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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Abigail Takes the Wheel
An I Can Read Chapter Book
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Abraham Lincoln
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75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
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1940 Caldecott Medal winner
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$17.95
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Historical Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
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Adventures of Pinocchio
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Adventures of Pinocchio
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Adventures of Pinocchio
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All Those Secrets of the World
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2001 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
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America's Paul Revere
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Baby Sister for Frances
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Baby Sister for Frances
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Bear Called Paddington
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Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade
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Bear Called Paddington
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50th Anniversary Edition from Houghton Mifflin
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Bear That Heard Crying
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$7.99
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Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
2001 Newbery Honor Book
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Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
Updated from Candlewick Press
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
2001 Newbery Honor Book
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Bedtime for Frances
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Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
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$8.99
Benjamin Franklin
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Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$17.95
Best Christmas Pageant Ever
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Best Nest
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HarperTrophy
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Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
$24.99
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Blind Colt
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Blue Fairy Book
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Fairy Tales for 3rd-8th grade
$16.95
Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey
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1949 Caldecott Honor Book
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Blueberries for Sal
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Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1949 Caldecott Honor Book
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$19.99
Bonjour, Babar!
by Jean De Brunhoff, introduction by Kevin Henkes
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Borrowers
Borrowers Series #1
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Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
1952 Carnegie Medal
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Brave Irene
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Brave Irene
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Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$8.99
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Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
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Bread and Jam for Frances
I Can Read! Level 2
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Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
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Bread and Jam for Frances
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
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Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
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Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express OSI
by Eleanor Coerr
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
Buford the Little Bighorn
by Bill Peet
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Animal Fantasy for Preschool-4th grade
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By the Shores of Silver Lake
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
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$8.49
By the Shores of Silver Lake
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
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By the Shores of Silver Lake (Pictorial Cover)
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Garth Williams
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Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
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$7.65 (1 in stock)
By the Shores of Silver Lake - Audio Book (CD)
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
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Caboose Who Got Loose
by Bill Peet
from Sandpiper Books
Personification Stories for Preschool-4th grade
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Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
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Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
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$8.99
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink, illustrated by Kate Seredy
Book Club Edition from Macmillan
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Simon and Schuster
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
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$19.99
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink, illustrated by Kate Seredy
1st edition, from Macmillan
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
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Caleb's Story
by Patricia MacLachlan
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Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
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$6.99
Call it Courage
by Armstrong Sperry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
1941 Newbery Medal winner
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$4.99
Castaways of the Flying Dutchman
by Brian Jacques
from ACE Publishing
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Cay
by Theodore Taylor
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Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
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Chair For My Mother
by Vera B. Williams
from HarperCollins
Family Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1983 Caldecott Honor Book
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$7.99
Chanticleer and the Fox
by Barbara Cooney
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade
1959 Caldecott Medal winner
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$8.49
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
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Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White
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1953 Newbery Honor Book
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Charlotte's Web
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1953 Newbery Honor Book
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Chester's Way
by Kevin Henkes
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Chicken Sunday
by Patricia Polacco
from PaperStar Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$7.99
Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson
from Dover Publications
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$4.00 $1.50 (1 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
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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)
Child's Garden of Verses
Heritage Illustrated Bookshelf
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin
from Heritage Press
for 1st-5th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
by Ian Fleming
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
by Ian Fleming
Reprint from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang
by Ian Fleming
from Random House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Chronicles of Narnia - Mass-Market Boxed Set
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$55.00
Cinderella
Everyman's Library Children's Classics
by C. S. Evans, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
$15.95
Cinderella
Everyman's Library Children's Classics
by C. S. Evans, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Columbus
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Courage of Sarah Noble
by Alice Dalgliesh
Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-6th grade
1955 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
Cricket in Times Square
by George Selden
from Square Fish Publishing
Animal Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
1961 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Cricket in Times Square
by George Selden, illustrated by Garth Williams
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Animal Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
1961 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Cricket in Times Square
by George Selden, illustrated by Garth Williams, foreword & updates by Stacey Lee
from Square Fish Publishing
Animal Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
1961 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Crickwing
by Janell Cannon
1st edition from Harcourt Children's Books
for Preschool-3rd Grade
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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)
Dangerous Journey
by Oliver Hunkin (abridger)
from Eerdmans
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 3rd-6th grade
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$25.00 $15.00 (2 in stock)
Doctor De Soto
by William Steig
from Sunburst Book
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1983 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
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)
Door in the Wall
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1950 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Door in the Wall
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1950 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $4.50 (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)
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