Dear Editor,
In the May issue of en your correspondent Neil McKenzie asks about suitable books for his grandchildren. In the 1980s I was asked to tackle this very question by the Librarians’ Christian Fellowship, as it was then called. My findings, still available online, are now very out-of-date but the general principles still apply.
The problem is that, although I hate to say it, some Christian authors of children’s books, particularly fiction, do tend to be rather stilted and, as his grandchildren say, sometimes soppy or boring. However there are some who are excellent. Patricia St. John comes to mind. But I suppose Neil McKenzie is already aware of her books. Treasures of the Snow and Star of Light are probably her two best. C.S.Lewis’s Narnia books are of course already classics of children’s literature, at one point (I think in the 1980s) topping the secular popularity polls for children’s books, Tolkien’s The Hobbit is full of Christian ideas and an intelligent 10-year-old would enjoy it.
I would advise parents and grandparents, when looking for suitable books for their children, to remember that there are many older authors who wrote books for children to enjoy, not to push the Christian message but because they held Christian views themselves assumed them in their writing. These include Laura Ingles Wilder (pioneering days in America), Louisa May Alcott (a family of girls in America during the Civil War), L.M. Montgomery (about an orphan girl in Canada), Susan Coolidge (another series about a family in America). Joanna Spyri (about a child growing up in the Swiss mountains). These are all more suitable for girls.
Other good authors include Elizabeth Laird, Joan Lingard, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Anne Holm – I am David is an exciting adventure story about a boy escaping from a concentration camp. Other authors boys enjoy are Michael Morpurgo and the children’s books of John Grisham (who also happens to be a Christian) such as the Theodore Boone series.
You could also get in touch with Christians in Library and Information Services (CLIS – the successor to the Librarians’ Christian Fellowship).
Yours sincerely
Ngaio Malcolm By email
Dear Editor,
I would like to suggest some publications that I really enjoyed when a child. I was and still am a great reader and understand the great need there is for good children’s books.
The Ivan books by Myrna Grant. These tell the story of young Ivan and his family while living in the Soviet Union under Communist persecution. They are a great eye-opener to the kinds of persecution that our brothers and sisters can undergo, whilst not being so harrowing that they are traumatic for children.
The Ten Boys and Ten Girls series by Irene Howat. These are great little potted biographies of boys and girls who have grown up into some of our Christian figures.
The Trailblazer biography series are fantastic as well giving a more in-depth look at some of our famous Christian brothers and sisters.
Yours,
Hannah Stone By email
Dear Editor,
If Neil is looking for children’s novels by Christian authors then a contemporary author to watch is Danny Rurlander with his recent award-winning and critically-acclaimed book Spylark which was shortlisted for The Times/ Chicken House children’s fiction award. This Lake District based action-adventure thriller has been described as a classic adventure in the Swallows and Amazons tradition, with a thoroughly modern twist. While this book is not overtly Christian it nevertheless is underpinned with values for a Christian worldview and would suit both boys and girls aged eight upwards. Available online and in all good bookshops.
Yours sincerely,
Elaine Addison (another ‘hands-on’ grandparent!) By email
