For many of us, summer is a time when our responsibilities slow down as the days grow long. Daily rhythms of school and work are broken up by vacations, and many find themselves with more time to sleep, relax, and maybe even read a book or two. As we continue our summer reading recommendations, I want to focus particularly on children and families. More specifically, I want to recommend one book for parents to read with their children, and one book for parents to read for themselves.
Many of you already know that we have been taking a break from our usual Sunday morning children’s videos to spend some time going through a book with our children during our Sunday services instead. This time around, we are spending some time reading through The Biggest Story Bible Storybook written by Kevin DeYoung and illustrated by Don Clark. This is a stunningly beautiful, extremely well-made book that tells the story of the Bible from beginning to end with an emphasis on how every story connects with the grand narrative of Scripture, also providing a short prayer at the end of each story. It can be so easy for anyone—even adults—to struggle to connect individual stories in the Bible to God’s plan of redemption, and in this book, DeYoung points out the connections that help us to realize the Bible really is one overarching narrative from beginning to end. While this book is probably more suited to slightly older children, DeYoung and Clark have also written and illustrated two condensed versions for younger children and toddlers called The Biggest Story ABC (for toddlers) and The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden (for preschoolers).
Second, I want to recommend a book for parents who want to grow in their ability to lead their children spiritually—especially those who maybe feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley is an extremely helpful and practical book that helps guide parents in how they can take advantage of the normal, everyday rhythms of life to point their children and the culture of their family toward that which is truly meaningful. For Earley, spiritual formation isn’t just about sitting down for a formal time of family devotions. The book includes sections on how to take advantage of bedtime routines, mealtimes, and moments of discipline (among many others) to speak truth into the hearts and minds of children and form healthy family habits that benefit children and families in the long run.
As usual, I could think of many other books to recommend. But, in such a short space, I can think of no two better books to recommend than these. If you are interested in other resources, please don’t hesitate to reach out and speak with me. I would be more than happy to talk with you further and give you further recommendations!
All the best,
Luke
