Read.

Family Favs – Christian Children’s Books

Our son Hudson was just four days old and I was ready to show him the world. I will never forget our quick elevator ride down to the children’s playroom in our building. There, my husband David and I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to him. It was our first family outing! Since then Grace has joined our family.

I treasure reading with them, especially Christian children’s books. These books have taught our children Christian values and planted seeds for them to love and obey God. While reading one night Hudson said, “Mommy, did Jesus stomp on the snake so we don’t have to?” It was a great conversation starter for me to talk to him about sin and the enemy.

These books have encouraged me too. There have been times when I read these books with tears gently rolling down my face. Like the night we read “Operation: No More Tears” in The Jesus Storybook Bible. We were just going through our bedtime routine and it had been one of those days: a rough night of sleep, Hudson and Grace were constantly fighting, I had just yelled at them (again), and I felt like my joy was gone. And the story starts with a question: “Do you know what your name means?” I immediately thought about how my name means “brings the Father joy.” Where did my joy go? Was I truly bringing God joy in how I was parenting that day? But God assured me that He supplies for all of my needs, including my joy. God used this story to comfort me in the midst of being overwhelmed by the responsibilities and pressures of motherhood.

I’ve included a list of our favorite Christian children’s books below. I pray these books not only bring your children closer to God but also bring you closer to Him. I wish I had this list when I first became a mom. Happy Reading!

I Prayed for You by Jean Fischer (A sweet story of a mama’s love and how she always prays for her baby)
God’s Love in My Heart – Thomas Nelson (Perfect way for children to begin to understand God’s love)
The Plans I Have For You by Amy Parker (Jeremiah 29:11 for kids! Wonderful to show how we all have different callings)
Sarah Young’s: Jesus Calling for Little Ones (Very basic biblical principles) and Jesus Calling The Story of Easter (Great book for explaining death and resurrection of Jesus) and Jesus Calling Little Book of Prayers (Perfect place to start if you feel stuck in how to teach your little ones how to pray)
Max Lucado’s: Thank You God for Blessing Me, Thank You God for Loving Me, (Both of these are about Little Hermie, a caterpillar, who is very thankful), You are Special (My mom read this to me so many times when I was a child. Fun to see how God made us all unique and special in our own way), Just in Case You Ever Wonder (Tells the sweet story of a father’s love)
Baby Believer Books by Danielle Hitchen Holy Week (Great basic Easter Week book) and Psalms of Praise (Grace absolutely loves this one. It has actions that the whole family has to do while we read!) Jesus Heals (Miracles Jesus performed)
Sally Lloyd-Jones: Loved (The Lord’s Prayer), Found (Psalm 23), and Jesus Storybook Bible (Biblical stories for all ages. We’ve read through this one numerous times during our nightly bible reading time. One story every night works best for us.)
Amy Parker’s How Big is Love, How High is Hope, and How Far is Faith (These are perfect for explaining faith, hope and love through an animal’s view – 1 Corinthians 13:13)
God’s Very Good Idea by Trillia Newbell (Amazing for explaining God’s overall picture and plan for the world. It also talks about how He made us all different and what the church really is.)
Jesus Loves Me by Tim Warnes (So fun to sing along to this one!)
My ABC’s of God Loves Me – Thomas Nelson (Love using this while Hudson and Grace learn their letters!)
Favorite Parables From The Bible by Nick Butterworth (One of our go to books! Makes it easy for children to understand Jesus’s teaching of the parables. I’ve actually brought this to mom’s group too as it has good illustrations of God’s love for us.) Wonderful Earth is another great one talking about taking care of what God created.
When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner (Affirming that God made each child perfectly, how He wanted them)
The Fruit Of The Spirit by Daily Grace Co (Such a fun way to explain “fruits” of the Spirit!)
Sweeter Than The Sweetest Honey by Daily Grace Co. (Cute way to teach about God’s Word and Bible basics)