Resources

Here are some resources I rely on to help find great books and activities. I hope they help you as well!

Reviews

Goodreads

I love Goodreads for their “Best of” lists (such as “Best Middle Grade & Children’s”), browsing the children’s section (which is further divided into sections like “picture books,” “pre-k,” and “young readers”), and their quotes section. The “Best of” lists are an excellent source of ideas for books to purchase for kids.

The Good and the Beautiful

The Good and the Beautiful has great resources for all families. They offer a free booklist that includes books they recommend and ones they don’t. They also include books that are okay some of the time and provide parents with information on key topics that may not work for some families (witchcraft, theft, death, etc). They’ve also done some innovative research on what’s in children’s books currently and how it affects our kids. I recommend their Booklist and also the videos on this page, especially How Books Have Changed in the Past Century.

Amazon

Amazon is useful for researching titles you want for your kids. The review section is especially helpful – I use it to get a sense of what people think about the book. With practice you can learn to skip the bloggers and paid reviewers (who post positive reviews to as paid influencers), and instead glean out the reviews by actual parents – many of whom will give you straightforward information on whether a book is, or is not good. I don’t generally buy books from Amazon. I used to, but these days when buying books new I buy from Bookshop. If they are new to you please check them out and learn how much of a different you can make with something as simple as the purchase of a new book. I do buy self-published books from Amazon because I want to support authors and Amazon’s self-publishing tools help a lot of people get their books to the world.

Books I Do Not Recommend

I wish we lived in a world where every book published for kids was in fact a book that is good for kids. But I know that is wishful thinking and I would be naive to believe that the interests of every author, illustrator, and publisher are aligned with my desires for my kids, or indeed what experts feel is developmentally appropriate for children. As a result I publish a list of books I do not recommend. Please note, I am not interested in banning books. However – kids are kids, they are not adults. As the laws demonstrate – certain topics, words, images, etc. – are not appropriate for children. As parents we need to exercise discretion. Be aware that it’s not a requirement for publishers to be skilled at understanding childhood development. You’d be surprised at how little some of them know. They are in the business of getting books published that sell. With that thinking in mind, here is my list of books I do not recommend. I hope you find it helpful as you make selections for your children.

For Those Who Want to Write a Children’s Book

If you want to write children’s books that’s a great thing. Seriously. Also it’s a journey that takes time – please stick with it because the world always benefits from new stories written by real people. With that premise in mind here are a few resources I recommend for your book-writing adventures:

• Read my article So You Want to Write a Children’s Book.
• Visit libraries and check out children’s books. Visit many, many, many libraries because every library is different. Be sure to visit private lending libraries as well as public libraries. Many private lending libraries are listed here. Check out lots and lots and lots of books. Talk to the children’s librarians.
• Read extensively. Read all the genres. Read the classics, the vintage, the newly published. Read the award winners. Read with kids. See what they enjoy and how they respond to books.
• Attend meet-the-author events. If a children’s book author or illustrator will be in your area for an event, attend the event and listen closely.
• Write. A writer writes. Just start writing. The whole business of writing a children’s book starts with writing.