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Honey for a Child's Heart

Gladys Hunt is right: kids don't stumble on great books by themselves, they read the titles they're given. Most adults discover books the same way, which is why she's written guides to help families choose only the best stories for their children and teenagers (as well as one for Christian women, Honey for a Woman's Heart).

These aren't simply book lists. Both Honey for a Child's Heart and Honey for a Teen's Heart are divided into two parts: the first discusses the importance of reading, various genres (science fiction, poetry, animal stories, etc.), the question of censorship, the elements of a good book, etc.; the second part offers extended book lists to direct you to the right titles for your family.

Part I of both books is equal parts information and encouragement. While Hunt identifies the two levels of reading (for the story, and for the ideas) and the place literature holds in the formation of good character and critical thinking skills, she also talks about how much fun it is to read good books, especially together as a family.

In Part II Hunt presents extensive lists of books. Each title is organized by age-level, genre and author, with a brief synopsis for each one. Honey for a Teen's Heart is more oriented toward students on their way to college, so the reading level is pretty high, but there's nothing most high schoolers won't be able to handle (thought parents will want to know some of the titles include fairly mature content).

Neither of these books are intended simply as "suggested entertainment," lists of books kids will enjoy. There is an emphasis on enjoyment, but there's an equally strong emphasis on reading for instruction and development. Hunt chooses books that will both delight and stretch readers, helping them to think clearly about themselves, the world around them, and God.

There are also a lot of books: over a thousand in Honey for a Child's Heart, and 400 in Honey for a Teen's Heart. No one will be able to read all the titles listed here; these are intended as general guides, not rigid models. There's no real curriculum element here, either—Hunt wants families to read because they want to and understand the benefits of good books, not because they must.

We decided early on at Exodus Books that we wanted a strong selection of quality literature for children. Honey for a Child's Heart was the first book we turned to, and it proved an immeasurable help. Whether you're a parent who wants to find great books for your kiddos but don't know where to start, or a veteran who's run out of ideas, these are some of the best available guides to building a reading list and library, and knowing how to make the very best use of them.

You'll find a good number of the books listed in Hunt's guides below. We're constantly working on expanding this section, so if you don't see a book she recommends let us know and we'll do our best to bring it in. As your kids make their way through these titles, be sure to discuss with them often, as the goal of reading is growth, not simply knowledge or fun. Gladys Hunt is a capable and enthusiastic guide, and we offer her books without reservation.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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184 Items found Print
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Active Filters: Picture Books, 3rd grade (Ages 8-9)
Abraham Lincoln
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Adventures of Pinocchio
Illustrated Junior Library Series 3
by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Fritz Kredel
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Adventures of Pinocchio
Illustrated Junior Library Series 1
by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Fritz Kredel
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-8th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
Adventures of Pinocchio
Illustrated Junior Library Series 2
by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Fritz Kredel
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-8th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
Adventures of Pinocchio
Illustrated Junior Library Series 4
by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by ??
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Adventures of Pinocchio
Illustrated Junior Library Series 2
by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Fritz Kredel
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-8th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Pinocchio
by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Charles Folkard
from David McKay Company
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Adventures of Pinocchio
by Carlo Collodi, illustrated by Robert Ingpen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
All Those Secrets of the World
by Jane Yolen
1st edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin
by James Cross Giblin
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
2001 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.99
America's Paul Revere
by Esther Forbes
from Sandpiper Books
Biography for 2nd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.99
Amos and Boris
by William Steig
from Square Fish Publishing
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Animalia
by Graeme Base
from Puffin Books
for Kindergarten-3rd
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.99
Animalia
by Graeme Base
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Aurora Means Dawn
by Scott Russell Sanders
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Baby Sister for Frances
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Baby Sister for Frances
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
from Scholastic Inc.
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Baby Sister for Frances
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
from Atlas Editions
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Badger's Parting Gifts
by Susan Varley
from Mulberry Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Bear That Heard Crying
by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock & Helen Kinsey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Bedtime for Frances
by Russell Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Bedtime for Frances
by Russell Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Benjamin Franklin
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Best Nest
by P.D. Eastman
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99
Best-Loved Doll
by Rebecca Caudill
from Henry Holt and Company
Personification Stories for
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.99
Black Ships Before Troy
by Rosemary Sutcliff & Alan Lee
from Frances Lincoln
Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
$22.99
Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1949 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey
from Viking Press
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1949 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Bonjour, Babar!
by Jean De Brunhoff, introduction by Kevin Henkes
from Random House
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Brave Irene
by William Steig
from Square Fish Publishing
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Bread and Jam for Frances
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Bread and Jam for Frances
I Can Read! Level 2
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Buford the Little Bighorn
by Bill Peet
from Houghton Mifflin
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Caboose Who Got Loose
by Bill Peet
from Sandpiper Books
Personification Stories for Preschool-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Chair For My Mother
by Vera B. Williams
from HarperCollins
Family Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1983 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Chanticleer and the Fox
by Barbara Cooney
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade
1959 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Chester's Way
by Kevin Henkes
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Chicken Sunday
by Patricia Polacco
from PaperStar Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson
from Dover Publications
for 1st-5th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$4.00 $1.50 (2 in stock)
Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson, Illustrated by Maria L. Kirk
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 1st-5th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson, unknown illustrator
from Henry Altemus Company
for 1st-5th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Columbus
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Crickwing
by Janell Cannon
1st edition from Harcourt Children's Books
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Crippled Lamb
by Max Lucado
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Crippled Lamb
by Max Lucado
Reprint from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Doctor De Soto
by William Steig
from Square Fish Publishing
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1983 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Donde viven los monstruos (Where the Wild Things Are)
by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1964 Caldecott Medal winner
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Easter Story
by Brian Wildsmith
from Eerdmans
Bible Stories for 1st-3rd grade
in Easter & Lent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Edward and the Pirates
by David McPhail
from Little, Brown & Company
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Exodus
by Brian Wildsmith
from Eerdmans
Bible Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$21.00
Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
by Arthur Ransome
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade
1969 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$24.99
Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
by Arthur Ransome, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
from Sunburst Book
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade
1969 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Frances Collection
by Russell Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$37.44
Frog and Toad All Year
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.99
Frog and Toad Are Friends
An I Can Read Book Level 2 (Reading with Help)
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1971 Caldecott Honor Book
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99 $3.00 (3 in stock)
Frog and Toad Are Friends
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1971 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$11.89 (1 in stock)
Frog and Toad Together
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1973 Newbery Honor Book
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99
Garden of Abdul Gasazi
by Chris Van Allsburg
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1980 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Gardener
by Sarah Stewart & David Small
from Sunburst Book
Realistic fiction for Kindergarten-4th grade
1998 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
George Washington's Breakfast
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 1st-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Gingerbread Baby
by Jan Brett
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Hailstones and Halibut Bones
by Mary O'Neill
from Doubleday & Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Hannah
Stepping Stones: A Chapter Book
by Gloria Whelan
from Random House
Realistic Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
Have You Seen My Duckling?
by Nancy Tafuri
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1985 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Henny Penny
by Paul Galdone
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
Christmas Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Hundred Dresses
by Eleanor Estes
from Harcourt
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1945 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Iliad (retold)
by Rosemary Sutcliff & Alan Lee
from Frances Lincoln
Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
Ira Sleeps Over
by Bernard Waber
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Ira Sleeps Over
by Bernard Waber
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Island Boy
by Barbara Cooney
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Island Boy
by Barbara Cooney
from Trumpet Club
Realistic Fiction for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
It's Raining Pigs and Noodles
by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by James Stevenson
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Joseph
by Brian Wildsmith
from Eerdmans
Bible Stories for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Jumanji
by Chris Van Allsburg, Robin Williams (Narrator)
30th Anniversary Edition from Houghton Mifflin
Animal Stories: Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1982 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Just Me
by Marie Hall Ets
Later Printing from Puffin Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1966 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Keeping Quilt
by Patricia Polacco
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Kermit the Hermit
by Bill Peet
from Houghton Mifflin
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
King's Equal
by Katherine Paterson
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Knock at a Star
by X. J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy
from Little, Brown & Company
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Letting Swift River Go
by Jane Yolen
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Little Drummer Boy
by Ezra Jack Keats
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Little House
by Virginia Lee Burton
from Sandpiper Books
Personification Stories for Preschool-3rd grade
1943 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Long Way to a New Land
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Joan Sandin
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99 $2.50 (3 in stock)
Long Way Westward
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Joan Sandin
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99 $2.50 (3 in stock)
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
by Bernard Waber
from Houghton Mifflin
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Madeline
by Ludwig Bemelmans
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction, Rhyming Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1940 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1942 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
from Viking Press
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1942 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$19.99
Many Moons
by James Thurber
2nd edition from Harcourt
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00
Market Day
by Lois Ehlert
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
by Virginia Burton
from Houghton Mifflin
Personification Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Minn of the Mississippi
by Holling C. Holling
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1952 Newbery Honor Book
in BFB Holling Geography (Location: HISCUR-BFG)
$12.99
Miss Rumphius
by Barbara Cooney
from Puffin Books
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Mitten
by Jan Brett
from Penguin Putnam
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$9.99
Mitten
by Jan Brett
Rei/Cas from Putnam Juvenile
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea
by Cynthia Rylant
from Harcourt
Realistic Animal Stories for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.99
Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog
by Cynthia Rylant
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
by Charlotte Zolotow
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
1963 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.95
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
1963 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
12
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