Library Landscape in America

It’s not easy being a Christian parent in the public library these days. What used to be a fun family outing has now become a strategic maneuver through a minefield. If you’re not going into your local public library with a carefully laid plan, you might just come home with the latest gender-affirming children’s book. After all, public libraries are not in the business of helping parents make educated decisions on what to check out. In many cases, they are actively hiding the contents of these controversial books, hoping they might catch you unaware. The American Library Association even coaches librarians on dismissing parents’ complaints of obscene material in children’s literature. It’s safe to say public libraries are not on our side. Unfortunately, this is the landscape of American public libraries today. Even if the sweet old lady behind the counter of your local library sings in your church choir, she is only a final holdout in a city that has already been captured by the enemy. So what’s a Christian parent to do? Let’s explore some ways you can make great decisions about what books you allow into your home and how to navigate the jungle that is modern children’s literature.

First off, this is going to require a little work. Just like when making major changes to your family’s diet, you’re going to have to research what you’re bringing into your home and have a plan. Gone are the days when you could trust a Caldecott or Newberry Medal winner; now you have to read the list of ingredients. Even the much-beloved American Girl has faltered, introducing their 2021 American Girl of the Year as Kira Bailey, the first doll with an LGBT storyline. It can no longer be assumed that the mainstream publishing houses and authors have traditional values guiding their decisions. It is even common for authors of extremely popular children’s series to carefully place their most controversial characters three to four books deep into a series, ensuring kids get hooked and parents get ambushed! Thankfully, there are a growing number of resources that uphold virtuous content and are allies in a Christian parent’s quest to provide great books for their children. You don’t have to do this alone!

The Private Lending Library Movement

Historically, in times of uncertainty, a group of people will come together to ensure their ways of life – their customs, values, traditions – are not eradicated by the pervading culture that surrounds them. This “pulling in” is necessary because it preserves a people’s values and concentrates their efforts inward, becoming a life raft for those inside. This is what private lending libraries seek to do. They seek to preserve what is good, true, and beautiful in the culture for the next generation, and they come together as a buoy in the turbulent waters of the relativistic post-Christian society we live in. As many public libraries around the country are discarding some of the most wholesome children’s literature in favor of those that promote a secular and progressive worldview, private lending libraries are there to rescue these books, making them available to families again. There are now over a hundred private lending libraries in the US, and the number continues to grow. As the fabric of the public library system in America further erodes and hostility towards religious values rises, private lending libraries are creating a trusted space for Christian families.

Most private lending libraries are run by families and offer curated collections that adhere to higher standards of literary quality and virtue. The services they offer vary depending on the library, but many provide book clubs, consultations, personalized book recommendations, homeschool resources, and in-house or online browsing. Most of all, they house some of the best children’s literature that can be found in this country today. These libraries are an invaluable resource for the Christian parent. There are over 100 private lending libraries in the US; you can view the official list on Biblioguides. These are libraries that parents can trust and children can browse freely. It’s amazing to see! Beautiful Books Library is proud to be a part of this movement.

How to Find the Good Stuff

When it comes to knowing the right books for your family, there are many dependable sources out there, you just need to know where to look. If you prefer to have books about good books, as opposed to online lists, these are useful ones to have on the ready: Books That Build Character focuses on those selections of literature that imbue children with a love for moral excellence. Jan Bloom’s Who Should We Then Read? (Vols. 1 & 2) is a brief listing of titles and author biographies that will help you find edifying and entertaining books for your children. A Literary Education by Catherine Levison helps parents find age-appropriate resources for math, poetry, art, science, and literature. A Mother’s List of Books by Theresa Fagan is a concise compilation of exceptional children’s literature by age and topic. Also, Sarah Mackenzie’s The Read-Aloud Family couples book recommendations with strategies on how to create a culture of reading within your home and the importance of great literature from the very early years into adulthood. Book Lover’s Guide to Great Reading by Terry W. Glaspey, while not solely focused on young readers, is a guided tour of classic and contemporary literature. These books are dependable, family-friendly, faith-centered, and well worth the buy to have reliable book lists on your shelf to pull from.

If you prefer online resources, here are some fantastic websites and podcasts that point Christian parents to the best literature: John Senior’s Thousand Good Books list is a standard when it comes to preparing your children to appreciate The Great Books of the Western World. Simply Charlotte Mason book finder is categorized by topic and grade level and has wonderful recommendations for preschoolers. Plumfield Moms is an exceptional resource for book lists, book reviews, and favorite authors. Plumfield also has a podcast and newsletter that are very enjoyable and so FULL of information. And it’s a bonus that they are private lending librarians themselves! The Good and the Beautiful has a book list email that will keep you up to date on new releases that your family will love and their website gives you access to a database of great books. Sarah Mackenzie’s Read-Aloud Revival has a selection of old and new and is super fun to browse. She also has an incredible podcast called (you guessed it) Read-Aloud Revival Podcast that touches on all kinds of book-related topics and hosts authors who are excited to write the kinds of books we really want for our children. Biblioguides is a fantastic database that our library utilizes for book selection, but in order to access all it has to offer, there is a subscription fee. This is not an exhaustive list, but these are tried and true resources for discovering fantastic literature for your family.

If you find yourself at your local thrift store, wondering if you should bring a book home, Common Sense Media may be able to tell you whether to purchase or pass. Although, it’s not the most dependable. For instance, as of the date of this article, their review for the incredibly popular Wings of Fire series has no warning about the LGBT characters that lurk in the later books. If you suspect a book may have objectionable content, Book Looks is a website that offers direct excerpts from some of the most egregious offenders of children’s literature. You won’t find every objectionable book on the market on Book Looks, but it can clue you in to the authors you should avoid as well as give you a raw view of just how bad things have gotten. And speaking of authors to avoid, it can also be helpful to know the publishers you can trust. Unfortunately, certain publishing houses incentivize authors to write smut for children. I wish I were joking. HarperCollins, the publishing house who retains the rights to all of C.S. Lewis’ works, is now releasing books like True You: A Gender Journey. On a better note, there are a list of small publishers that are printing and/or reprinting truly enriching books for children, and a list of those can be found here. If you find any of the books from these publishers in the wild, you can throw them in your basket without reserve.

And while this is by no means all the helpful resources Christian parents have at their disposal, it is the best we have found so far. Beautiful Books Library utilizes a paid subscription to Biblioguides as well as an online database curated by other devoted librarians who have spent decades honing in on the best books out there.

Take Heart

The task of navigating this literary jungle can seem daunting — and for those of you raising voracious readers, it can seem downright impossible. The truth is that as much as you want to preview every book that comes into your house, you cannot do it on your own. Leaning on a trusted and vetted community of businesses and families committed to providing dependably enriching books for our kids is the only way to ensure we are giving them the best chance of avoiding deliberate attempts of indoctrination. The enemy truly does roam the earth looking for someone to devour, and in this case, it seems to be the most vulnerable and impressionable among us. But we should take heart and not be dismayed, knowing that God can and does supply our needs. It is inspiring to see the army of believers who have committed themselves to making a way for our children in this troubling shift in children’s literature before the rest of us had any clue there was a problem. They felt the shift in children’s literature and helped prepare a way for the Christian family, thanks be to God.

“And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.” — Galatians 6:9