One of my earliest memories is of my dad reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Farmer Boy to my sisters and me before bedtime. I must have been about five, growing up in San Diego in the 1960s – but vicariously experiencing life on a New York farm a hundred years earlier.
The farmer boy of the title was Almanzo Wilder, who grew up and married Laura Ingalls. I vividly remember scenes from the book as Wilder describes Almanzo’s family and his early life as he trains a young pair of oxen to pull a load; worries about his schoolteacher being thrashed by a group of big boys; makes ice cream with his siblings while his parents are out of town; and raises an enormous, milk-fed pumpkin.
Despite the fact that Wilder’s books have been read by millions and are classic children’s literature, she was canceled by officials at the American Library Association in 2018. The ALA dropped Wilder’s name from a medal given to honor significant authors and illustrators of children’s literature.
Her crime? Despite how accurately and grippingly she wrote about life in a different era, her books were “inconsistent” with the ALA’s “core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect, and responsiveness.”
As I grew up, we always had books around the house, and I read voraciously. My first grade class had a reading contest, and I read more than 140 books.
The prize? A book, of course, The Big Golden Book of Poetry. With 85 poems, it had classics like Edward Lear’s “The Owl and the Pussycat”; Ogden Nash’s “The Tale of Custard the Dragon,” and Eugene Field’s “The Duel.”
What books do you remember from childhood? Are they books your parents read to you, stories your teacher read to the class, or books you read on your own?
In third grade, I remember being captivated by the bizarrely gothic humor of Roald Dahl as my teacher read James and the Giant Peach to the enter classroom. Poor James Henry Trotter, mistreated and abused by his Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge after his parents are eaten by a rhinoceros that escaped from the London Zoo.
I was hooked on Roald Dahl after that.
I can still picture the illustrations from children’s Bible storybooks that we would sit and read in church, a series from Arch Books with titles like The Rich Fool, The Good Samaritan, and Daniel in the Lion’s Den.
I remember plenty of books and magazines around the house, but I don’t remember my family buying a lot of books when I was young. We usually borrowed from the school or public library, by the bagful, as many as we could check out at a time. Or we’d pick up “gently used” books at garage sales and thrift stores.
A Book-Rich Home Makes Smart Kids
As it turns out, having books in the home is very important for children’s educational success. And the more books, the better.
Studies show a link between the number of books in a home and educational achievement. The publishing company Scholastic reports:
Four decades of research with children of all ages, in varied socioeconomic and cultural groups, reveal that access to books in the home is one of the strongest predictors of educational achievement.
Children in homes with more extensive home libraries read more, have higher-level reading skills, and attain more years of education overall than those with access to fewer books, even after controlling for parental education level.
Scholastic’s paper, titled: “Home Libraries: The Impact of Home Libraries on Academic Achievement, Economic Success, and Health,” says the positive benefits of books in the home go beyond education:
Adults who grow up with home libraries are more likely to find work and have higher reading, math, and technological competence than their peers with fewer books in their homes. Research also shows that having books at home as a child results in higher adult brain function, increased empathy, and better physical health. Along with all that, books at home just might keep people alive longer.
The education company cites numerous studies demonstrating “the power of home libraries,” including a 2010 study by scholars from universities in the U.S. and Australia, “Family scholarly culture and educational success: Books and schooling in 27 nations.” The researchers explain that “scholarly culture” is “the way of life in homes where books are numerous, esteemed, read, and enjoyed.”
The authors didn’t just look at “rich Western nations at the end of the 20th century,” but at a variety of countries over time, and they found:
Children growing up in homes with many books get 3 years more schooling than children from bookless homes, independent of their parents’ education, occupation, and class. This is as great an advantage as having university educated rather than unschooled parents, and twice the advantage of having a professional rather than an unskilled father.
It holds equally in rich nations and in poor; in the past and in the present; under Communism, capitalism, and Apartheid; and most strongly in China.
There are other factors in children’s educational success, such as growing up with biological, married parents and parents’ income level and occupation. But having many books in the home can overcome other detriments. The researchers report:
The difference between a bookless home and one with a 500-book library is as great as the difference between having parents who are barely literate (3 years of education) and having university educated parents (15 or 16 years of education). Thus, a home library is as important as parents’ education, the most important variable in the standard educational attainment model.
We all want our children to succeed. Having lots of books in the home is a simple way to help children thrive, grow and live better, more fulfilling lives.
But while researchers are looking at the helpful effects of the number of books in a home, Christians should also be concerned with the content and the quality of those books.
Thankfully, Focus on the Family has put together some great lists of books to borrow from the library or to add to your family’s collection. Here are some articles and resources to help you as you steer your children toward good books.
5 Positive Effects Reading Has on Child Development
Connecting With Your Kids Through Reading
Good Books for Kids to Read: How to Find Them
How to Find Great Books to Read to Your Kids
How to Raise Kids Who Love Reading
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