Family Stories - Exodus Books

Store Location

"Family stories" isn't really a recognized genre, but it should be. Sure, most novels deal with families on some level, but we aren't talking about the dysfunctional ones so common in modern (and Russian) fiction. For us, family stories are those that celebrate family life through a particular family's story, whether it's a Ma and Pa taking their girls across country in a covered wagon, an Austrian count saving his wife and kids from the Nazis, or a Jewish family in New York prior to World War I.

Tolstoy's famous observation that "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way," is constantly disproved in these stories. Unhappy families are usually unhappy as a result of selfishness and sin, while happy ones enjoy remarkably diverse experiences that broaden each individual member and the whole family unit together. That's not to say happy families never suffer—they often suffer even more than others, but the difficulties bring them closer together and build character.

By extension, families who take heed of these real and fictional families' response to hardship will find themselves similarly bonded, thankful for each other instead of resentful, happy to sacrifice individual desires for the benefit of the group rather than demanding special favors. Other than Christ's Body, the family is the most important social group for Christians, and we prefer family stories that reflect a pursuit of godliness—the too-often-neglected Papa's Wife is an excellent example.

Some of the stories here are just for fun, though. Cheaper by the Dozen may not spur you on to piety, but it will make you laugh till your sides hurt. The Sarah, Plain and Tall books aren't churchy, but the love of Jacob Witting for his children and the woman who becomes their mother is instructive for us all. Family stories make good family reading, too, because the best ones appeal to each member. Besides, any activity that brings everyone together can never be considered a waste of time.

Did you find this review helpful?

Parent Categories

Fiction & Literature

Fiction by Genre

Realistic Fiction

Family Stories

59 Items found Print

Active Filters:

Preschool (Ages 4-5)

	Alfie and the Big Boys by Shirley Hughes Reprint from Red Fox for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $13.99
	Alfie and the Birthday Surprise by Shirley Hughes Reissue from Red Fox for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Alfie Gets in First by Shirley Hughes Reprint from Red Fox for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Alfie Gets in First by Shirley Hughes Reprint from Trumpet Club for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Alfie Gives a Hand by Shirley Hughes Reprint from Red Fox for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $13.99
	Alfie Weather by Shirley Hughes New from Red Fox for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Alfie Wins a Prize by Shirley Hughes Reissue from Red Fox for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $12.99
	Alfie's Alphabet by Shirley Hughes from Red Fox for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Alfie's Christmas by Shirley Hughes from Red Fox for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Alfie's Feet by Shirley Hughes Reprint from Red Fox for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Alfie's Numbers by Shirley Hughes from Red Fox for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	All Those Secrets of the World by Jane Yolen 1^st edition from Little, Brown & Company for Preschool-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Angel in the Waters by Regina Doman; illustrated by Ben Hatke from Sophia Institute Press Realistic Fiction for Preschool-Kindergarten in Pregnancy & Infant Care (Location: PRE-INF) $9.95
	Before I Was Born by Harriet Ziefert, Illustrated by Rufus Coes from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Big Alfie and Annie Rose Storybook by Shirley Hughes from Red Fox for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $14.99
	Bracelet, The by Yoshika Uchida from PaperStar Books for Preschool-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss & Crockett Johnson from HarperCollins Humorous Book on Botany for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.50 (5 in stock)
	Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss & Crockett Johnson from HarperFestival Humorous Book on Botany for Nursery-Kindergarten in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD) $9.99
	Egg Tree by Katherine Milhous from Aladdin Paperbacks for Preschool-2nd grade 1951 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Evening at Alfie's by Shirley Hughes Reprint from Red Fox for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $12.99
	Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall from Little, Brown & Company for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.99
	Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Big Red Hen by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Little Dog by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Little Dog by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the New Dotted Dresses by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Strawberries by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Three Kittens by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Three Kittens by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Friend by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Friend by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates by Maj Lindman Updated from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flicka, Ricka, Dicka Bake a Cake by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flicka, Ricka, Dicka Bake a Cake by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler from Nancy Paulsen Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	I Go With My Family to Grandma's by Riki Levinson, illustrated by Diane Goode from Trumpet Club for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	If It Weren't For You by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Ben Shecter from Harper & Row for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	In Plain Sight by Richard Jackson, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney from Roaring Brook Press for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99
	Just Plain Fancy by Patricia Polacco 1^st edition from Dragonfly Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Kid Brother by Jerrold Beim, illustrated by Tracy Sugarman from Morrow Eagle for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Least of All by Carol Purdy from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd. for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Long Ago on a Silent Night by Julie Berry, Illustrated by Annie Won from Orchard Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY) $17.99
	Lost Lake by Allen Say from Houghton Mifflin Word Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Lysbet and the Fire Kittens by Marietta D. Moskin & Margot Tomes from Putnam Juvenile for Preschool-3rd Grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Mama's Way by Helen Ketteman, illustrated by Mary Whyte from Dial Books for Young Readers for Preschool-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Molly's Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen from William Morrow & Company for Preschool-3rd Grade in Clearance: Picture Books (Location: ZCLE-PIC)
	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)
	Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs by Tomie DePaola from Puffin Books for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Over Land and Sea A Story of International Adoption by Steven L. Layne, Illustrated by Jan Bower from Pelican Publishing Company for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Big Surprise by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Buttered Bread by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Gingerbread by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Red Shoes by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Yellow Sled by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Snipp, Snapp, Snurr Learn to Swim by Maj Lindman from Albert Whitman & Company for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Sugaring Time by Kathryn Lasky from Aladdin Paperbacks for Preschool-3rd grade 1984 Newbery Honor Book in Food & Farming Around the World (Location: HISMC-FOOD) $9.99
	Sugaring Time by Kathryn Lasky from Macmillan for Preschool-3rd grade 1984 Newbery Honor Book in Food & Farming Around the World (Location: HISMC-FOOD)
	Sun Up by Alvin Tresselt, Henri Sorensen (Illustrator) from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books Word Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant from Dutton Children's Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $10.00 (1 in stock)

Shop

Support

Hours & Directions

Connect