Media Matters

 Animated 2025 movie from Angel Studios. Animated musical story of the biblical David, starting with his childhood and ending with his becoming the king. Quite well done! There is some imagery that could be scary for younger viewers. Recommend for ages 7+?

 Book by Kelly Barnhill. The moral of the story is more on the nose than I generally prefer, but I honestly didn’t mind it in this book because it is so utterly charming! The story is a wonderful illustration of the Biblical question: Who is my neighbor?  The audiobook narration is fantastic! A great listen or read-aloud for the whole family!

 Book by Elizabeth Enright. A glimpse into another time and place for most modern kids (with a few spots that don’t age as well), but the essentials of this portrayal of a loving family are timeless. The siblings feel real and make mistakes, but are kind and generous and respectful. The idea for their independent Saturday outings reminds me of Jonathan Haidt’s current movement to allow children more freedom and responsibility in interacting within their neighborhoods. Other books in the series I recommend: The Four-Story Mistake And Then There Were Five

 Picture book by Trillia Newbell. A lovely message that when it comes to loving people, Jesus doesn’t play favorites, so neither should we. References parable in James.

 Picture book by Randall Goodgame. Could work as a Christmas or Easter book! Tells a parable from the NT, focuses on the surprising nature of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection, and encourages the reader to be ready for the second coming by loving God and loving others.

 Picture book by Jane Werner Watson. I was shocked at how beautiful both the prose and illustrations are in this book! Really lovely for ages 5-10!

 Picture book by Aaron Reynolds. The illustrations and text create a spooky atmosphere to what might otherwise seem silly. There is a message about the satisfaction of doing something yourself, even if it’s not done perfectly, that I really liked. This would be a great read aloud for Halloween for ages 8-12.

 Picture book by Trace Moroney. Written for children but still accurate to the meaning. Illustrations are cute.

 Picture book by Sally Lloyd-Jones. A little bird wishes she had the gifts of other animals (fishing, climbing, swimming, strength, etc) until she learns she has her own gift: singing. The story itself is non-religious, but could easily prompt a discussion about gifts.

Book by Sharon Creech.  A series of free verse poems written by a boy to his teacher while learning about poetry. This would definitely be a good book to read while teaching a poetry unit. 

 Book by Pam Muñoz Ryan. This was an excellent historical biographical fiction story about the life of Charlotte “Charlie” Parkhurst, famed stagecoach driver who masqueraded as a man for much of her life, and also became the first woman to vote (years before it became legal to do so). The novel is short and geared toward younger audiences, but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of it at all.

 Picture book by Steph Williams. This was a pretty fun retelling and explanation of the Christmas story. I could see kids enjoying saying an incredulous “Whaaat??” as it is repeated on many of the pages.

 Picture book by Carl Laferton. Relates the story of Elijah and the priests of Baal to the story of the resurrection. A great book for Easter!

 Picture book by Tim Thornborough. This retelling of the story of Jonah is faithful to the story, while also told in a very kid-friendly, appealing way. The use of synonyms within the text is a charming addition, and the illustrations are adorable.

 Picture book by Neil Sharpson. I could see kids really enjoying the absurdity of this nature-guide-gone-wrong! Plus, it would be a great introduction to a discussion of logical fallacies, biases, etc.

 Picture book by Cherry Mo. Adorable, nearly wordless picture book about a girl who moves from Hong Kong to America. She doesn’t know any English and is struggling to know how to make friends at school with that language barrier. The highlight of each day is when she eats the lunch her mother has made for her; it helps her feel loved and less alone. One day, some of the kids approach the girl at lunchtime and they all end up sharing food items from their various lunches with each other.

 This 2022 movie is charming! It explores themes of grief, courage, and sacrifice in an engaging plot with endearing characters. Recommended age 8+ for scary situations. “The purpose of a lighthouse is not to keep ships safe. If we wanted to keep them safe, we wouldn’t let them leave the harbor. The purpose of a lighthouse is to guide them on their journey.” “We don’t always give you what you want. But we always give you what you need.”

 Picture book by Maya Ajmera. What a lovely book! It introduces people of faith around the world based on what they have in common: praying, chanting and singing, reading holy books, listening and learning, cleansing, holy places, holidays and festivals, marking important events, religious clothing, food and drink, caring for and helping others, etc. The book features actual photographs of children practicing their various faiths. This would be a great way to both learn about other religions, and also a great discussion starter about how your religion practices these things. To that end, it would be fun to take pictures of your family members practicing their faith and insert them between the corresponding pages of your family’s copy of the book.

 Picture book by Dr. Seuss. I love this story about a foolish king and a brave boy and the magic inherent in owning your mistakes and apologizing. This is a longer Dr. Seuss story with no rhyming, and very well written. “If you won’t even say you’re sorry, you’re no sort of a king at all.”

 Picture book by Susan Wojciechowski. A story about grief and healing and kindness and of course Jesus. Definitely wordy and for older kids and adults.