How to Choose Books for
Your Children

The Challenge
• Everyone defines “best books” differently
– Easiest to read
– Most awards
– Most sales
– Most cited and talked about
– Closest in values to those of the family
– Most traditional
• Even what is identified as a child’s book is subject to
question
– Many “children’s” classics such as Gulliver’s Travels or Robinson
Crusoe, started out as books for adults.
– Many books that are considered adult (ex. Kon-Tiki) are happily
read by older children.
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The Challenge
Oh! It is absurd to have a hard-and-fast rule
about what one should read and what one
shouldn’t. More than half of modern culture
depends on what one shouldn’t read.
The Importance of Being Ernest (1895) Oscar Wilde
Tis the good reader that makes the good book.
Society and Solitude (1870) Sir Arthur Eddington
One rainy Sunday when I was in the third
grade, I picked up a book to look at the
pictures and discovered that even though I
did not want to, I was reading. I have been
a reader ever since.
Beverly Cleary
Good books, like good friends, are few and chosen; the more
select, the more enjoyable.
Louisa May Alcott
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The best book for your child is
the book that has them wanting
to read more.

The Experience and Reputation of a Book is
a Function of Many Elements
• The Author and their skill, intent, knowledge, experience,
role, and personal context.
• The Reader and their motivation, reading capability, and
personal context.
• The Book and its format, condition, availability, etc.
• The Critics and their domain specialties, agendas, self-
interest, and critical capabilities.
• The interplay of these four elements is difficult to
forecast with any precision which is what makes
recommending a book a challenge.
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Author (35%) Book (5%) Reader (50%)
Motivation • Condition
Muse • Legibility
Commerce • Presentation
Audience • Access/Availability Reading Motivation
Prestige/Influence Artifact Functional Voluntary or Involuntary
Functional vs. Aesthetic
Role Receptive or Skeptical
Ambassador Accuracy
Didact Reading Capability
Entertainer Technical competency
Conjuror Context
Experience
Maturity
Creativity and Imagination Personal Inclinations and
Sympathy
circumstances
Integrity
Technical Proficiency Facts, Opinions, Imagination
Vocabulary Book
Genre Experience Personal Context
Writing Style Ethnicity
Story Structure Political/Ideological
Subject Economic Status
Country Culture
Personal Context Caste/Class
Ethnicity Reputation
Religion
Political/Ideological Life Experience
Economic Status
Country Culture
Religion Clarity Problem Solving
Life Experience Destructionist
Normative Empirical
Caste/Class Isolationist
Accomodationist
Problem Solving Critics (10%) Integrationist
Destructionist Ideologues, Domain Specialists, Parents, Educators,
Isolationist Authors, Literary Critics, General Readers
Accomodationist
Integrationist

Suggested Rules of Thumb
• To the extent possible, let the child’s interests and abilities drive the
choice
• Always have some variability
– Things that they might be interested in but haven’t said so
– Reading that is above (and below) their capability
• Keep the doors as wide open as you are comfortable with in terms
of subject, vocabulary, values, etc.
• Happy reading is usually a function of unexpected
coincidences, serendipitous circumstances and unplanned
connections.
– While careful planning of what books to expose a child to is important
and necessary (what values to reinforce, what knowledge to
impart, what life’s lessons to prepare for, etc.) this should usually be
done in as light handed a fashion as possible.
• Involve your child in the choosing.
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Book Choosing Prime Directive
They are your child, your values, and
you know them best. You are the best
and ultimate judge of limits and
choices.

Considerations
• Values compatibility
• Reading capability
– It is not a race
• Interests
• Difference between the skill of reading and the maturity of reading
• Life circumstances
• Self-Identity
– Ethnicity
– Religion
• Gendered reading
• Nature of critics and criticisms
• Past and present
• “Relevance”
• Accuracy
• Awards
• Author versus Work
• Format
• Social Anachronisms
• “Quality” vs. Popularity
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“Virtue makes us aim at the right
end, and practical wisdom makes
us take the right means.” -
Aristotle

Resources (Practical Wisdom)
• Librarian (public and school)
• Teachers in general and English teachers in particular
• Enthusiastic readers within your family
• Through the Magic Door
– Book lists
– Database
– Through the Magic Door® Master List of Best Regarded
Children’s Books
– Personal coaching and consultations
– Community forums
– Structured Reviews
– Wish lists
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Extra Material

Considerations
Values Compatibility Reading Capability
• Do the values explicitly or implicitly • Reading is not a race and there is
espoused by a book supplement and huge variability regarding when
reinforce those that you are seeking to children pick up the ability and the
establish? habit of reading. Some have it even
• Less than perfect alignment is not before kindergarten, some not till third
necessarily a bad thing, particularly or fourth grade. No matter what your
given the age of your child, as it can desires, creating an encouraging
create good discussions. Diametric environment is usually the best way to
opposition is more of an issue. see progress.
• In picking books, you usually want
most of the books to be around the
technical reading level of your child
with a handful above (for challenge
and interest) and a handful below (for
reassurance and familiarity).
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Considerations
Interests Skill vs. Maturity
• Try and match the type of book to the • A child’s technical capacity for reading
child’s interests whether it is topics or can often out-strip the maturity of their
genres: Sports stories for the sporting reading. Just because they can read a
type, animal stories for caring book doesn’t mean they should. As
children, adventure stories for active my mother-in-law and retired librarian
children, etc. is fond of saying: “They haven’t lived
• Don’t worry too much about how long enough.” Only you can be the
arcane the text might be if it matches judge as to when they are ready.
the interest of the child. • I am very guilty of misjudging
• Younger children/early readers often capability of reading versus readiness
like to read series books. They read for reading. Approach with care
one they like and then they want to because there is the risk of turning
read all the rest. them off to a perfectly good book.
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Considerations
Life Circumstances Self-Identity
• What is happening in the child’s life (or • Is it important that white children read
what will be happening) and to what about white children and black children
degree do you want what they are about black children? How about
reading to reflect that? Catholics about Catholics and
– Our recommendation is that this can be Protestants about Protestants?
done with great effect selectively and Racial, religious, and ethnic self-
infrequently. When done frequently identity can be very important. Again,
and in many circumstances, it can turn the question becomes one of
children against reading.
frequency and concentration. One of
the beauties of great stories is that it
builds the muscles of imagination,
allowing children to experience the
lives of others in different
circumstances.
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Considerations
Gendered Reading Critics and Criticisms
• Do girls and boys gravitate to different • The value of a critic is very much
types of stories and is that important? dependent upon your knowing and
• Sure they do and it is important to the understanding the framework from
extent that their interest in something within which the critic is approaching a
drives them to read more. work. Some read a book with an eye
• Horses for courses to its political agenda, others towards
some pre-existing world-view. Others
critique a book against literary
standards and models. Yet others are
tied to the commercial success of a
book. Know thy critic.
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Considerations
Past and Present Relevance
• For younger children and picture • Relevance is in the mind of the
books this is usually not much of an purveyor. Many publishers or authors
issue. It is usually more of a churn out material predicated on ever
consideration for independent readers greater levels of social dysfunction and
and young adults. Sometimes older personal trauma all under the rubric of
books have more archaic language or “relevance.”
unfamiliar idioms. Sometimes there – I am skeptical as to how many of these
are anachronistic opinions no longer tales are relevant and I think it is worth
considered acceptable. Whatever the asking whether reinforcing negative
issues, my experience is that there is a trends is a valuable goal.
rich balance that can be struck by
wonderfully written books from
decades and even centuries ago that
fit hand in glove with contemporary
books.
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Considerations
Accuracy Awards
• Some critics will attack a book for its • There are many major awards related
accuracy. This is usually treacherous to children’s books, among them
ground. Where does authorial license Newberry, Caldecott, Horn Book
leave off and sloppy error or deliberate Fanfare, etc. They are all a pretty
misleading take over? My good initial filter to winnow through the
recommendation is for wide tolerance 25-35,000 new books published each
of issues related to “accuracy” outside year.
of the scope of deliberate deception. • They are also just as fallible as every
Interpretation of events and history other human activity. Author’s best
and facts is the foundation for great works get overlooked until once they
conversation. have established themselves. Later
books get awards more on the basis of
earlier books. Publisher’s marketing
and “buzz” affect nominations.
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Considerations
Objectionable Author vs.
Format Desired Work
• Electronic vs. Audio vs. Hardback vs. • This has to be an individual call.
Paperback vs. Boardbook Populist and academic critics can be
• I think the jury is very much out on the exceptionally intolerant of authors from
consequences and experience of the past who had different views than
electronic reading. No data. I suspect those popular in refined circles today.
it will have its niche but never supplant Example of Enid Blyton.
physical reading. • Hardly any children’s authors are
• Audio books can be a great directly inappropriate, it is usually a
supplement to reading but it is a matter of inference.
different (and usually additive) • A hardline on racism (which is very
experience. rare in children’s
• There is some indication that small books), classism, ethnicism, religious
children prefer paperback over bigotry, political view, etc. would gut
hardback books. virtually all the classics as well as
• Boardbooks are great for the under contemporary books.
four crew • The goal of habitual reading needs to
• Family size considerations – Hardback be set against the refinement of
when multiple siblings. message. My inclination is always to
err on the side of inclusion.
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Considerations
Social Anachronisms Quality vs. Popularity
• Words, phrases, and opinions about • Exceptionally slippery slope.
what is appropriate morph over time. • Everyone has their favorites; it is hard
What is acceptable in one age to define quality.
becomes frowned upon in another. • Many popular books end up being
• Example of Doctor Dolittle. inconsequential and ephemeral.
• Relates to issues of gendered reading, • Many sleepers end up being perennial
author vs. work, accuracy, etc. favorites.
• Again recommendation is to be as • Reading is fed by more reading –
inclusive as possible and where whether it is books, newspapers,
historical terms or opinions are magazines, comic books, manga, etc.
objectionable, to discuss what has The habit of sustained, imaginative,
changed. creative and focused effort is one that
is facilitated by just about any genre.
Typically, enthusiastic readers will go
through phases but just about show a
long term evolution towards what
would be regarded as quality reading.
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Contact Information
Should you have any questions about this presentation, please contact
us.
Charles Bayless
Through the Magic Door®
1579 Monroe Drive
Suite F150
Atlanta, Georgia 30324
E-mail: charles.bayless@ttmd.com
Office: (404) 898-9096
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