Books Children Love: A Guide to the Best Children's Literature Book

I am amazed at the range of book genres indexed by Elizabeth Wilson! The only setback for me was that it was completed in 2002 and as far as I know there is no 3rd Edition in the works.

The other great thing about this is that the source has a trustworthy Judeo-Christian worldview yet the bulk of her list contains "secular" selections, including books about conservation of the environment (God's magnificent Creation and our responsibility). There is something for everyone here, not just the fiction and poetry you would expect. Other genres included nature, architecture/engineering, math, crafts, dance, humor, language, special needs/disabilities.

All were chosen with a hope that children aged preschool through 8th grade (and older!) would discover the endless possibilities and joys of reading. Also, that this discovery would coincide with molding a stronger family. The descriptions included summaries of the subject matter or the plots, and also the reason the book was selected.

I also appreciated how the author categorized into age-appropriate divisions of Level I (preschool through grade 2); Level II (grades 3-4); Level III (grades 5-6 and up). Along with that, included with each individual book she gives a full range (e.g., grades 3-7) suggestion. She also cross references topics with her age divisions, making it an easy guide to pick up and follow on any occasion.

The motivation for me is to expose myself to the best books in order to make reliable suggestions to my nieces and nephew, and to have a bunch of quality books to read as I work on my own creative writing.