Why Stories Teach What Lectures Can’t

Posted on by Bob Richley
Ivy-covered stone doorway opening onto a glowing enchanted forest path

The Power of Allegory for Christian Families

Imagine trying to teach a nine-year-old about racism by sitting them down and explaining it directly.

You could talk about history, injustice, fear, and prejudice. Showing them facts and figures could impress them. You could try to explain why it’s wrong and what they should think about it.

And they would nod politely. And nothing would change.

Now imagine a grandmother sitting down with her grandchildren and reading about a white mouse who has spent his whole life teaching his family that black rats are filthy and dangerous — until a flood comes and the rat saves everyone the mouse loves most.

Nobody’s family is on trial. Nobody feels accused. But when the grandmother closes the book and asks, “Why do you think Rhubarb felt the way he did about rats?” — something real begins to happen.

That is the power of allegory.

What Allegory Is — And Why It Works

Direct moral instruction can make children defensive or disengaged. When lectured, we listen with the intent to respond. We get defensive. Rarely are we convinced beyond our preconceived ideas and paradigms.

An allegory teaches lessons through story and removes our natural barriers and defenses.

An allegory is a story with a double meaning. There is a surface narrative about characters and events, and a much deeper meaning about human experience, faith, society, or morality running beneath it. The characters and situations are fictional, but what they represent is entirely real.

Aesop’s Fables is one of the most famous examples of allegory. In the Tortoise and the Hare, two fictional characters race. The slower one wins not because of speed, but because of consistency and determination. The lesson of consistent determination is universal and applicable to life.

According to the American Journal, allegory serves as a valuable tool for facilitating discussions and promoting a deeper understanding of complex subjects.

The article “Talking about Terrible Things: The Craft of Allegory in Children’s Literature” argues that, for younger students who might have difficulty grasping broader themes or topics, allegories can present these ideas in more familiar and relatable contexts.

When a lesson is wrapped in narrative, the brain processes it differently. We have two sides to our brain: the logical, practical side and the emotional side. When processing stories, the emotional side is activated. We experience the story more personally and more memorably than when it’s delivered as a direct proposition. You don’t just understand the idea. You feel it. And what you feel, you remember. Emotions are a powerful teacher.

The Precedent

Before we look at books, it’s worth remembering where allegory comes from.

Jesus repeatedly used narrative and parable to communicate truths that could have been expressed propositionally. Rather than lecture about compassion, he told of a man left dying on a road and the Samaritan who stopped to help. To illuminate forgiveness, he described a father running to welcome his prodigal son home. And instead of defining eternal life, he spoke of a man who found a pearl of great price and sold everything to possess it.

The parable of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son are allegories. Even the seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation carry allegorical dimensions. God has always used story to open doors that lecture cannot.

John Bunyan understood this. His Pilgrim’s Progress — one of the most widely read books in Christian history — follows a character named Christian on a journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Every encounter, every obstacle, every companion is allegorical. Yet millions of readers over three centuries have found themselves in that story in ways no theological treatise could.

Examples of Allegory

The Chronicles of Narnia: Allegory in a Child’s World

C.S. Lewis understood that children think concretely before they think abstractly. You cannot hand a nine-year-old a theology textbook. But you can hand them a story about a great lion who dies on a Stone Table and rises again. They will feel the weight of the cross before they have the vocabulary to name it. They will feel Lucy and Susan’s sadness as they watch Aslan’s sacrifice.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is probably the most famous example. Aslan’s substitutionary death and resurrection mirror Christ’s sacrifice. Edmund’s complete forgiveness reflects divine grace rather than karma or endless guilt. The White Witch tempts Edmund with a sweet treat through small compromises, showing how deception leads to bondage in a way a child can see and feel. Edmund betrays his family much like Judas betrayed Jesus.

Other books in the series

But Lewis didn’t stop there. Every book in the series carries its own allegorical weight:

The Magician’s Nephew explores creation by spoken word and the temptation and fall of man, mirroring Genesis. The Horse and His Boy teaches divine guidance, providence, and the stripping away of human pride. Prince Caspian encourages faith when revival or deliverance seems delayed. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader illustrates spiritual transformation. Eustace is “un-dragoned,” which points toward our inability to save ourselves. The Silver Chair warns believers to hold fast to the Lion’s core command amid distraction. The Last Battle depicts judgment and the transition to Aslan’s Country — heaven itself.

Seven books. Seven doorways into truths that, taught directly, might bounce off a child’s heart. Wrapped in story, they walk in through a different entrance.

In Lewis’ Own Word

Lewis himself said it plainly — and it became the opening words of my own Complete Companion Guide: “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”

He wasn’t writing for children. He was writing about the truth that children and adults share.

The Kingdom Series: Allegory for the Whole Bible

Chuck Black, a Christian fiction author and former F-16 fighter pilot, wrote the six-book Kingdom Series — medieval action allegories that retell the Bible from Genesis to Revelation for ages eight and up. The books are widely used as family read-alouds and homeschool devotionals, with discussion questions tied to Scripture at the back of each volume.

On an episode of Schoolhouse Rocked, host Aby Rinella welcomed Chuck to discuss why making room for doubt and hard questions is essential in Christian homeschool families. Rather than treating a child’s spiritual doubt as a threat, Chuck argued that it can become a doorway to deeper, more personally owned faith.

Chuck’s approach to this is through story. A child who asks hard questions about God while reading an allegory about knights and battles is not in danger — they’re in the safest possible environment to wrestle with what they believe and why.

Chuck and I share the same conviction: the right story can open a door that a direct conversation sometimes can’t.

Redeeming Rhubarb: An Allegory of Mice and Rats

When I set out to write a story about prejudice, I didn’t want to use human characters. If I chose human characters of specific races or ethnicities, readers who didn’t belong to those groups might disengage. They might feel accused, or disconnected, or simply unrepresented. The lesson I wanted to teach would only reach part of the audience it was meant for.

So I chose mice and rats.

I made a deliberate allegorical decision. The same instinct that led C.S. Lewis and Chuck Black to write allegories, led me.

It’s rooted in the Biblical example of Jesus, who tells stories about farmers and fishermen rather than making direct accusations about the Pharisees’ behavior.

By using animals, I removed the human element entirely. A grandmother can sit down with her grandchildren and discuss racism from the perspective of mice and rats without pointing fingers at anyone in the room, to parents or neighbors. The conversation can go where it needs to go. They can discuss fear, prejudice, and what hatred costs the one who holds it without anyone feeling personally attacked.

Reversing Preconceived Notions

I also chose mice and rats specifically to challenge existing biases. Most readers arrive with a pre-formed reaction to each animal. Mice are cute and small and sympathetic. Rats are dirty, dangerous, and feared. I reversed those expectations entirely.

In Redeeming Rhubarb, the rat is the hero — wise, patient, sacrificial, and forgiving. The mouse is the one causing harm, hating, and trying to destroy. That reversal is deliberate. The moment a reader realizes they’ve been rooting for the wrong animal is the moment the allegory does its deepest work — because they begin to ask why they assumed what they assumed, and whether those assumptions extend to people.

How Children Experience a Story

Children experience a story differently than adults do. They don’t analyze it from a distance. Instead, they enter it. They inhabit the characters, feel what the characters feel, and carry those emotions with them long after the book is closed.

In Redeeming Rhubarb, that emotional journey runs through three very different characters. Children will see themselves in each one and feel their emotions.

Barnabas awakens their compassion. He is kind to the very mouse who despises him and forgives when he has every reason not to be. Children who follow Barnabas feel what genuine grace looks like before they have a word for it. They don’t need to be told that loving your enemies is the right thing to do. They watch Barnabas do it, and they feel why it matters.

Strawberry gives children a voice. Her sadness and frustration over her father’s blindness and watching someone she loves refuse to see what is right in front of him is one of the most relatable experiences in the book. Children who have ever known an adult who was wrong about something important will recognize Strawberry’s position immediately. She becomes the reader’s representative inside the story, asking the questions the reader wants to ask.

And Rhubarb brings them closest to the truth about themselves. His prejudice is not cartoonish. It has reasons such as real grief, real wounds, real history. As his hatred brings painful consequences to the family he loves, children feel his growing shame before he does. They see it coming before he can admit it. And when he finally falls to his knees, the relief they feel is not just his — it is theirs. Because Rhubarb is not a villain; he is a broken person who finally lets himself be reached.

That is what allegory accomplishes that a lecture never could. Children don’t just learn about prejudice and forgiveness — they experience them, at a safe distance, inside the lives of a mouse and a rat.

Allegory is a Tool

American Journal states that through symbolic representations and metaphors, readers can approach complex subjects from a new perspective, making them more relatable and accessible. This, in turn, creates a space for dialogue and exploration, enabling readers to engage with the text and share their insights and interpretations.

That is exactly what happens when a family reads Redeeming Rhubarb together. The story is about mice and rats. The conversation is about us.

Why This Matters for Your Family and Homeschool

Research confirms what storytellers and scripture writers have always practiced. Books serve as both mirrors and windows for children — mirrors in which children can see themselves, and windows that widen their world. Allegory amplifies both functions: it gives children a mirror they can look into without feeling exposed, and a window into experiences and moral questions they might otherwise avoid.

Here are three practical ways allegory creates the safe space children need:

  • It removes the personal threat. When the story is about Rhubarb, not about Dad, a child can examine prejudice without the conversation feeling like an accusation. They can disagree with Rhubarb, feel ashamed of Rhubarb, and root for Barnabas — and all of that emotional processing prepares them for the harder conversation about what happens in real life.
  • It invites honest questions. When a child asks “why does Rhubarb hate the rats so much?” they are doing theology without knowing it. They’re asking about the roots of hatred, about inherited fear, about what grief does to a person when it isn’t healed. You can answer that question fully and honestly without anyone in the room feeling implicated or guilty.
  • It makes the lesson stick. Stories can make abstract ideas more memorable and emotionally striking. A child who reads Rhubarb’s story will carry Barnabas’s grace with them long after the book is closed, because they didn’t just learn about forgiveness. They watched it happen, on the page, at real cost, and they felt what it felt like when the walls finally came down.

Where to Start

If you’re looking for allegories to add to your family reading or homeschool curriculum, here are my recommendations in order:

  • The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis — for all ages, start with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
  • The Kingdom Series by Chuck Black — excellent for ages 8 and up, strong for family devotions
  • Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan — the original English-language Christian allegory; several excellent children’s adaptations exist
  • Redeeming Rhubarb by Bob Richley — a middle-grade allegory about prejudice, forgiveness, and redemption, with a free 46-chapter Complete Companion Guide available at bobrichleyauthor.store

For more recommendations, see this curated list from a homeschooler: Top 10 Christian Allegory Books & Series for Kids and Teens

The safe space your child needs to wrestle with the hardest questions isn’t a classroom or a lecture. It’s a story. Give them a good one, and then sit down with them and see where it goes.

Resources:

Free Redeeming Rhubarb resources — discussion guides, unit studies, grammar supplements, and the Complete Companion Guide — are available free at bobrichleyauthor.store.

Chuck Black’s Kingdom Series is available at chuckblack.com and wherever Christian books are sold.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis is available wherever books are sold.

Swiss Family Robinson: Turning an Impossible Island Into Learning

Posted on by Bob Richley
Illustration of a tropical village with sailing ship, huts, farmers, and gardens

A story doesn’t have to be scientifically or historically perfect to be educational. Sometimes the very things that are unrealistic about a story give us opportunities to ask better questions.

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss is the story of a shipwrecked family that builds a new life on a remote island.

Set in the late 1700s, the story follows Robinson, his wife Elizabeth, and their four sons—Fritz, Ernest, Jack, and Franz. While traveling toward Australia, their ship is wrecked in a violent storm. The crew escapes in lifeboats and is never seen again, leaving the family stranded aboard the shattered vessel.

Fortunately, the wreck is wedged between rocks within sight of land. The family has enough time to fashion a makeshift canoe and reach the nearby island. They establish a temporary camp on the beach and make repeated trips back to the wreckage to gather supplies they will need to survive.

From there, the adventure really begins.

The family explores the island, builds a bridge across a stream, hunts for food, and eventually moves away from the hot beach to a shady grove where they construct a treehouse. They discover a small sailing vessel packed inside the ship’s hold and put it to use.

Along the way, the father teaches his sons about the plants and animals they encounter. The family works together, solves problems, gives thanks to God, and gradually creates a remarkable new life.

And there is one other remarkable thing about the island.

Almost none of it makes sense.

There Is a Problem with the Island

Could an island really contain all the plants and animals found in The Swiss Family Robinson?

Probably not.

Could a family really build and accomplish everything the Robinsons do?

That’s questionable, too.

The island described by Wyss couldn’t exist as presented.

Kangaroos, flamingos, buffalo, penguins, monkeys, and other animals from very different parts of the world somehow find themselves living together on the same tropical island. Animals that belong to completely different parts of the world appear together as though the island were a floating Noah’s Ark.

The geography doesn’t work.

The ecosystem doesn’t work.

And the engineering is exaggerated, too.

Critics have been pointing out these problems for a long time. The inaccuracies aren’t limited to natural history. Scholars have also noted problems with the book’s geography and seamanship. Captain Frederick Marryat was so bothered by what he considered the book’s implausibility that he later wrote Masterman Ready, in part as an alternative to Wyss’s version of the shipwreck adventure.

So should we throw The Swiss Family Robinson away?

I don’t think so.

In fact, I think the very things that make the story unrealistic can make it a wonderful starting point for learning.

When an Impossible Island Becomes a Classroom

Wyss was a Swiss pastor, and the story began as an educational project for his family. He wasn’t simply trying to entertain his sons with a great adventure.

He was trying to teach them.

That helps explain the remarkable variety of plants, animals, natural resources, and practical problems the Robinson family encounters.

Wyss sacrificed geographical accuracy for educational opportunity.

He created an island where his fictional family could encounter an astonishing variety of plants and animals, giving the father figure opportunities to teach his sons about nature, science, and the practical uses of the world around them.

In other words, the island isn’t really a geography lesson.

It’s a classroom disguised as an adventure story.

And that distinction matters.

What Can We Learn by Asking, “Could They Really Do That?”

When we read Swiss Family Robinson with our children, we don’t have to accept everything in the story as fact.

Instead, we can ask questions.

  • Could that really happen?
    • Then look it up.
  • Would that animal really live there?
    • Find a map.
  • Would that plant grow in that climate?
    • Research it.
  • How did they build that?
    • Try to figure it out.
  • Could we build one?
    • Now we’re doing engineering.
  • What would we need to survive?
    • Now we’re doing mathematics and science.
  • How would they preserve that food without refrigeration?
    • Now we’re talking about chemistry, biology, and practical science.
  • How would they navigate from one part of the island to another?
    • Now we’re learning geography and navigation.

The original story contains discussions involving botany, zoology, geography, agriculture, food preservation, animal husbandry, construction, tools, navigation, hunting, fishing, manufacturing, weather, astronomy, and practical problem-solving.

Literary scholar David Blamires points out that part of the book’s enduring appeal was its combination of adventure and discovery with a father’s instruction in botany, zoology, and geography.

And something else happens in the story that I find particularly valuable. The father isn’t simply a walking encyclopedia. Sometimes he knows the answer. Sometimes he has to investigate. And sometimes he admits that he doesn’t know.

That’s a wonderful lesson for parents.

We don’t have to know everything.

We can learn alongside our children.

  • The family observes.
  • They ask questions.
  • They experiment.
  • They make mistakes.
  • They investigate.
  • They learn.

And that’s a wonderful model for family reading.

The Father as Teacher

One of the most interesting aspects of The Swiss Family Robinson is the role of the father. He isn’t merely trying to keep his family alive. He’s trying to prepare his sons to live. That means teaching them practical skills, but it also means teaching them how to think.

  • When they encounter something unfamiliar, he encourages them to examine it.
  • When they face a problem, they work toward a solution.
  • When they make mistakes, there are consequences.
  • And when something goes well, the family gives thanks.

That last part is important. Wyss was a minister. He made sure to give God the glory and praise for his provision.

The book isn’t simply about survival.

It’s about how a family should live.

Wyss’s original work had a strongly didactic and religious purpose. The story emphasizes work, cooperation, self-reliance, moral responsibility, gratitude, and faith. The Robinsons aren’t simply trying to conquer the island. They are learning how to live responsibly within God’s creation. That makes the story much more than an adventure. It becomes an opportunity to talk about character.

When Books Get It Wrong—and Still Get It Right

This brings me to something I believe strongly about children’s books.

A book doesn’t have to be a textbook to teach.

Sometimes a fictional story can teach us how to think about a subject better than a textbook can. A textbook can tell a child that a particular animal lives in a particular part of the world. A story can make a child wonder why. A textbook can explain how a pulley works. A story can make a child want to build one. A textbook can describe an ecosystem. A story can make a child stop and ask, “Wait a minute. Could all those animals really live together?”

That’s where learning begins.

The book doesn’t have to provide every answer.

Sometimes its greatest value is that it gives us a question worth answering.

When we read The Swiss Family Robinson together, we can stop occasionally and say:

“I’m not sure that’s possible. Let’s find out.”

That simple sentence can change the way a child reads. Reading becomes investigation. Curiosity becomes research. A story becomes a science experiment. A fictional island becomes a geography lesson. A construction project becomes an engineering problem. And a conversation between a father and his sons becomes an opportunity to talk about faith, responsibility, courage, and character.

The book can serve as the beginning of the lesson rather than its end.

Stories Give Us Something to Talk About

This is one of the reasons I believe so strongly in reading with children. The most valuable part of a book may not be the last page. It may be the conversation that happens after you close the book.

  • “What did you think?”
  • “Would you have done that?”
  • “Was that a good decision?”
  • “Why do you think he did that?”
  • “Do you think that would really work?”
  • “What does the Bible say about that?”

Those questions turn reading into something more than entertainment. They turn it into a shared experience. And that is something children need.

  • They need opportunities to wonder.
  • They need opportunities to question.
  • They need opportunities to discover that they don’t have to accept every claim simply because they read it in a book.
  • They also need adults who are willing to sit beside them and say: “Let’s find out.”

From Swiss Family Robinson to Redeeming Rhubarb

This idea is also one of the reasons I wrote Redeeming Rhubarb.

My book is very different from The Swiss Family Robinson, but their underlying purposes are similar.

I believe stories can give families something to talk about.

The Swiss Family Robinson can lead to conversations about nature, science, geography, engineering, responsibility, work, faith, and family cooperation.

Redeeming Rhubarb can lead to conversations about prejudice, fear, forgiveness, kindness, and the choices we make when we encounter people who are different from us.

Neither book is meant to replace a textbook. Neither book is meant to replace Scripture. Instead, a story can open a door.

  • It can make a child curious.
  • It can allow a parent to ask a question.
  • It can bring an abstract idea to life in a character we have come to know.
  • And sometimes that makes a difficult subject easier to discuss.

That’s what I hope Redeeming Rhubarb does for families.

  • Not simply entertain children.
  • Not simply teach them a lesson.
  • But give parents and children something worth talking about.

Don’t Just Give a Child a Book

Maybe that’s the real lesson I take from The Swiss Family Robinson.

Don’t just give a child a book.

Read it with them.

  • Ask questions.
  • Look things up.
  • Challenge assumptions.
  • Try things.
  • Let them wonder.

Let children discover that sometimes the book gets something wrong—and that discovering the mistake can be just as educational as getting the answer right.

And when the story raises questions about character, responsibility, relationships, or faith, don’t rush past those questions either.

  • Stop.
  • Talk.
  • Listen.

Connect the story to the real world. And, when appropriate, connect it to God’s Word. Because a good book doesn’t have to contain everything a child needs to learn. Sometimes it only needs to give them the desire to learn more.

A story doesn’t have to be perfect to be valuable.

The island in The Swiss Family Robinson may be impossible. The adventures may stretch credibility. Engineering may occasionally make us shake our heads. But the questions it can inspire are very real.

And sometimes the best education begins with a child looking up from a book and asking:

“Could they really do that?”

The answer might be no.

But the learning that follows could be very real indeed.

Sources & Further Reading

The Science and History Behind The Swiss Family Robinson

Harvard Gazette — “The Swiss Family Robinson”


Harvard evolutionary biologist Hopi Hoekstra discusses the book’s enduring appeal while pointing out its biological problem: the island’s collection of animals—including flamingos, kangaroos, and buffalo—could not occur together naturally, either in the East Indies or anywhere else on Earth. She also notes the story’s emphasis on optimism, perseverance, and teamwork.

Read the Harvard Gazette article

University of California — Scholarly dissertation on The Swiss Family Robinson


This scholarly study provides particularly useful historical context. It explains that Wyss shaped the island into an educational environment, deliberately assembling an abundance of exotic plants and animals so that encounters with them could become opportunities for instruction. It also discusses Captain Frederick Marryat’s criticism of the book’s liberties with natural history.

Read the University of California study (PDF)

David Blamires — “The Swiss Family Robinson,” in Telling Tales: The Impact of Germany on English Children’s Books 1780–1918


Literary scholar David Blamires examines the book’s place in children’s literature and describes its appeal as a combination of adventure, danger, and discovery with paternal instruction in botany, zoology, and geography. He also describes the Robinson family’s island as an educational rather than geographically realistic setting.

Read the chapter through JSTOR

Cambridge University Press — Children’s Books in English


This scholarly reference provides historical context for the Robinsonade adventure tradition and notes that Captain Frederick Marryat was irritated by Johann David Wyss’s inaccuracies in natural history, geography, and seamanship. Marryat subsequently wrote Masterman Ready (1841).

Read the Cambridge University Press excerpt (PDF)

Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction


This reference work places Swiss Family Robinson within the adventure-fiction tradition and provides useful examples of the extraordinary variety of animals and other elements found in the story. It is helpful for seeing just how far Wyss’s fictional island departs from a realistic ecosystem.

Read the Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction (PDF)

Journal of Biogeography — Island Biogeography


For readers interested in the science behind the problem, this scientific literature explains how isolation, dispersal, colonization, competition, and extinction shape the plants and animals found on islands. It provides useful background for understanding why an isolated tropical island could not simply contain animals from widely separated parts of the world.

Read the Journal of Biogeography article

A Reader’s Perspective

iNaturalist Forum — “Does your nature knowledge spoil fiction?”
This discussion offers a more informal, reader-oriented look at the biological problems in The Swiss Family Robinson. Participants point out the story’s geographically improbable mixture of plants and animals. While this is not an authoritative scientific source, it provides an interesting example of how modern readers recognize the same tension between storytelling and natural history.

Read the iNaturalist discussion

Truth, Fiction, and Storytelling

Barbara Kingsolver — Author’s Website
Kingsolver discusses the relationship between factual accuracy and invention in fiction, including how writers use real places while exercising creative freedom. Her discussion provides useful context for thinking about the larger question of how much factual accuracy we should expect from a fictional story.

Read Barbara Kingsolver’s discussion of fact and fiction

The Original Story

Project Gutenberg — The Swiss Family Robinson
For readers who want to explore the story itself, Project Gutenberg provides a freely accessible version of the text. Reading the original makes it possible to see firsthand how frequently the family’s adventures become opportunities for the father to explain nature, science, practical skills, and other subjects to his sons.

Read The Swiss Family Robinson at Project Gutenberg

5 Children’s Books That Teach Important Life Values

Posted on by Bob Richley
Open The Secret of Eldritch Forest, Holy Bible, and BOOKWORM mug

Why Teach Values Through Literature?

Stories are a beautiful way to teach valuable lessons. Stories take away our defenses because events are happening to fictional characters. We are pulled into the events and feel for the characters. When we do, the characters can teach us through the consequences of their actions. It gives us a chance to learn from their mistakes without us making them ourselves.

A child may resist a lecture about honesty, courage, forgiveness, or kindness. But let that same child encounter a character who lies, and suddenly the child has an opportunity to see where dishonesty leads.

We can ask, “Was that a good choice?”

The child isn’t being lectured. We’re talking about a character in a story.

Then we can ask, “What would you have done?”

Now we’re talking about the child’s own values.

That is the power of literature. Stories create a safe place to wrestle with difficult questions.

Jesus understood the power of stories. Much of His teaching came through parables. Rather than simply telling people what to believe, He often placed them inside a story and allowed them to wrestle with its meaning.

Children can learn in the same way.

Criteria for Selecting Children’s Books

When choosing books to teach lessons, I prefer to look at the classics. They are timeless, and the lessons are often invaluable. Because these books have stood the test of time, we know the stories have entertained children over generations, and the lessons haven’t grown outdated.

Many of the classics also contain Christian values, sometimes because of the Christian culture in which they were written. Heidi, for example, contains themes of forgiveness and redemption. Heidi’s love helps restore her grandfather, and the story even draws on the biblical story of the Prodigal Son.

The Swiss Family Robinson was written by Johann David Wyss, whose story follows a family relying on God’s provision as they survive on a deserted island. The family regularly gives thanks to God for what He provides.

These stories weren’t written as children’s sermons. That’s part of what makes them so useful.

The story comes first. The lesson emerges from the story.

If you choose newer books, do a little research. Read the book yourself or read reliable summaries and reviews. Ask:

  • What lessons are being taught?
  • What choices do the characters make?
  • What happens as a result of those choices?
  • What values does the story celebrate?
  • Do those values align with our family’s values?
  • More importantly, do they align with Scripture?

Not every book will teach everything we want our children to learn. That’s okay. We don’t need every story to be perfect. We need to be intentional about what we put in front of our children and prepared to discuss what they encounter.

Don’t Just Read the Story—Discuss It

Reading the book is only the beginning.

One of my favorite ways to teach values through literature is to ask questions after—or sometimes even during—the story.

What did the character do?

Why did he do it?

Was it a good choice?

How did that choice affect other people?

What would you have done?

Has anything like that ever happened to you?

What does the Bible say about this?

These questions turn reading into a conversation.

I don’t want my children merely to know that a character made a good or bad choice. I want them to understand why it was good or bad and to begin thinking about how they would respond in a similar situation.

That distinction matters.

I’m not simply trying to give my children a list of rules. I want to help them develop the ability to recognize truth, evaluate choices, understand consequences, and make wise decisions when I’m not there to tell them what to do.

Five Classics, Five Opportunities to Teach Values

Treasure Island — Integrity and Courage

Jim Hawkins finds himself surrounded by people who are deceptive, selfish, and willing to betray others to get what they want. Yet Jim repeatedly has opportunities to choose courage and loyalty rather than simply looking out for himself.

That allows parents to ask, “What would you do if doing the right thing put you in danger?” Is courage the absence of fear, or doing what is right even when we’re afraid?

Heidi — Forgiveness and Redemption

Heidi provides a beautiful picture of how love and forgiveness can transform a hardened heart. Heidi’s grandfather has withdrawn from society because of bitterness and painful experiences. Heidi doesn’t lecture him into changing. Her presence, love, and childlike faith help soften his heart and reconnect him with others.

The story can lead to questions such as: Can love change someone? Is it possible to forgive someone who has hurt us? What happens when we refuse to forgive?

Heidi reads the story of the Prodigal Son to her grandfather, and it impacts him. He thought he was unworthy of love, but through this story and Heidi’s own love, he sees that redemption is possible.

A Little Princess — Character When Circumstances Change

Sara Crewe’s circumstances change dramatically. She goes from living a privileged life at boarding school to becoming a servant after her father dies and his fortune disappears.

Yet Sara tries to maintain her kindness, imagination, generosity, and dignity even when she has almost nothing.

That raises an important question for our children: Who are you when you don’t get what you want?

It is easy to be kind when life is going well. Sara shows us that character is revealed when circumstances become difficult.

Sara sacrifices for someone else, giving a beggar food when she is hungry herself. It’s easy to be generous when you have much, but much harder when you have little. Sara demonstrates true character and generosity, giving out of her own need, much like the Biblical story of the Widow’s Mite. Jesus commended a widow who gave all she had, while others gave from their abundance.

The Secret Garden — Transformation

Mary Lennox begins the story as a selfish, unpleasant, and lonely child. Through friendship, responsibility, nature, and caring for the secret garden, she begins to change.

The transformation is one of the most valuable lessons in the book: people can change.

Parents can ask, “Why was Mary unhappy at the beginning?” What caused her to change? Who helped her change? Can we choose to become different people?

The garden itself provides a wonderful picture for children. Something neglected and seemingly dead can be cared for until life begins to appear again.

That can open a conversation about our own hearts. What happens when we nurture something good? What happens when we neglect it?

Pollyanna — Gratitude and Choosing Joy

Pollyanna’s “glad game” can be more than just a cute idea for children. It can become a conversation about gratitude and perspective. Pollyanna doesn’t pretend that bad things aren’t bad. She chooses to look for something good even in difficult circumstances.

Parents can ask, “Does being grateful mean pretending everything is good?” What’s the difference between gratitude and ignoring problems? How can looking for something good change the way we respond to difficult circumstances?

This connects beautifully with Paul’s instruction to give thanks in all circumstances. Pollyanna gives children a story-based way to begin thinking about what that might look like.

The “glad game” was based on rejoicing scriptures. It was taught by Pollyanna’s missionary father, who counted more than 800 references to rejoicing and gladness in the Bible.

Stories Give Children Something to Remember

These books illustrate why I prefer teaching values through stories. I could tell my children, “Be courageous.” But Jim Hawkins gives them a picture of courage. I could tell them, “Forgive people.” Heidi gives them a picture of forgiveness and redemption. I could tell them, “Character matters more than circumstances.” Sara Crewe gives them a picture of that truth. I could tell them, “People can change.” Mary Lennox gives them a picture of transformation. I could tell them, “Be grateful.” Pollyanna gives them a picture of choosing gratitude and joy.

The story gives the lesson a face.

Years later, a child may not remember the lecture we gave about courage. But they may remember Jim Hawkins.

They may not remember everything we said about forgiveness. But they may remember Heidi and her grandfather.

That’s the beauty of literature. A story gives children something to remember when the lesson becomes necessary.

Stories create a safe place for children to wrestle with difficult questions.

Choose Books With Imperfect Characters

Perfect characters aren’t very interesting—and they’re not very useful for teaching children.

Children need to see characters who make mistakes, struggle with temptation, become afraid, get angry, make selfish choices, and sometimes make things right.

Why?

Because children make mistakes too.

When a child sees a character struggle with jealousy, fear, pride, dishonesty, or selfishness, the child can recognize something of himself in that character. The story gives us a way to talk about those struggles without immediately making the conversation personal.

“What do you think she should have done?”

is sometimes a much easier question for a child to answer than:

“Why did you do that?”

Stories allow us to approach difficult character issues indirectly. Then, once the child begins thinking about the character, the conversation can naturally move toward real life.

Look for Consequences

One of the most valuable things stories can show children is that choices have consequences.

  • A character lies and loses someone’s trust.
  • A character is selfish and loses a friendship.
  • A character shows courage and protects someone vulnerable.
  • A character forgives and begins to restore a broken relationship.
  • A character refuses to give up and eventually succeeds.

These consequences help children understand that character isn’t just about following rules. Our choices affect other people.

And sometimes stories show something even more important: doing the right thing doesn’t always produce an immediate reward.

A character may sacrifice something and suffer because of it. A character may forgive someone who doesn’t deserve forgiveness. A character may tell the truth even when lying would be easier.

Those are opportunities to talk about biblical values that go deeper than “good choices lead to good things.”

Connect the Story to Scripture

As a Christian parent, I don’t want to stop with the moral of the story.

Does the story echo something Scripture teaches?

  • A story about sacrifice can lead us to talk about Christ.
  • A story about forgiveness can lead us to the Lord’s Prayer.
  • A story about loving an enemy can lead us to Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:44.
  • A story about courage can lead us to Joshua 1:9.
  • A story about caring for someone who is hurting can lead us to the Good Samaritan.
  • The story gives us a bridge.

We can start with the character and eventually arrive at Scripture.

But there is an important caution here: we shouldn’t force a biblical lesson into every story.

Sometimes a story teaches something that doesn’t completely align with Scripture. Sometimes it teaches a mixture of truth and error. That’s not necessarily a reason to throw the book away.

It may be an opportunity for an even better conversation.

We can say, “The character did this, but what does the Bible say about that?”

Now our children aren’t simply absorbing a message from a book. They are learning to compare what they encounter with God’s Word.

Create a Reading Routine

Choose a regular time to read with your kids.

We often read as part of the bedtime routine. Keep it as regular as you can.

It doesn’t have to be elaborate. You don’t need a special reading chair or an hour of uninterrupted time. Even fifteen or twenty minutes can become an important part of family life.

When our children were younger, we would snuggle together and read. Sometimes we read only one book. Other times, we’d read a few or even the same one again.

One of my favorite family memories is reading Charlotte’s Web together, a chapter at a time. We weren’t simply completing a book. We were sharing an experience.

That’s what I want parents to remember.

The goal isn’t to get through more books. The goal is to let good books get into our children.

Make Reading a Conversation

Don’t feel like you have to interrupt every page with a question. Sometimes the best thing you can do is enjoy the story together.

But when a natural opportunity appears, take it.

If a character makes an interesting choice, pause.

If something surprises your child, ask what they think.

If your child becomes angry at a character, ask why.

If your child admires someone, ask what they admire about that person.

And listen.

The conversation may go somewhere you didn’t expect.

That’s okay.

In fact, that’s often the best part.

Our children are developing their own understanding of right and wrong. We have the privilege of helping them think through those ideas while they are still young and while they still want to talk with us.

Let Stories Become Part of Family Life

Over time, something wonderful happens when you read this way.

Stories become shorthand for values.

You may encounter a situation in everyday life and say, “Remember what happened to Sara?”

Or, “That reminds me of what Charlotte did for Wilbur.”

Or, “What would Heidi do?”

The story has moved beyond the pages of the book. It has become part of your family’s shared language.

That is one of the reasons I love teaching values through literature.

We can’t always be beside our children when they face difficult choices. We can’t always tell them what to do.

But we can give them stories that help them recognize courage when they see it, understand compassion when it is needed, recognize selfishness when it tempts them, and remember that forgiveness is possible.

A good story doesn’t simply entertain a child. It gives a child a picture of who they can become.

Start With One Book

You don’t need to build a huge library.

Choose one good book.

Read it together.

Talk about the characters.

Ask questions.

Listen to your child’s answers.

Look for opportunities to connect the story to Scripture and to everyday life.

Then pick up another book.

Over the years, those stories will accumulate—not just on the bookshelf, but in your child’s imagination and character.

And someday, when your child faces a difficult choice, you may not be there to answer.

But perhaps a story will be.

And perhaps, through that story, your child will remember something you talked about together.

That is why teaching values through literature is worth the time.

We aren’t just raising children who know how to read. We’re helping raise people who know how to live.

Behind Redeeming Rhubarb: Prejudice, Empathy, and the Story Behind the Story

Posted on by Bob Richley
Woman leading a donkey across a forest bridge with a dog and cat

When we see someone acting with anger, cruelty, or prejudice, it’s easy to judge what we see. It’s harder to ask why. What happened in that person’s life? What fears, hurts, or beliefs shaped the way they see others? Understanding the answer doesn’t excuse bad behavior, but it can change the way we respond to it.

That idea is at the heart of Redeeming Rhubarb. Rhubarb’s prejudice didn’t come from nowhere. Strawberry has to decide whether to accept what her father taught her or look for herself. Bart has to decide how to respond to two boys who are cruel to animals. And throughout the story, characters repeatedly face the choice between judging an enemy and trying to understand one.

Those same questions matter outside the pages of a novel—especially for parents raising children in a divided world.

Recently, I was asked some thoughtful questions about Redeeming Rhubarb: Why did I choose mice and rats? Why did I give Rhubarb a painful reason for his prejudice? What can children see that adults sometimes miss? How much grief and hardship can middle-grade readers handle? What actually changes a cruel child? And what should parents do when their child repeats something hurtful they’ve learned from someone else?

Below are my answers. I hope they spark more meaningful discussions and provide more insight into the novel’s purpose.

You could have written this book about people. Why mice and rats — and why make the bigot the white mouse and the rescuer the black rat?

I wanted to remove the human element to make it more acceptable to my audience. If I chose specific races, others not included may not relate. By using mice and rats, I could keep the story universal while avoiding that problem.

I intentionally chose rats and mice to challenge readers’ existing biases about specific animals and help them recognize how quickly we form a judgment.

Rats are often seen as dirty, disgusting disease spreaders. We think of the bubonic plague spread by rats. In fiction, they are often portrayed as causing havoc, as in Templeton in Charlotte’s Web. While mice are often the good guys in cartoons and books. Think of Repacheep or Mickey Mouse. We often think of cute white mice as a pet.

In the book, I open with those preconceived ideas. Rats break into a home to steal food. Cute mice are having fun playing games and celebrating a birthday. Then I start to break down those notions by showing the rats are hungry and apologetic, while the mouse is loud and vindictive.

In my story, the rat is the hero who rescues, is wise, and sacrifices. The mouse is the one causing harm, trying to destroy, and hating. That reversal is meant to challenge readers’ expectations.

You spent three years as an evangelical Christian living in a lesbian community, having the conversations most people avoid. What did that teach you about how prejudice comes apart?

While I lived in that community, we got to know one another as people and became friends. We camped together, ate together, and played together. I went to parties to have fun and celebrate. All that helped prejudice come apart.

I watched documentaries and movies to understand better their point of view, which also helped me see them as people.

That’s how prejudice comes apart: when we see people as people, not a label.

That experience helped shape one of the ideas behind Redeeming Rhubarb: understanding someone doesn’t require agreeing with them. It requires being willing to see the person behind the label. I later expressed that idea in a poem I called “The Other Side.”

For convictions, we fight
so confident we are right.
Anger and aggression
without pausing to question
the pretexts of our certitude.
Rigid in our attitude.
It’s time we look inside
rather than trying to hide.
The fault and failure lie within
over our own self-centered sin.
Cease blaming others and God!
Let go of the deceptive facade!
Examine and evaluate,
consider convictions to abdicate.
Seek first to comprehend
what enemies apprehend.
Replace anger and apprehension
with charity and comprehension.

Rhubarb isn’t a cartoon villain — he lost a brother to rats. How important was it that his prejudice start from a real wound?

Stephen Covey tells a story of a man whose unruly children are disrupting a quiet subway car. When Covey asks the father to control them, the man replies blankly that they just left the hospital where their mother died. Covey’s perspective instantly shifts from annoyance to deep empathy. We all have a back story, and when you know it, you can understand why a person does or says what they do.

I tell my girls that people who bully or are mean are often hurting inside. We don’t know what goes on in their home. When I was in the 3rd grade, my teacher had a bully step out of the room, and we talked about what he did and why. The teacher explained that he may be hurting and ashamed. That stuck with me.

Knowing why Rhubarb hates rats helps us relate to him and understand his actions. It doesn’t make what he does right, but it does help us comprehend and sympathize.

You lived through the 2013 Boulder flood. What did you see then that ended up in the book?

I remember a road with a raised crack shaped like an upside-down “V”. That memory is in the book. There were signs of people volunteering to help neighbors whose homes were damaged and people helping to repair trails. I, myself, volunteered to help clean our church’s flooded basement and lost my wedding ring in the process. I put that volunteer spirit in the book. Some homes were damaged and others missed, so I put Bart’s apartment near where I lived because our home was not damaged.

Strawberry is the moral engine of the book, and she’s a kid. What do children see about their parents’ prejudices that the parents don’t?

Do you ever watch young kids play? Young children may notice differences, but those differences don’t necessarily determine whom they’ll play with. They see another kid—a potential playmate. I don’t think that prejudice is instinctive. I think it is learned.

Kids can also show a remarkable openness and empathy. They’ve not built up walls to protect their feelings as adults have, so that they can feel and understand each other better.

Rhubarb drinks. Strawberry loses a leg. A character dies. How did you decide how much a middle-grade reader can carry?

Reading With Your Kids put it this way in their review:

One of the greatest strengths of Redeeming Rhubarb is that it trusts young readers with complex ideas.

The book tackles racism, stereotypes, addiction, grief, courage, family loyalty, forgiveness, sacrifice, and faith without becoming preachy. Instead, these themes naturally emerge through the lives of memorable animal characters.

Kids go through much and are more resilient than we realize. I’ve seen children’s resilience firsthand. My late aunt grew up with an abusive, alcoholic father—my grandfather—and I’ve worked with children from broken homes who were carrying burdens adults sometimes underestimate.

That doesn’t mean children should be overwhelmed with darkness. It means we shouldn’t assume they are incapable of wrestling with difficult realities.

My daughters have watched movies and read books where the main character dies. They feel for the character. The tragedy impacts them.

I decided to make the characters go through tragedy so readers will feel and be impacted. However, I didn’t make Rhubarb a mean drunk because I didn’t want to scare the kids, so I did set limits. I also wanted the characters to be relatable. Life is not rainbows and sunshine. Characters are not all good and all bad. So I put the characters in difficult situations and show both the good and bad sides of each.

Bart’s nephews arrive, shooting kittens with foam darts, and leave, feeding one with a dropper. What actually changes a cruel kid?

I have Bart speak sternly to his nephews but not yell. To children, we are towering giants. If we yell and scream, a child will be terrified. Even if we speak gently but look down upon them, they can be intimidated and fearful. Imagine being three feet tall and having someone twice your size standing over you, angry, pointing a finger, and raising his voice. That’s what we can look like to a young child. So Bart doesn’t yell because yelling won’t change them. I wrote in depth about this in another blog.

I have Bart make them work hard. Work does something to us. It gives us purpose and satisfaction. I also have Bart let the boys feel what it is like to feed the kittens and play with the dogs. They experience the warmth and joy of doing good. That teaches more than words can.

As I point out often in the book, we need to understand why someone behaves as they do. Bart inherently understood his nephews, and I bring that out by showing his thoughts.

Bart also doesn’t lecture. He asks questions and lets his nephews answer. This prompts them to consider which is better: being cruel or being kind.

I believe that’s how you change a cruel kid.

A parent hears their child repeat something ugly they picked up at school. Based on this book, what
should happen next in that house?

This should be a conversation starter, not a time for a lecture. We need to understand what happened and why. We need to ask our child why they think another child behaved as they did, to consider what may be happening in the life of the one who did or said something ugly. I give some insights into having those difficult discussions in this blog.

Conclusion

Redeeming Rhubarb was never meant to be a book that children simply finish and put back on the shelf. I wrote it to start conversations—about prejudice, forgiveness, choices, consequences, and what can happen when we’re willing to look beyond a label and understand the person on the other side. As Reading With Your Kids put it:

Some books entertain.

Some books teach.

And every once in a while, a book quietly challenges readers—children and adults alike—to examine the assumptions they carry in their own hearts.

Redeeming Rhubarb is one of those rare books.

To help families continue those conversations, I’ve created a free companion guide to Redeeming Rhubarb with chapter-by-chapter questions and activities.

Let’s keep the discussion going.

Extracting Biblical Truths from Children’s Literature

Posted on by Bob Richley
Mother and young boy reading a children's Bible book together at a wooden table

Intro

  • While reading Heidi with my wife, I was struck by the Biblical Lessons. I noticed that other classics such as The Swiss Family Robinson, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and To Kill a Mockingbird were filled with obvious Christian themes.
  • Stories — even secular ones — often carry echoes of biblical truth, and parents can use them as a bridge into deeper spiritual conversation. It’s as if the DNA for all great stories is in biblical truths of sacrifice, love, and redemption.
  • C.S. Lewis himself was converted when he noticed the most beloved Myths and Fables had Christian themes. C.S. Lewis famously concluded that Christianity was the ultimate “true myth”. He didn’t just notice Christian themes in favorite fables; he realized that Christ was the historical fulfillment of the deep, recurring themes and longings found in all ancient myths and stories.

Why Stories Are a Natural Bridge to Scripture

  • Jesus taught in parables — stories were his primary teaching method.
    • Jesus taught in parables to hide the meaning from those who would not want to understand
    • He explained it privately to his disciples.
    • He used common experiences understood in that culture, such as farming, shepherding, and traveling on foot over dangerous roads.
  • Kids grasp abstract truths (grace, sacrifice, courage) more easily through narrative than direct teaching.
    • Princeton researchers found that the brains of storytellers and listeners mirror each other, making an emotion or concept feel deeply personal.
  • Stories translate vague theories into tangible scenarios that are relatable to children. For example, rather than explaining how we should love our enemies, a narrative about a rat who loves a mouse who hates him brings that idea to life.

How to “Extract” a Bible Lesson from Any Story
A repeatable method, parallel to your “Questions You Can Ask” section:

  • Identify the character’s choice — what did they do, and why?
  • Ask what the story values (courage, sacrifice, forgiveness, honesty)
  • Find the Scripture or Biblical truth that echoes it
    • You can find an example here.
  • Ask your child to connect the dots themselves before you say it.

Examples From Children’s Literature I’ve Read

  • Charlotte’s Web
    • Charlotte shows sacrificial love.
      • Charlotte works hard to save Wilbur’s life.
      • Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13
  • A Little Princess
    • Sara Crewe masters dignity under pressure and kindness as a choice by treating her nobility of spirit as an inner reality rather than an external circumstance. When stripped of her wealth and abused, she proves that true grace comes from choosing compassion over cruelty, even when no one is watching.
    • This serves as an example of what Paul wrote in Philippians 2:5-8.
  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
    • Aslan shows substitutionary redemption by giving his life for Edmund, who betrayed his family. This parallels Jesus’ sacrifice for our redemption.
    • The family and Aslan show Edmund unconditional forgiveness.
  • Heidi
    • The obvious one was the story of the Prodigal Son that Heidi read to Grandfather and eventually led to his redemption.
    • Heidi learns contentment even when she is taken from her Grandfather’s home, which is a good example of applying Paul’s lesson in Philippians 4:11-13
    • When Heidi is deeply homesick in Frankfurt, the grandmother teaches her to cry out directly to God when she has a sorrow she cannot share with anyone else. This points directly to the biblical instruction in Philippians 4:6 to bring all requests to God.
    • Here’s a nice outline of other hidden Themes in Heidi
  • Redeeming Rhubarb
    • Based on Matthew 5:44, where Jesus tells us to love our enemies.
    • Rhubarb, the mouse hates Barnabas, the rat, simply because Rhubarb hates rats. Barnabas shows nothing but kindness to Rhubarb and his family, even risking his own life.
  • You can find gurther examples in this blog.

A Caution: Not Forcing It

  • A Caution: Not Forcing It
    • Not every lesson in a children’s book lines up with Scripture. Some come close but teach something subtly different — and that gap is actually a gift, not a problem, if we know how to use it. Some teach lessons contrary to Scripture, and I want my kids to know that. What I dislike about Frances Hodgson Burnett’s books is that she often refers to “magic” rather than the Holy Spirit of God. Chronicles of Narnia also uses “deep magic,” but it is an allegory where things like “magic” actually represent something Biblical. Even Christian books can miss the mark. When my kids were little, I read a book that was a gospel presentation, but it missed a key component of the Gospel: repentance. I inserted this word when I read it and pointed out its absence to my kids.
    • Take the “good things happen to good people” theme. It shows up constantly in children’s stories: the kind character gets rewarded, the selfish one learns a lesson and reforms, the story wraps up neatly with virtue paying off. It’s not a bad message — kindness should be encouraged. But it’s not the gospel. It’s karma dressed up as morality. Scripture teaches something harder and better: grace. God’s love and rescue aren’t earned by good behavior. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Grace runs in the opposite direction of “be good and good things will happen to you.” It says good things happened to us even though we were nowhere near good.
    • I don’t think we need to avoid these books. I think we need to notice the gap out loud, with our kids.
  • This builds discernment, not just pattern-matching
    • If we only ever point out where a story lines up with the Bible, our kids learn a kind of pattern-matching — “this is like that verse” — without learning to actually think critically about what a story is teaching. But if we also point out where a story almost gets it right but doesn’t, we’re teaching them something more valuable: how to test what they read and watch against Scripture for the rest of their lives, long after they’ve outgrown picture books.
    • This matters more as they get older. Middle schoolers and teens are absorbing messages constantly — from shows, from friends, from social media — that sound wise or moral but quietly reshape what they believe about God, sin, and grace. If they’ve practiced noticing the difference between “earn it” and “grace” in a bedtime story at age seven, they’ll be far better equipped to catch it in a Netflix show at age fifteen.
    • A simple way to raise this with your child: “This story says good things happen to good people. Is that what the Bible says? What does the Bible say happens to us, even when we’re not good?” Let them sit with it. Let them find the tension themselves.
  • Show, don’t tell — even here.
    • This is also a good moment to apply my own criteria for good children’s books: show, don’t tell. I don’t want to lecture my kids on the difference between karma and grace. I want to ask a question and let them work it out, the same way I’d want a well-written book to reveal a moral through the story rather than stating it outright.
    • So instead of saying, “This book is wrong, here’s the real answer,” I’ll ask something like, “Do you think the character earned the ending, or was it a gift?” Then I let the conversation go wherever it goes. Sometimes my daughters land on the answer right away. Sometimes it takes a few more questions. Either way, they get there themselves — and what they discover on their own sticks far longer than what I hand them.

Practical Ways to Do This at Home

Family of four reading books on a couch in a warm living room
  • Reading time discussion questions.
    • What choices did the characters make?
    • What were the consequences of those choices?
    • What is the main moral lesson?
    • Does this line up with scripture?
  • A simple family ritual: “Bible bridge” question after each book/chapter.
    • What Bible Verses would fit for some of the things done or said?
    • What was the main point or outcome?
    • Do choices and lessons line up Biblically?
  • Journaling or discussion notebook idea.
    • Writing it down can force us to think and help us remember
    • It also gives a reference that we can circle back to time and again.

Closing

I’ve been reading to my children since they were babies. I wasn’t also good at pointing out the lessons, but as they grew older, I began to ask questions not only about what we read but also about what we watched.

While I sometimes pointed out the lesson, I found it better to ask open-ended questions and let them figure it out. This gets them thinking rather than me lecturing.

Reading to your children is vitally important, as I point out in this blog. Even more important is to engage them in discussion. I want my kids to think, not just ingest. I encourage you to get your kids to think. Ask questions. Find the answers together.

Transformative Books That Shaped My Life

Posted on by Bob Richley
Open Bible on wooden table with tea mug and reading glasses

I didn’t set out to be shaped by books. I just kept reading the ones that found me at the right moment — usually because I needed exactly what was on the page, whether I knew it or not. A PBS lecture that stopped me in my tracks as a teenager.

  • A book on grace I picked up during a season of shame.
  • A book on awe that made me change churches.
  • A book on marriage I read before I even had a ring to give.

These six books didn’t just inform me — they formed me. Each one met me somewhere specific: in my performance-driven false self, in my temper, in my faith gone lukewarm, in my understanding of what it means to love someone for a lifetime. I’ve included a short summary of each book, followed by the ideas that resonated most and how they actually changed the way I think, believe, and live.

This isn’t a list of books I merely enjoyed. It’s a record of the ones that left a mark.

LOVE – Leo Buscaglia

A warm, philosophical meditation on what it means to truly and unconditionally love others and yourself. Buscaglia argues that love isn’t a fixed resource but grows the more it’s given away, and he pushes readers to live with more openness, vulnerability, and joy. A student committing suicide inspired him to write a book on love.

My parents called me into the family room, saying, “Bob, you need to see this.” Leo Buscaglia was giving a lecture on PBS. I was mesmerized. He spoke of love and affection in a way that resonated with my spirit. I was only a teenager, but his words and stories impacted me. Later I bought and read his book, “Love.” I consumed it.

What Resonated

  • Love is not a limited resource — the more you give, the more you have.
    • This mirrored Christ’s teaching and my beliefs as a Christian.
      • Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Luke 6:38
      • Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
    • Love is not an emotion, but a choice. It is a call to action.
      • Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5. These are not words of emotion but of action.
      • For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her. Ephesians 5:25. Notice Jesus gave up his life. He chose to give, to sacrifice. Husbands are called to do the same.
  • Self-love is a prerequisite for loving others well, not selfishness.
    • This one I disagreed with. Jesus did say we are to love others as we love ourselves. Mathew 22:39. This does not imply we love ourselves first. It means we naturally do what is good for ourselves, so we must also do good to others.
    • I do agree that love is not selfish. It is other-centered.
  • Vulnerability and openness are essential; fear and self-protection kill connection.
    • Love can’t exist without trust. We gain trust when we are open and vulnerable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16
    • There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear expects punishment. 1 John 4:18.
  • Love should be active and expressed, not just felt privately.
    • Love is not a feeling. Feelings we can guard, hide, and refuse to express. Real love is outward. Giving to others expresses genuine love.
  • Children/people learn to love by being loved unconditionally.
    • This one pulls at my heart because I love children and have actively tried to help them all my adult life as a ministry leader, as a single man playing with fatherless children, as a “Big Brother” to a teen and now as a father.
    • We set the example of unconditional love for kids. They learn by observing what we do and how we treat others.

ABBA’s Child – Brennon Manning

A tender exploration of identity rooted in God’s unconditional love. Manning contrasts the “impostor” self we build out of fear and performance with the true self God already accepts, drawing on his own struggles with addiction and shame.

No book has impacted me more than this one. I’ve read it multiple times and given copies to friends. It speaks to my heart more than any book I’ve read.

What Resonated

  • Most people live as an “impostor” — a false self built on performance, image, and approval
    • This resonated with me because my false self is also built on performance. I want to look good. I play to an imaginary audience rather than the audience of one (God).
    • “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10. To truly be devoted to Christ, we don’t aim to please people.
  • The true self is the one already loved and accepted by God (“Abba,” meaning intimate Father)
    • I need to live in this acceptance that God loves me, not my performance.
    • God so loved ME that he gave his only begotten son. John 3:16.
  • Shame and fear of unworthiness drive people into hiding and self-protection.
    • I lived with a besetting sin for years that I was ashamed of. I lived in a cycle of shame, repentance, and sinning more.
    • It took years, but God delivered me.
    • I still struggle with shame and unworthiness, so I have to remind myself of the gospel.
  • Grace means being loved before and despite failure, not because of achievement.
    • I’ve been so programmed by the merit system of the world and how achievement is awarded, that it is hard to accept this.
    • But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
  • Manning uses his own struggles with alcoholism to show grace applies even in relapse and weakness.
    • I had my own struggles too. I had to accept grace with every relapse and weakness.
    • “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”
  • Recovering identity as God’s beloved child breaks the cycle of striving.
    • I need to live in the identity as God’s believed son.
    • I often remind myself that I too am a Beloved son in whom God is well pleased. Mathew 3:17. When God sees me, he sees Jesus because Jesus paid the price, so that it is as if I never sinned and as if I’ve always obeyed. I have the righteousness of Christ. “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,” Romans 4:5.
    • I Am the Righteousness of God In Christ

The Awe of God – John Bevere

Bevere makes the case that modern faith has lost a healthy sense of reverence for God, and that recovering “the fear of the Lord” — awe, not terror — is the missing key to spiritual transformation and intimacy with God.

I changed churches after reading this book. It impacted me so much and challenged some beliefs I had. It opened me up to experiences I never had. The changes I made after reading the book increased my spiritual growth to the next level.

What Resonated

  • Modern Christianity has lost the “fear of the Lord” and replaced it with casual familiarity.
    • I think the American church is too similar to the church in Laodicea. We’ve lost our passion for Christ and the gospel. We’ve lost our fire. Like the church in Laodicea, we are neither cold nor hot. Revelation 3:14
    • I, too, have been lukewarm. Though I’ve always served in the church, read my Bible and devoted myself to prayer, I lost my passion, my fire.
    • After reading the book, I got it back.
  • Fear of the Lord ≠ terror — it’s reverence, wonder, and awe at God’s holiness.
    • I’ve always understood that the fear of God was not being afraid of him. As John Bevere put it, it is the fear of being separated from him.
    • It’s being in awe of who he is and his amazing grace.
  • This awe is described in Scripture as “the beginning of wisdom.”
    • When we see God for who he is and ourselves for who we are, we realize we are not wise. Only God is wise and we need his insight.
    • Proverbs 9:10 states that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. Bevere explains that this is the entry point. Just as a physical key opens a door, cultivating a reverent awe for God gives access to divine discernment, insight, and a purposeful life.
  • Loss of awe leads to compromise, shallow faith, and diminished transformation.
    • If we don’t see God for who he is, we are more prone to the temptations and allurements of the world. We will compromise for our own pleasure. Our faith won’t move mountains; it will shrink back in fear of “giants.”
    • When we are stuck in a rut or worse, moving backward, we are not transformed. God desires us to be transformed, to be remade in his image.
  • Recovering awe restores intimacy with God rather than distancing from Him.
    • This is what I long for. After reading this book, I realized I lacked real intimacy and the manifest presence of God we all long for.
    • Reading this gave me a fervent hunger for God’s presence. I’m beginning to experience him in new ways and it is amazing.
  • Awe should shape everyday choices, not just religious moments.
    • We pray more and more, “Thy will be done.”
    • We want every thought, every action, and every decision to be in line with God’s will now more than ever.

The Meaning of Marriage – Timothy Keller (with Kathy Keller)

A theological and practical look at marriage as a vehicle for spiritual growth rather than personal fulfillment alone. The Kellers weave in their own 30+ years together to argue that self-giving love, not compatibility, is what makes marriages thrive.

Before we were married, my wife-to-be and I read this book together. It has benefited our marriage in more ways than I can count. It defined the entire purpose and trajectory of our union.

What Resonated

  • Marriage’s purpose is spiritual growth and holiness, not personal happiness alone Culture’s “soulmate” model (find your perfect match) sets marriage up to fail.
    • Defining the purpose of marriage set the whole course of our marriage. It’s not about making each other happy. It’s about helping each other grow in Chirstlikeness.
    • This helps me see my and my wife’s faults as tools to help each other grow rather than annoyances that need to change.
    • It’s not my job to change my wife’s fault. My job is to surrender my faults to God so he changes me.
  • Marriage is fundamentally about self-giving love, modeled on Christ’s sacrificial love.
    • Marriage is not about getting what I want. It’s about giving to my wife and kids what they need.
    • Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Ephesians 5:25
  • Both spouses are flawed sinners — friction is normal and even useful for growth.
    • Seeing each other as flawed and knowing friction is normal and USEFUL is key to working though the friction and flaws.
    • When there is friction, we need to pray.
  • Gender roles/complementarity are addressed from a traditional theological lens
    • My wife is from the Philippines, so she wants male leadership, but that doesn’t mean I lord it over her to get my way. I must surrender to God’s way and lordship if I’m going to make decisions that are best for my family.
    • The greatest among you shall be your servant. Matthew 23:11
    • We strive for oneness in our marriage. When we agree on a decision, we have greater confidence that we are following God’s wil.
  • Singleness and marriage are both valid callings; marriage isn’t the ultimate goal of life.
    • I was single for 47 years. I know this. As a single I served in various ministries.
    • Married, we serve individually, together, and as a family.
  • Practical sections on sex, roles, and weathering hard seasons together.
    • Central to these is to be other-centered, not self-centered.
    • We live for the pleasure, joy and happiness of the other.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – Steven Covey

A classic personal-development framework built around character over quick-fix techniques. Covey’s habits move from self-mastery (be proactive, begin with the end in mind) to interdependence (think win-win, seek first to understand), aiming at lasting effectiveness rooted in principles.

This book impacted me so much that I’ve given presentations at several jobs throughout my career. I do my best to live by these principles still, many decades later.

What Resonated

  • Private Victory (self-mastery) comes before Public Victory (relationships)
  1. Be Proactive — take responsibility; you choose your response/
    • So many times we react to issues rather than planning our response.
    • Especially when it comes to temptations to do something wrong, I need to decide ahead of time what I will do.
  2. Begin with the End in Mind — define your values/mission first.
    • I don’t want to go aimlessly through life.
    • Covey tells us to think about our funeral. What will people say? What will they remember? Choose what you want to be remembered for.
  3. Put First Things First — prioritize by importance, not urgency
    • Choose to do what is important. All of us have to do what is urgent and important. We need to plan what is not urgent but important. We should avoid the unimportant but urgent and remove the unimportant and not urgent.
    • In our marriage, we decided to be intentional about a few things that mattered most, like precious one-on-one time, family time, devotional time, less screen time, and more outdoor time.
  4. Think Win-Win — seek mutually beneficial outcomes.
    • I know I want what I want and will fight for it rather than considering the other.
    • When I think win-win, I’m also considering what will be beneficial to the other.
    • This is not a compromise, but rather finding the 3rd alternative that both want so both win.
  5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood — empathetic listening before persuading
    • I know I still fight this. I think in terms of response and defending my own opinion rather than listening to understand.
    • “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” ⁠James 1:19. It agrees with Covey in that we need to actively process what others say rather than hastily formulating our own replies, which helps to prevent misunderstandings and unnecessary conflict.
  6. Synergize — collaboration produces more than individual effort.
    • I’m independent. I rarely delegate or seek help. I’m working on changing, because I do need others.
    • When we work together, we accomplish more. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
  7. Sharpen the Saw — continual renewal (physical, mental, social, spiritual)
    • Our family purposly seeks time with God
      • We do family devotionals every evening
      • My wife and I do devotions together and individuall
      • We watch a Christian show like the Chosen every Sunday.
    • We intentionally spend time in God’s Creation by camping, hiking, or a simple walk around the neighborhood.
  • Effectiveness is built on character and principles, not tricks or techniques

Unoffendable – Brant Hansen

A challenging, humor-laced case that righteous anger is a myth we use to excuse grudges — and that giving up our “right” to be offended is the path to real peace. Hansen mixes personal stories with a call to radical grace toward others.

I never thought I had an anger issue until I got married. As a single person, I could do what I wanted when I wanted. I could be on time because didn’t have to consider a family’s schedule and didn’t have to wait for others.

This book taught me that it is not good to respond in anger. It helped me change my thinking.

What Resonated

  • “Righteous anger” is largely a myth people use to justify holding grudges.
    • Jesus’ cleansing of the temple doesn’t justify human anger. God’s anger is qualitatively different from ours. God’s prerogatives don’t become our permissions. John 2:13-17 (note: Scripture never says He was angry)
  • We don’t have a “right” to be offended — releasing that right brings peace.
    • I suffer from “Irightus” thinking I’m always right. Because I’m right, I have the right to be mad. Wrong.
    • When we listen to the other side and empathize, we have peace.
    • Read The Other Side
  • Holding onto offense hurts the offended person more than the offender.
    • When we hold a grudge, it is we who are in prison, not the person we are holding the grudge against.
    • In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus tells a parable about a king who forgives a servant a large debt, but that same servant won’t forgive a fellow servant, so the king puts the unforgiving servant in prison. That’s what happens to us when we don’t forgive. We are in a prison of our own making.
  • Grace means letting go of the ledger of wrongs, even when someone doesn’t deserve it.
    • We are shown grace. I know I need to remind myself all the time that I am forgiven.
    • When I feel shame, that’s when I want to blame others.
  • Being unoffendable doesn’t mean being a doormat — it means responding from peace, not reactivity.
    • Going back to Covey, we are not to be reactive, but proactive.
    • We need to communicate calmly, listening first and understanding the other, the responding.
  • Practicing this daily rewires default reactions from anger to grace.
    • Romans 12:2  says to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
    • The more you put something consistently into practice, the sooner it becomes a habit or the norm.

I created a Bible Discussion for my men’s group. You can find it here.

Conclussion

Looking back at these six books together, I notice they’re not really six separate stories — they’re one story told from different angles. Buscaglia taught me love is a choice and an action. Manning taught me I’m loved before I perform. Bevere taught me to approach that love with awe, not casual familiarity. Keller taught me what that love looks like poured into a marriage. Covey taught me the daily discipline it takes to actually live it out. And Hansen taught me to let go of my grip on being right so grace has room to work.

It was enjoyable for me to look back at what I read and how it impacted me. It reminded me that I’m still a work in progress.

None of these books changed me the moment I closed the cover. The change came later — in the ordinary moments where I had to choose patience over irritation, humility over performance, presence over distraction. I’m still practicing most of what I read in these pages. I probably will be for the rest of my life.

If one of these resonated with you, I’d encourage you to pick it up — not to add another book to your shelf, but to let it do to you what it did to me.

Choosing Books That Teach Life Lessons

Posted on by Bob Richley
Family reading books in a warmly lit living room with bookshelf and fireplace

The Importance of Teaching Values Through Literature

The stories we read with our children often shape them more deeply than our lectures ever can. Books are powerful tools for shaping a child’s worldview. Reading with our kids can help develop empathy, problem-solving skills, and complex behaviors in a safe, relatable context. Focus on the Family writes that reading with our kids develops parts of the brain that ignite visual imagery, comprehension, and word meaning. When we watch TV or are on a screen, we don’t need to use our imagination, but as we hear words read or read them ourselves, we must imagine.

Focus on the Family also says reading develops character, especially when we discuss what we read. Characters make choices in stories. Ask whether they are good or bad choices. What are the consequences of those choices? According to Focus on the Family, “Children whose parents read to them develop emotional and social skills quickly, and learn to effectively employ them in daily lives.” I’ve been reading to my kids since they were babies. I believe my kids are emotionally healthy and have wonderful social skills. We are told consistently what polite, thoughtful kids we have.

Research shows that regularly reading together boosts brain receptivity to learning and enhances social skills and emotional understanding. Books build vocabulary, spark creativity, and provide an anchor for parent-child bonding. The Children’s Mind Institute says, “By reading to your child starting at a young age, even before they’re able to communicate verbally, you help lay the neurological groundwork for effective language use and literacy. That’s partly because books expose children to vocabulary and grammar that they wouldn’t normally hear.” When we read to our children, they hear words they don’t know. The context gives them hints at the meaning.

Criteria for Selecting the Best Children’s Books

When choosing books for your kids, consider what qualities make a children’s book effective in teaching values.

  • Engaging Content: If you’ve not read the book yourself, check out the summary and reviews. Know your child and their interests. Will the content engage them? For example, does your child like animals, adventure, fantasy, or mystery? Do others find the story entertaining?
  • Relatable and Flawed Characters: Children naturally identify with imperfect characters because they recognize themselves in them. Characters in books need to be imperfect for the child to relate to them. They should make both mistakes and good choices. When characters experience recognizable emotions (like frustration, jealousy, or fear), children’s own feelings are validated. It helps make them more receptive to the book’s message. For example, Reepicheep in The Chronicles of Narnia is brave and skillful, but when he loses his tail, he’s ashamed and demoralized.
  • Moral Lesson: Intended or not, books contain lessons for children. Characters make choices, right or wrong. Events happen that require response. What is the book attempting to teach the child? What lessons are inherently contained in the story?
  • Show, Don’t Tell: Choose books that don’t sermonize. Children will learn more from what we do than what we say. The same is true for books; rather than explicitly stating a moral, the most effective stories show characters navigating dilemmas where the consequences of their choices unfold naturally.
  • Opportunities for Discussion: I am a huge proponent of not just reading to kids, but also discussing the book. Ask questions. Listen to the child’s answer. The best books spark “teachable moments.” They naturally lend themselves to post-reading conversations where parents and educators can ask open-ended questions and relate the story to the child’s own life.
  • Age-Appropriate Complexity: If the book is over a child’s level of understanding or experience, they will likely disengage. The moral conflict needs to be simple enough for the target age group to understand, allowing the child to build empathy and prosocial behaviors like sharing, kindness, and honesty.

My Choice of 12 Children’s Books That Teach Values

Classic:

The Hobbit

Summary

Published in 1937, ⁠The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien follows Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving hobbit recruited by Gandalf and thirteen dwarves. Bilbo leaves his sheltered life to help reclaim their ancestral home and treasure from the fearsome dragon Smaug.

Age Appropriateness

Ages 9–12. The prose is more demanding than a picture book, and some of the peril (goblins, Smaug) can be intense for younger kids, but the humor and adventure make it accessible by upper elementary age.

How Kids Can Relate

  • Navigating a Huge World: Bilbo is small, sheltered, and often overwhelmed, mirroring a child’s experience of navigating a large, intimidating world.

Moral Lessons

  • Transformation: Bilbo evolves from an unwilling homebody into a courageous adventurer who confronts a deadly dragon.
  • Morality and Grace: The story emphasizes difficult choices. Bilbo’s ultimate victory is not his sword-fighting, but his moral choice to spare Gollum’s life in the goblin tunnels.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Summary

⁠To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1960 novel, is set in Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930s Great Depression. Young Scout Finch and her brother Jem learn about racism and human cruelty as their father, Atticus, motivated by his principles, defends a Black man falsely accused of a crime.

Age Appropriateness

Ages 12+. This one deals directly with racism, violence, and injustice. It’s best suited for middle schoolers and up, ideally with a parent or teacher present to help unpack the harder themes.

How Kids Can Relate

  • Scout’s Curiosity: Kids will relate to Scout, a tomboy in overalls who gets into fights and asks her dad questions when she does not understand the world.
  • Jem’s Spirit: Kids will connect with Jem’s thrill-seeking spirit, especially when he leads games acting out local rumors.

Moral Lessons

  • Empathy: Scout learns to understand others by “walking around in their skin.” Jem matures by shielding his sister from the trauma of the trial.
  • Courage: Atticus teaches that bravery is not about physical fighting, as Scout does, but standing by one’s principles even when you know you are bound to lose.

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

Summary

In C.S. Lewis’s 1950 classic, ⁠The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, four siblings—Lucy, Edmund, Peter, and Susan—discover a magical world hidden inside a wardrobe. They must unite with the lion, Aslan, to defeat an evil witch and end an eternal winter.

Age Appropriateness

Ages 7–10. Gentle enough for a strong independent reader or a read-aloud for younger kids, though the witch and battle scenes may need extra reassurance for more sensitive children.

How Kids Can Relate

  • Lucy’s Disbelief: Children understand the frustration of Lucy, who is not believed by her siblings when she tells the truth.
  • Edmund’s Temptation: Kids relate to Edmund being tempted by sweets and power to betray his family.
  • Flawed Leaders: Peter is a relatable older brother who doubts his own abilities and fails to trust Lucy at first.
  • Practical Siblings: Older children will see themselves in Susan, the practical sister who eventually matures into a gentle person.

Moral Lessons

  • The Dangers of Betrayal and Greed: Edmund’s greed for power and “Turkish Delight” blinds him, leading to the betrayal of his siblings.
  • Radical Forgiveness: True forgiveness is shown when the siblings and Aslan choose not to constantly remind Edmund of his past mistakes, offering him a completely clean slate.
  • Courage and Responsibility: Each child faces moments requiring bravery, from Peter stepping up as a leader to Lucy standing up for the truth when others doubt her.
  • Self-Sacrifice and Redemption: Aslan’s decision to lay down his life to save Edmund mirrors the ultimate act of redeeming, selfless love.

Charlotte’s Web

Summary

E.B. White’s 1952 beloved novel, ⁠Charlotte’s Web, tells the story of an unlikely friendship between Wilbur the pig and a clever barn spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur faces slaughter, Charlotte hatches a brilliant plan to save him.

We read this one together as a family, a chapter a day. To date, it remains my favorite family time. I thoroughly enjoyed the story as much as my children did.

Age Appropriateness

Ages 6–9. A classic early chapter book. Be prepared for questions about death, since Charlotte’s fate is a central, tender part of the story.

How Kids Can Relate

  • Fern’s Maturation: Kids see their own growth in Fern as she explores new interests, like the fair and boys, and transitions away from farm life.
  • Avery’s Mischief: Children relate to Avery’s fun-seeking nature, his fascination with “gross” things like frogs, and the freedom of exploring a fair.
  • Wilbur’s Insecurity: Readers connect with Wilbur’s fear, uncertainty, and feelings of inadequacy before he gains confidence.

Moral Lessons

  • Empathy and Growth: Fern’s growth reflects a deep sense of empathy as she protects the vulnerable and transitions into exploring new interests.
  • Kindness and Sacrifice: Charlotte, who acts as a Christlike figure, devotes herself entirely to her promise to save Wilbur, showing the profound impact of selflessness.

A Little Princess

Summary

⁠A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett centers on Sara Crewe, who goes from a wealthy, imaginative student to a penniless servant at a London boarding school. Despite incredible hardship and persecution, she never loses her dignity or inner strength.

Age Appropriateness

Ages 8–11. The themes of cruelty and poverty are handled with emotional nuance, making this a good fit once kids can sit with a story that isn’t resolved quickly.

How Kids Can Relate

  • Sara’s Imagination: Children deeply relate to Sara Crewe through her vivid imagination, her deep empathy for others, and her emotional strength when facing unfair treatment.
  • Ermengarde feeling overwhelmed by schoolwork or lacking self-confidence: Kids can learn from Sara showing patience and see the value in helping Ermengarde study without making them feel inadequate.
  • Lottie throwing tantrums when she feels frustrated or sad: Younger kids who need a comforting older friend to help them calm down and learn to share their feelings nicely will relate to Lottie.
  • Universal desire for friendship: Becky represents peers from different socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as those working around the school. Kids can relate to the universal desire for simple friendship and understand how acts of kindness (like sharing snacks) bridge social gaps.

Moral Lessons

  • Mindset Shapes Reality: Imagination and internal hope are powerful tools that can help keep you going during the darkest of times.
  • Kindness is a Choice: Sara generously shares her hard-earned buns with a starving beggar girl despite being hungry herself.
  • Dignity Under Pressure: True strength is maintaining self-respect and refusing to let cruel people, like Miss Minchin, break your spirit.
  • The Value of Empathy: True friendship ignores social classes; Sara treats everyone, including the servant girl Becky, with the same respect as a wealthy classmate.

Heidi

Summary

Written by Johanna Spyri, Heidi follows a cheerful young orphan girl who is sent to live with her solitary, embittered grandfather in the Swiss Alps, who reluctantly looks after her. Her joyful spirit transforms his heart. Even when she is temporarily uprooted to live in the city as a companion to an invalid girl, she maintains her attitude.

This one is my personal favorite. I read it with my wife-to-be when we were dating. I was moved by the Christian themes woven throughout the book.

Age Appropriateness

Ages 7–10. A cozy, slower-paced read well suited to early elementary kids, especially those who enjoy nature and animals.

How Kids Can Relate

  • Adjusting to Big Changes: Children will easily connect with Heidi’s fear and homesickness when she is suddenly moved from her familiar mountain home to a strict, unfamiliar city environment.
  • Healing Through Play: Kids relate to how outdoor play, fresh air, and animal companionship help Heidi and her friend Clara find happiness and physical strength.
  • Feeling isolated or different: Children relate to Clara’s need for courage to try new things, her desire for true friends who treat her as an equal, and her triumph over physical and emotional limitations
  • Simple, earthy, and sometimes mischievous aspects of childhood: Children relate to Peter’s loyalty, his love of the mountains, and his complex, very human feelings of jealousy when he must share his friend’s attention.

Moral Lessons

  • The Power of Optimism: Heidi proves that a joyful, positive attitude can break through the toughest emotional walls and heal broken relationships.
  • Faith and Contentment: The story highlights trust in God’s greater plan, showing that tough times can lead to unexpected blessings if we maintain a loving heart and trust in God’s providence.
  • Redemption: Through the story of the prodigal son and Heidi’s love, her grandfather is redeemed back to God. Peter is forgiven for his crime.

The Swiss Family Robinson

Summary

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss tells the story of a Swiss family—a pastor, his wife, and their four sons—who are shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island during a fierce storm. Left to survive on their own, they use teamwork, intelligence, and the island’s natural resources to build an elaborate new life.

Age Appropriateness

Ages 8–11. The survival and adventure elements appeal to slightly older kids who can follow a longer, more descriptive narrative.

How Kids Can Relate

  • Adventure and Exploration: Every child dreams of building a treehouse, exploring wild territory, and encountering exotic animals, which the Robinson boys do daily.
  • Sibling Dynamics: Kids will recognize the unique traits, rivalries, and cooperative moments among the four brothers as they work together.
  • Imperfection: Kids will see that the boys are not perfect. They tease each other. Sometimes, they make mistakes and sometimes they make good choices.

Moral Lessons

  • Resourcefulness and Self-Reliance: The novel teaches the value of hard work, thriftiness, and using one’s mind to solve complex, unexpected problems.
  • Family Unity and Faith: Survival is entirely dependent on the family remaining united and trusting in God’s providence to carry them through natural disasters and dangers.

Pollyanna

Summary

Eleanor H. Porter’s classic novel Pollyanna features a young orphan girl who goes to live with her wealthy, stern Aunt Polly. Pollyanna brings with her the “Glad Game”—an optimistic philosophy taught by her late father to find something to be glad about in every single situation, no matter how bleak.

This story impacted me personally. I can be very negative in my thinking, so I needed to incorporate the “Pollyanna principle” in my own life. I still do. Her thinking is based on Biblical principles. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones,” and Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” In the book, the game itself was based on “rejoicing” texts of Scripture, over 800 of them.

Age Appropriateness

Ages 7–10. Simple and optimistic in tone, though the broken leg and hospital scenes may prompt some gentle conversations.

How Kids Can Relate

  • Dealing with Strict Adults: Kids heavily relate to Pollyanna trying to navigate the rigid, confusing rules set by an emotionally distant guardian.
  • Finding Joy in Small Things: Children naturally gravitate toward Pollyanna’s playful worldview and her ability to turn mundane life into an encouraging game.
  • Struggle: When Pollyanna breaks her leg, she struggles to find something good.

Moral Lessons

  • An Attitude of Gratitude: The “Glad Game” acts as a powerful moral blueprint, showing readers that while we cannot always choose our circumstances, we can always choose our perspective.
  • Community Transformation: A single child’s persistent kindness and joy can completely alter the emotional landscape of an entire town.
  • Reward in helping others: Pollyanna transforms everyone in her community by helping them. They, in turn, help her when she is in need.
  • Rejoice regardless of circumstances: Pollyanna is a beautiful example of “Rejoice always. Again I say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4. Pollyanna doesn’t preach, so she lives out the principle.

Ramona and Beezus

Summary

Ramona and Beezus by Beverly Cleary explores the humorous and chaotic relationship between four-year-old Ramona Quimby and her older sister, Beatrice (Beezus). Ramona’s wild imagination and unpredictable antics constantly test the patience of her responsible big sister.

Age Appropriateness

Ages 5–8. One of the most accessible books on the list — perfect for early readers or as a read-aloud for preschoolers.

How Kids Can Relate

  • Sibling Frustrations: Younger kids will relate to Ramona’s desperate desire to be included and noticed, while older kids will perfectly understand Beezus’s annoyance at having her space disrupted.
  • Misunderstood Intentions: Children connect with Ramona because her disasters usually spark from creativity or a desire to help, not from maliciousness.

Moral Lessons

  • Unconditional Family Love: Despite the daily bickering and embarrassing moments, the sisters learn that their bond is irreplaceable and that loving someone means accepting their flaws.
  • Patience and Empathy: The story encourages kids to view life from their sibling’s perspective to resolve conflicts peacefully.

Modern:

The Underland Chronicles

Summary

Written by Suzanne Collins, The Underland Chronicles (beginning with Gregor the Overlander) follows eleven-year-old Gregor and his toddler sister Boots after they fall through a grate in their New York City laundry room. They discover a dark subterranean world on the brink of war, where Gregor discovers he is part of an ancient prophecy.

Age Appropriateness

Ages 10–13. War, loss, and moral ambiguity run throughout, making this best for tweens ready for more complex, weightier storytelling.

How Kids Can Relate

  • Responsibility Over Siblings: Older siblings will deeply relate to Gregor’s fierce, protective instinct over his little sister Boots while navigating terrifying surroundings.
  • The Feeling of Being Ordinary: Gregor feels like a completely normal, working-class kid, making his sudden thrust into a position of leadership highly resonant for readers.

Moral Lessons

  • The Cost of Conflict: The series handles the realities of war neutrally and maturely, teaching that violence carries a heavy toll for all sides and that peace requires immense sacrifice.
  • Overcoming Prejudice: Gregor must learn to look past his instinctual fear of giant bugs, bats, and rats to form alliances based on character rather than appearance.

Tuesdays at the Castle

Summary

Jessica Day George’s Tuesdays at the Castle centers on Princess Celie, who lives in Castle Glower—a magical structure that grows new rooms, corridors, and towers every Tuesday. When her parents, the King and Queen, go missing after an ambush, Celie must use her intimate knowledge of the living castle to protect her home from treacherous foreign politicians.

Age Appropriateness

Ages 8–11. A fun, lower-stakes fantasy adventure that’s a great bridge between early chapter books and more involved fantasy s

How Kids Can Relate

  • The Love of Secret Spaces: Children love the concept of a shifting house full of hidden passages, and they can easily imagine themselves exploring alongside Celie.
  • Underestimated Capability: Kids relate to Celie because the adults overlook her due to her youth, yet she ends up being the one smartest enough to save the kingdom.

Moral Lessons

  • Loyalty and Duty: Celie demonstrates that age does not excuse a person from standing up to defend their home, family, and heritage when crisis strikes.
  • Stewardship: True leadership involves listening carefully to your environment and caring for the things entrusted to your protection.

Redeeming Rhubarb

(Full disclosure: this is my novel, written to help parents engage their children in meaningful conversations about character, prejudice, forgiveness, and compassion)

Summary

Redeeming Rhubarb by Bob Richley is an animal allegory set against the real 2013 Boulder, Colorado floods. Rhubarb, a mouse, despises rats. However, when a devastating flood ruins their home, his daughter Strawberry is forced to survive alongside them, questioning her father’s biases after a rat named Barnabas saves her family.

Age Appropriateness

Ages 8–12. The flood setting and themes of prejudice are approachable but meaningful, making it a strong pick for family discussion at this age.

How Kids Can Relate

  • Questioning Rules: Kids relate to Strawberry’s internal dilemma of wanting to honor her father while realizing that what he taught her about “outsiders” doesn’t match reality.
  • Surviving the Storm: Children understand the fear of chaotic, unexpected disruptions to their safe home environments.

Moral Lessons

  • Confronting Generational Prejudice: The story serves as a powerful allegory about how fear, bias, and hatred can be passed down—and how personal experiences can break those cycles.
  • Choosing Kindness Over Fear: True courage is defined as having the strength to change your heart, look past old divides, and show compassion to former enemies.
  • Loving your enemy: Barnabas doesn’t preach. He consistently shows up, helps, guides and risks his own life for someone who despises him.
  • Forgiveness: Barnabas is able to forgive Rhubarb because he has been forgiven.

How Parents and Educators Can Use These Books

Bringing These Books to Life

Reading the story is just the beginning. Here are a few simple ways to help these lessons stick.

Questions You Can Ask About Any Book

You don’t need a different set of questions for each title. These work for nearly every book on this list:

  • What choice did [character] make? Would you have made the same one?
  • How do you think that choice made others feel?
  • Has something like this ever happened to you?
  • What would you have done differently?
  • What are some good character traits of the characters in the book? What are some of the bad ones?

Use this discussion question guide for Redeeming Rhubarb as a guide not only for Redeeming Rhubarb but also as a template for other books.

Start Young, Grow With Them

This list isn’t meant to be read start to finish in one summer. Books like Ramona and Beezus or Heidi are wonderful entry points for younger children. While To Kill a Mockingbird and The Underland Chronicles are better suited for older kids ready to sit with harder questions. Consider this less of a reading list and more of a reading path. You can return to over several years as your child grows into new levels of understanding.

Let Kids Respond Creatively

Discussion doesn’t have to mean sitting at the table with a list of questions. Invite your child to draw their favorite scene, write a letter to a character, or imagine an alternate ending. You could do experiments around events in the story. For example, Redeeming Rhubarb happens during the Boulder flood. Try making a small sand hill and slowly pouring water over it. Make a similar hill and quickly pour water over it. Notice the difference. Make food mentioned in the books. When we read Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish, we made lemon meringue pie. After reading Heidi, try making toasted goat cheese. These creative responses often reveal more about what a child understood — and felt — than a conversation alone.

Bring the Story Into Everyday Life

The real payoff comes when a book’s lesson shows up outside of reading time. When your child shares a toy, you might say, “That reminds me of when Sara shared her buns even though she was hungry too.” Connecting a real moment back to a story helps the lesson move from the page into your child’s own character.

Revisit Old Favorites

Don’t be afraid to reread. A book like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe means something different to a six-year-old than it does to a twelve-year-old. As your child grows, so will their understanding of forgiveness, courage, and sacrifice — even from a story they’ve heard a dozen times before.

No single book will shape a child’s character. But over months and years, stories become part of the moral imagination. They help children picture courage before they’re called to be brave, forgiveness before they’re asked to forgive, and kindness before they have the chance to practice it. Reading together isn’t just about raising good readers—it’s about raising wise people.

What books shaped your own childhood values? I’d love to hear your favorites in the comments.

The Importance of Reading Aloud: Benefits for Children

Posted on by Bob Richley

Why Read Aloud to Children?

Parents and three children sitting on couch reading a book titled The Magic Forest Adventure
A happy family reads a children’s book together.

Reading sets a foundation for a child’s future by accelerating language acquisition, expanding vocabulary, and strengthening brain development. It also enhances critical thinking, promotes emotional intelligence and empathy, and serves as a powerful bonding tool between parent and child.

Reading creates an intimate bond between you and your child. I’ve been reading to my children since they were babies. Those times are some of the most intimate. We would snuggle together as we read. I would notice that, as they grew, they would attempt to “read” by themselves, opening a big book and reciting as much as they could from memory. As they matured, they would read beyond their age. I was so proud when my youngest daughter started to read “Little House on the Prairie” before she was in middle school.

Benefits of Reading Aloud

Key benefits of reading to your child include:

  • Stronger Communication Skills: Regular exposure to diverse sentence structures and vocabulary helps kids express themselves more clearly. Kids become better readers and writers. I noticed my kids read above their level and understood more “adult” words when they were young. We could have mature conversations.
  • Cognitive Growth: As highlighted by the Child Mind Institute, reading aloud stimulates the brain, improves memory, and lays the groundwork for later school success. Kids get better grades if parents read to them at an early age. My kids have always done well in school. They have good reading comprehension and problem-solving skills.
  • Increased Attention Span: Following a story helps children with attention difficulties practice sustained focus. Screen time, in contrast, leads to ADHD. We watch very little TV in our home, and I limit my kids’ screen time. Even now that my daughters are in middle school, they still engage in imaginative play.
  • Emotional Development: Stories allow kids to explore complex emotions, learn coping strategies for new experiences, and develop empathy for perspectives different from their own. We have mentally handicapped people living in our home. While this is challenging for my daughters, I have noticed that they will make gifts for them, engage them in conversations, and share things that excite them.
  • Critical Thinking: Readers naturally practice inferencing and prediction, fostering stronger problem-solving skills. So reading to them can help them excel in Math and Science, which require problem-solving skills. My daughters do struggle with math, and it is the subject that they ask the most help with, but they are doing math above their age level.

Making Reading a Daily Habit

  • Choose a regular time: We would read as part of the bedtime routine regularly. It was often one of the last things we did after brushing teeth, cleaning up, and putting on PJ’s. Now that my daughters are older, they still read to themselves before bed.
  • Use it for Family Time: We had regular family time. We would sometimes watch TV together, play games, and read. One of my favorite family times was reading “Charlotte’s Web” together. I enjoyed the story as much as my kids.
  • Talk about the story: Stories often teach lessons. Use reading time to discuss those lessons. It’s a great opportunity to learn moral lessons from characters. What choices did the characters make? What were the consequences of those choices?

Tips for Reading Aloud

  • Be Consistent: Children love consistency. It makes them feel safe and secure. Change is difficult. So be consistent with reading to them. Make time.
  • Choose Age-Appropriate Books: Know your kids’ understanding level. Read books at that level. Judge their interest. If they are distracted, it may be time to move up the level. If they ask to read the same book again, you know you’re on the right track.
  • Use it as an opportunity to snuggle: Children need affection. It communicates love. During reading time, get close—Snuggle under a blanket. Put your arms around them.
  • Use Different Voices: Make it fun. Different voices add to the entertainment value. Laugh with them. Smile. Go crazy and act out scenes.

Make the choice today to read WITH your children. Develop the habit. You won’t regret it.