If You’re Wondering What to Read Next, Look No Further…(Part 1 of 2)
Friends! 2020 has found me in three lovely locales of our home on a mission to declutter. (Audible groan.) Problem is I don’t spend enough time, thence the improvement isn’t visible yet.
While on one of these missions, I uncovered a pile of “I didn’t know I had these books?” So, dear reader, it’s your lucky day as I was elated to rediscover these books!
This week and next, I’ll be sharing snippets for you because you will want to have your own copies or at the very least, check them out from the library to help you with your reading—for yourself, for your children, and for your grandchildren.
This week we’ll unpack two excellent resources by Gladys Hunt. I’m sad to report Gladys died at the age of 83 in 2010. But, it’s our grand fortune she’s left us such rich, rich books. (At the end of the post, I’ll tell you about some of her other books. Today we’ll just discuss two of hers.)
The books?
Honey for a Child’s Heart: The Imaginative Use of Books in Family Life (4th edition with an Annotated List of Books for Ages 0-14) by Gladys Hunt
The title for both books begins with the word, “honey”. This was inspired from Proverbs 16:24 which says,
One of the many things I love about the book for children is the emphasis Gladys places on family time and how it’s enriched by reading. She offers ways to do this in addition to the incredible age appropriate lists with brief descriptions of the books. She also notes awards the books have won such as the Caldecott Medal, Caldecott Honor, Newberry Award, Honor, and Medal, the Corbetts Scott King aware, and the Boston Globe/Horn Book award.
Regarding her lists, we also learn, “Two chapters list special books considered long-standing classics: picture book classics and classic children’s novels.”
Gladys says,
Gladys is obviously a wordsmith. She advocates reading not just for our education, but to increase our faith. She adds, “I can’t imagine any pleasure greater than bringing to the uncluttered, supple mind of a child the delight of knowing the many rich things God has given us to enjoy.”
Now watch how she ends this particular paragraph: “Parents have this wonderful privilege, and books are their keenest tools.” Yes!
Early into the book, we readers are gifted with a quote from Emily Dickinson from The Poems of Emily Dickinson. It captures the case for reading Gladys is building:
Actual illustrations from various books such as Mary Poppins and Charlotte’s Web, for example, delight our eyes every few pages. They are wonderful windows into these many books!
Gladys’ book for women, “Honey for a Woman’s Heart: Growing Your World through Reading Great Books,” is equally filled with a wealth of information. She opens with this from Mark Twain:
“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug.”
Then we get FOUR reasons we need to dive into this book, the fourth of which is my favorite:
“Fourth, expect books to become ‘ministers’ to your life, to say to you what you need to hear…The books recommended in the chapter on spiritual growth and the ideas for taking the Bible seriously could start a personal revolution!”
Every two to three pages, Gladys has little gray boxes with “extra” interesting topics such as: “Children’s books I read at adult dinner parties”, “Books that inspire courage in Me” , “Books that touched every sense of my being,” and “Books that propelled me forward on my journey with God,” just for starters.
Don’t miss Chapter 7: “Honey from the Rock: Reading the Bible.” Her love for the Lord is positively contagious and you’ll learn about so many books you probably didn’t know about! I howled out loud at this recommendation: The Bible for Blockheads by Douglas Connelly. Here’s Gladys’ synopsis: “In the kindest way, Connelly helps increase the reader’s biblical understanding.”
I’m making a list, or two, or ten, of books that sound like must-reads. I’ll head to the library and see if I can’t look at them first before I jump in and buy them.
When I was corresponding with author Kay Swatkowski about her book, A Grandmother’s Prayers, that I recently wrote about, she told me she used Gladys’ books with her own children and when she was a teacher. She added, “I’m a firm believer that good literature is one of the best teachers for children!”
Here are two more books by Gladys and Barbara Hampton:
Read for Your Life: Turning Teens into Readers
Now you know what I’m about to say, “Run, don’t walk, to your nearest library or bookstore and grab these books! They’re worth telling all your friends about!”
‘Til next time!
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are “affiliate links.”