. We all had a special notebook just for it, and were allowed to sit and write anything we wanted. It was wonderful! I would write my heart out during those times. Any flowery poem or wild story plot that would enter my mind, Writer's Workshop gave me the quiet, creative space for it to bubble to the surface and flow out onto paper. By the time I was done there'd be a complex character I had proudly created, or moody setting in some foreign, far off land I had intricately described. 

I found it very satisfying.

I still find writing satisfying.

There's a verse in the New Testament that says, "We write this to make our joy complete."

That's how writers feel!

But even though I loved writing on this blog, my hunch about Facebook was becoming true.

I like to be private, so it would make me nervous to see friend requests, questions, and comments from people I barely knew.

I would get hundreds of page views on every blog post I published. And whenever someone "shared" a post, it would open me up to even more strangers! Knowing how hostile the world can be towards people with conservative views, it all would make me very uneasy. 

I just didn't want to draw a lot of attention to myself.

Not to mention, there seemed to be a lot of "brand building" going on. Well, since I'm an absolute nobody, this idea of trying to become a somebody was completely lost on me.

So sure enough, it didn't take long for me to conclude what I already knew was true.... Facebook wasn't for me.

I decided to deactivate my Facebook account.

I went happily on my way like this for over a year and a half!

I never missed it!

I still wrote on this blog though, and noticed my page views absolutely plummeted.

But since I was never in it for "likes" or followers in the first place, that never bothered me.

It actually is of very little concern to me whatsoever if anyone reads my blog.

I've always done it just for the fun of it, and also "for the record," as they say.

So I continued writing to the twenty or thirty people that were still checking in on my blog.

I've always been a quality over quantity person anyway.

And that's when I got an idea...

Why can't I reinstate my Facebook account but keep my numbers down and make it work for me?

Why did I think before that to be a part of Facebook meant I had to go along with their program and do it the way everyone else was doing it?

Why can't I use it on my terms and tweak it to fit my program?

(For some reason I have always been of the school of thought that if everyone is doing something, there must be something wrong with it!)

So, I went back on with these goals in mind:

I would no longer get yanked around, I would make Facebook accommodate me and my vision.

 I would get control of my friend's list by taking it down to one hundred.

I would unfollow anyone who didn't inspire me or share my values.

I would only post that which would cast a positive light on homeschooling and homemaking.

With that being said, I do have several "friends" on Facebook who hold to different political and religious views from me. But they are not obnoxious about it. Plus, I figure I can be an example to them. I don't mean that in an arrogant way, but in a "light of the world" way. (Matt. 5:14)

Add in the few home decorating and homeschooling groups that I am a part of, and Facebook has become a very mellow and peaceful pastime for me.

I've never had Pinterest, Twitter, or Instagram. 

Facebook and this blog are all the social media I care to manage. 

Once you learn how to make it work for you, you can manage and enjoy it comfortably.

💐

~ Courtney