Classic Book of the Month: Investing in a love for reading

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Tuesday, December 6th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: our Classic Book of the Month.

If you’re wondering what to buy your kids or grandkids for Christmas, WORLD’s Emily Whitten may be able to help.

EMILY WHITTEN, REVIEWER: Gladys Hunt first published our Classic Book of the Month, Honey for a Child’s Heart, more than 50 years ago. Here’s a clip from the audiobook.

AUDIOBOOK SAMPLE: Honey for a Child’s Heart was the first of its kind. My hesitant editor became enthusiastic when he saw that I was not only listing a wide variety of books but also writing a philosophy of reading to widen the world of a child, to enhance family life, to introduce both children and parents to the best books.

With over 250,000 copies sold, Hunt’s son Mark updated the book in 2021. It now addresses current technology like audiobooks and ebooks, but the primary benefit remains the same. The book equips Christian parents to use children’s books to create a wise and godly family culture. Gladys, who died in 2010, drew from her own family’s experience:

AUDIOBOOK SAMPLE: I know the ideas in this book work, because I’ve seen the difference they made in our own family, in our grandchildren, in our nieces and nephews, and many other children in our lives. Talking about books has influenced writing skills, their imagination and their ability to analyze what they are reading. And almost nothing does more for family closeness than having a child read aloud a beautiful passage from a book.

I recently spoke with Betsy Farquahar, Managing Editor for Redeemedreader.com. Like Hunt, Farquhar is a Christian book reviewer who equips families to use kids’ books well. Farquhar says her mom was part of the original audience for Hunt’s classic.

FARQUHAR: The back half is all book lists, right? So I recognize all my favorites. And I told my mom, and she said, Well, of course, that's what I used for library lists. And so I'm a product of honey for a Child's Heart, my entire vocation. Thanks to this book.

The book includes two halves. While the second half focuses on book lists, the first half contains essays on the why and how of reading. It’s titled Using Books to Help Children Grow.

FARQUHAR: And she means that “grow” in a very holistic sense, as a Christian. And the idea is that reading is not about developing the skill of reading so much as it's equipping children to read God's word. It's equipping them to understand nuance in the books, they read more than the mechanics of reading, but to understand the worldview, or read between the lines.

I would say other books—like the Mama Bear Apologetics series—do a better job of helping families counteract anti-Biblical messages in kids’ media. But Hunt excels in helping parents understand just how profoundly they can impact their kids with good books. Her book lists can help children enjoy stories written long ago, exposing them to values beyond our woke cultural moment.

FARQUHAR: Even the transgender ideology, and some of the different things swirling around, they're capturing people's imaginations, you know, somebody's going to cast a vision, it might as well be us for our children. And that's part of what we're doing. When we select the best books we can select.

This isn’t a perfect book in my mind. Some comments about Harry Potter and library censorship feel out of date here. Plus, some of the books on the list aren’t my favorites. But for parents and grandparents just beginning to raise godly readers, Hunt’s book is a classic for good reason.

FARQUHAR: The lists are very helpfully broken up by both genre and age group. So you really, if you've got kids in that, say, age four to 10, or four to eight, turn to the classic picture book chapter, you really can't go wrong. Each title has a super short annotation that just kind of, you know, fills you in a little bit. It's not an actual review, but it's a little bit of a hook to help you know what you're looking for. There's easy readers, there's even a YA list.

Most of the recommendations here are for children under age 14. Hunt has another book specifically for teens which I haven’t read yet. I’ll also add that Farquhar and others at Redeemedreader.com have developed a number of resources to help parents get oriented to Hunt’s book. So do check that out if you’re interested.

One list worth highlighting this time of year—the Christmas book list. It includes One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham, one of our family favorites, and Jesse Watson O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi.

AUDIOBOOK: Give books as gifts, but be prepared to pay the price for them. Resist the cheap books found on grocery store racks designed to encourage impulse buying.

The practical wisdom of our Classic Book of the Month, Honey for a Child’s Heart, can help families pass on Biblical values. No, not every child will grow up to love reading. But for those who do, great books read during childhood will be sweet, like honey, and shape their hearts for a lifetime of joy and usefulness in God’s kingdom.

I’m Emily Whitten.

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