Children's Literature and Character Training

One thing that is dear to my heart as I teach my children is building character. I do believe that academics are important. I also believe that music, art, physical activity, etc. are important. However, I personally believe that character should exceed all of these other things. If my children turn out to be straight A students, that will be great, but as a parent, my heart's desire is to have my children #1.) know and love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, #2.) have adequate Bible knowledge (as well as verse memorization) and be able to relate to stories in the Bible to get them through situations in life, whether positive or a trial and #3.) have Godly character.

As my children are getting older, they are really picking up values (both positive and negative) in movies, tv, books and other things. Lately, I have really felt the Holy Spirit laying on my heart to "weed out" the unnecessary things in our home. We have had some books given to us by family/friends that our kids have read that aren't necessarily pleasing to God. It's my fault for letting these books into our homes. I'm talking about books/movies that contain things we don't want our children being taught at such a young age...Indian spirits, books/movies with witchcraft or characters in stories being unkind to others. I have made it a point this week (after discovering a hidden book that I didn't catch) to go through my kids' books and movies, discarding ones that aren't appropriate.

The Berenstain Bears Books
One example would be The Berenstain Bears books. I grew up reading these books and remember loving them as well as learning lessons from them. There were valuable lessons from each book, but the way they were written is questionable. I've ordered a bunch of them off of e-bay for Avonlea to read. We've read them together as a family and have to admit that I was surprised. The way they portray Papa Bear in the books is as though he's a sluggish, lazy father who 'doesn't know best' for his cubs. Mama Bear always seems to have the answers and puts Papa in his place. We've got some great dads out there that need support in what they're doing as parents. I was also dissappointed with a few specific Berenstain Bears books...The Gimmies which, in the end, the parents tell the kids they may choose a toy each time they go to the store. Not realistic. My kids don't get a toy each time we go to the store! I saw the book The Real Easter on a book showcase in Barnes and Noble, flipped through it and was again, disappointed. I thought they would tell the story of Christ, but instead, it was about the season of spring. What's the deal here? I was also disappointed with The Bully book. In the end, the bully winds up talking to a school psychiatrist. Let's just say, it was very uncomfortable to read with my 4-year-old. In terms of these Berenstain Bears books, I don't know what we're going to do with ours. I might start slowly hiding them and then getting rid of them. We shall see.


I have to tell you a story that's rather embarrassing, but true. As Avonlea and I were reading the last page of The Berenstain Bears and The Bully book, I closed the cover and sighed. I told Avy that I didn't think this was a book we should be reading and we would not be keeping it. She then said (gulp), "Mommy, why didn't you read this book before giving it to me?" Oh, the words of a small child!!! It took a four-year-old for me to learn my lesson in not judging books by their covers. I have also been guilty of not watching my children's videos before letting them watch. I've been guilty of trusting a movie (or book) because of the "Disney" label on it or because of the author. Wrong. Like I said, we'll be doing some "weeding out" in the next few days.

One lesson I've learned is that children's literature isn't always what it seems. The old saying 'You can't judge a book by its cover' is true. Something else I have been doing is slowly ordering other books for our kids' bedroom libraries. Books that encourage Godly character such as...

These God I Need To Talk to You About books are great because they're SHORT, little books that are perfect for a child to read in time out or after being punished for a wrongdoing. This series of books are entitled God I Need to Talk to You About...

1. whining

2. paying attention

3. laziness

4. lying

5. stealing

6. bullying

7. cheating

8. hurting others

9. greed

10. manners

11. disrespect

12. sharing

13. being a bad sport

14. bad words

15. bad temper


One book that I've been so blessed to have discovered is called Polished Cornerstones. It's a book that I've actually prayed and asked God for. A book that mother and daughter can do together. It's full of activities which mother (and dads!) can do with their daughter(s) that are hands on and very practical. It's for age 3-motherhood and it's NOT a workbook. I'm not a big fan of quiet time, Bible workbooks. I have seen families use them and parents will often ask at the end of the day, "Have you done your quiet, Bible time in your workbook?" Some children enjoy these workbooks, but some look at them as something else they have to get done in a day and can start to resent. The reason I love Polished Cornerstones is because it's mostly mom and daughter TIME spent together doing things such as...

-Illustrate your own book about Proverbs 31:10-31
- Talk to grandfathers and other men you respect. What do they value most in their wives? Are these qualities present in your life? What can you do to mature in these areas?
- Study wives in the Bible: Job's wife, Sarah, Lot's wife, Eve, Michal, Abigail, Jezebel, etc. and then note what they did right or wrong and how their behavior affected their family.
- Interview friends and family members, asking them why they trust some people and why they distrust others. What actions lead them to trust or distrust people? Organize all their answers into a summary report.



These are just 3 of the thousands (yes, thousands) of lesson plans suggested in this book. I can't tell you what a blessing it's been to our family with our daugther and I actually ordered the boys' version of this book called Plants Grown Up for Lincoln. I haven't received it in the mail yet, but it's on backorder and will arrive soon. I can't wait! I love reading these spiral bound books and highlighting the precious activites that I want to do with Avonlea. Some involve sewing, making crafts, baking, studying memory verses together, etc., etc., etc. The neatest thing that I read in this book was how it not only ministered to the immediate family and the relationship between the daughter(s) and parents, but how the activities in the book ministered to others. As you begin this book with your daughter at a young age, it suggests keeping a notebook to record all the things you do together and independantly (there is written work in the book, it's just not boring and repetitive, it's very much applicable to real life circumstances). Then, when your daugher graduates high school and has completed the book, you can throw a graduation party for her and have her notebook on showcase for family and friends to see in celebration of your daughter's accomplishments. The book also suggests to simply pick and choose what lesson will work best for your child and leave the rest, so that you don't feel intimidated to complete all the lessons.


I was on the Doorposts.com website today and found this neat video of how Doorposts evolved. Watch and see as this sweet family obeys God and starts their ministry.