OUT OF THE BEST BOOKS
Christlike Attributes
This booklist correlates to our Christlike Attributes Family Study.
We have separated books into the “character trait” that they teach, but the truth is: no book worth reading has only one message. Books like The Kitchen Knight or Thee, Hannah! could have easily been put into every single category.
These are all books that we love, and which will help you draw closer to the Savior Jesus Christ- even if He is never mentioned in their pages.
Please be advised, although we love all of these books, they are not all appropriate for everyone. Some books, such as The Hiding Place or The Great Gilly Hopkins may be right for your teenagers, but not your kindergartener. Use your own best judgement when choosing books for your family.
Picture books and novels are both listed. Novels are indicatd with a +
FAITH
St. George and the Dragon
Girls who Choose God: Stories of Courageous Women from the Bible
This is a wonderful series which includes heroines from the Bible, Book of Mormon and LDS Church History.
+ The Bronze Bow
+ The Pilgrim’s Progress: Dangerous Journey
HOPE
Noah’s Ark
The Carrot Seed
+ The Bark of the Bog Owl (Wilderking trilogy)
+ Mary of the Mayflower
JOY & GRATITUDE
Pelle’s New Suit
Elsa Beskow is one of our favorite children's authors and illustrators. Nearly all of her books are wonderful.
The Rich Man and the Shoemaker
Bernadette Watts is another favorite author and illustrator. She does wonderful renditions of many classic fairy tales.
The Quiltmaker's Gift
Mrs. Biddlebox
+ Heidi
+ The Secret Garden
CHARITY
The Star Child
Thy Friend, Obediah
Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty
Boxes for Katje
+ Sir Gibby
The original version of this is called Sir Gibby and is extremely long and written in Scottish. Try to find an abridged translation for children. Our favorite is Wee Sir Gibby of the Highlands, but it's hard to purchase. If your library doesn't carry it, you can read a different version for children and it will still be wonderful.
+ Mama's Bank Account
VIRTUE
King Arthur: The Sword in the Stone
Ernestine’s Milky Way
The Boy Who Held Back the Sea
+ Stories from the Life of Joseph Smith
+ A Little Princess
HONESTY
Honesty is included with VIRTUE in Christlike Attributes, but it's a valuable enough characteristic in it's own right that we have included a separate booklist for the topic.
O’Sullivan Stew
The Golden Plate
The Empty Pot
+ The Great Gilly Hopkins
+ The Railway Children
HUMILITY & REPENTANCE
Chanticleer and the Fox
Once a Mouse
The Little Gardener
The Tower: A Story of Humility
+ The Hundred Dresses
+ Sarah, Plain and Tall
+ The King's Equal
PATIENCE & FORGIVENESS
Hiawatha and the Peacemaker
The Kitchen Knight
+ The Hiding Place
+ The One and Only Ivan
OBEDIENCE
Strega Nona
Library Lion
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
+ Thee, Hannah
+ The Princess and the Goblin
KNOWLEDGE
Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
My Great-Aunt Arizona
+ Understood Betsy
+ The Wednesday Wars
REVERENCE
The Angel and the Donkey
Last Stop on Market Street
My Home Can Be a Holy Place
+ Tuck Everlasting
+ Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
DILIGENCE & WORK
The King's Highway
Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
The Ox-Cart Man
The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge
+ Little Britches
+ The Door in the Wall
PRAYERFUL
A Child's Prayer
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
+ Because of Winn-Dixie
+ The Tanglewoods' Secret