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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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101 Items found Print
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Active Filters: Fiction by Genre, 3rd grade (Ages 8-9), Trade Paperback
All Those Secrets of the World
by Jane Yolen
1st edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Amos and Boris
by William Steig
from Square Fish Publishing
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Baby Sister for Frances TOS
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Bear Called Paddington
by Michael Bond
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
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
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
from Candlewick Press
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
2001 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
Updated from Candlewick Press
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
2001 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Bedtime for Frances
by Russell Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Blind Colt
by Glen Rounds
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Blue Fairy Book
by Andrew Lang, editor
from Dover Publications
Fairy Tales for 3rd-8th grade
$16.95
Borrowers
Borrowers Series #1
by Mary Norton
from Harcourt
Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
1952 Carnegie Medal
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
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
By the Shores of Silver Lake
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Castaways of the Flying Dutchman
by Brian Jacques
from ACE Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
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
Chester's Way
by Kevin Henkes
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
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
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
Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-7th grade
$9.99
Enemy at Green Knowe
Green Knowe Book 5
by L.M. Boston
from Harcourt
Time-traveling fantasy for 3rd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00
F is for Freedom
by Roni Schotter
from Scholastic Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Fantasy Stories of George Macdonald - 4 Book Set
by George MacDonald, illustrated by Craig Yoe
from Eerdmans
Fantasy for 3rd-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Finding Providence
An I Can Read Chapter Book
by Avi
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-5th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99 $2.50 (1 in stock)
First Four Years
Little House Series #9
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Flaming Arrows
by William O. Steele
from Harcourt
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
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
Frances Collection
by Russell Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$43.29
Frindle
by Andrew Clements
from Atheneum
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
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
Ginger Pye
by Eleanor Estes
from Harcourt
Realistic Animal Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
1952 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Gingerbread Baby
by Jan Brett
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Green Fairy Book
by Andrew Lang, editor
from Dover Publications
Fairy Tales for 3rd-8th grade
$14.95
Horse and His Boy
Chronicles of Narnia Book 3
by Lewis, C. S.
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99 $7.00 (4 in stock)
I Am David
by Anne Holm
from Harcourt
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Island Boy
by Barbara Cooney
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Journey to Nowhere
by Mary Jane Auch
from Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Kavik the Wolf Dog
by Walt Morey
from Penguin Putnam
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$6.99
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
King's Equal
by Katherine Paterson
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade
$6.99
Lady Lollipop
by Dick King-Smith & Jill Barton
Reprint from Candlewick Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Letting Swift River Go
by Jane Yolen
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Light Princess
by George MacDonald, illustrated by Maurice Sendak
from Sunburst Book
Fantasy for 2nd-5th grade
$9.99
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House Series #1
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Little House on the Prairie
Little House Series #2
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Little Prince
by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
from Harvest House
Fantasy for 3rd-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$11.99 $7.50 (2 in stock)
Little Prince
by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
from Scholastic Inc.
Fantasy for 3rd-8th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Little Prince
by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
from Harvest House
Fantasy for 3rd-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.99
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
by Bernard Waber
from Houghton Mifflin
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
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
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
Moffats
Moffats #1
by Eleanor Estes
from Harcourt
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
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. 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
My Great-Aunt Arizona
by Gloria Houston
Reprint from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Next Spring An Oriole
Stepping Stones: A Chapter Book
by Gloria Whelan
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
Nory Ryan's Song
by Patricia Reilly Giff
from Yearling
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Old Mother West Wind
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #1
by Thornton W. Burgess
Revised Edition from Dover Publications
Animal Fantasy for 1st-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.00
On the Banks of Plum Creek
Little House Series #4
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Full Color Collector's Edition from HarperCollins
for 3rd-6th grade
1938 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Once a Mouse
by Marcia Brown
2nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1962 Caldecott Medal Winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Paddle-to-the-Sea
by Holling C. Holling
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Caldecott Honor Book
in BFB Holling Geography (Location: HISCUR-BFG)
$13.99
Pagoo
by Holling C. Holling
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic fiction for 3rd-8th grade
in BFB Holling Geography (Location: HISCUR-BFG)
$12.99
Paul Bunyan
by Steven Kellogg
from William Morrow & Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Prince Caspian TOS
Chronicles of Narnia Book 4
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Dover Evergreen Classics
by Kate Douglas Wiggin
from Dover Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
by Kate Douglas Wiggin
from Wordsworth Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Red Fairy Book
by Andrew Lang, editor
from Dover Publications
Fairy Tales for 3rd-8th grade
$14.95
Reluctant Dragon
by Kenneth Grahame
from Holiday House
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.99
Saint George and the Dragon
by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman
from Little, Brown & Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3rd grade
1985 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Sheila Rae, the Brave
by Kevin Henkes
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Sign of the Beaver
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1984 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Silver Chair
Chronicles of Narnia Book 6
by C. S. Lewis, illustrated by Pauline Baynes
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Stranger at Green Knowe
Green Knowe Chronicles Book 4
by L.M. Boston
from Harcourt
Time-traveling fantasy for 3rd-5th grade
1961 Carnegie Medal
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$13.95
Tanglewoods' Secret
by Patricia St. John
2nd edition from Moody Press
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Thanksgiving Story
by Alice Dalgliesh
from Simon and Schuster
Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
1955 Caldecott Honor Book
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$8.99 $5.50 (2 in stock)
Thee, Hannah!
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Herald Press
Realistic Fiction for
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$16.99
These Happy Golden Years
Little House Series #8
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1944 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Three Billy Goats Gruff
by Marcia Brown (illustrator)
from Harcourt
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Thy Friend, Obadiah
by Brinton Turkle
from Beautiful Feet Books
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1970 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.95
Timothy of the Cay
by Theodore Taylor
Reissue from Sandpiper Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$6.99
Tucker's Countryside
by George Selden & Garth Williams
from Square Fish Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Tucker's Countryside
by George Selden; illustrated by Garth Williams
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Understood Betsy
by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
from University Press of New England
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Understood Betsy (abridged)
by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
from Bob Jones University Press
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99
Voyage of the Dawn Treader TOS
Chronicles of Narnia Book 5
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
War Between the Vowels and the Consonants
by Priscilla Turner
from Sunburst Book
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Water Horse
by Dick King-Smith, illustrated by Melissa Manwill
from Yearling
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1964 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.95 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge
by Mem Fox
from Kane Miller
Realistic Fiction for
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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