What kinds of books do your boys enjoy reading?

Many boys tend to be drawn to books about evil monsters, epic battles in space, fire-breathing dragons, and planets exploding into smithereens. Our kids are drawn to magical stories about fantastical creatures and worlds beyond our own.

I recently came across a very old Christian parenting pamphlet, written in 1940, called Hallowing the Home. There was a quote about the kinds of books we should allow our children to read. The book said this:

“Every child comes to the time when he or she craves imaginative literature. He should have it; the imagination should be fed. What shall we do? Go to the library and get a volume of fairy tales or something on that order? That might be all right, but remember, dear parent, those stories are fabrications – they are lies. Written as though they were genuine, the child receives them as such; but sooner or later, he is bound to experience the disappointment of disillusionment. His supposed friends are fanciful; they have all disappeared.”

The author goes on to say that in order to feed our children’s imaginations, they should only read Bible stories. “The Bible has all the imaginative elements any child will ever need.”

So, what do you think about this quote, dear parent? Are stories about fantastical creatures and places nothing but lies? Or do they have value in the lives of our children?

Find out in this episode of Redeeming the Chaos.

We have a special guest on the show today who is a bit of an expert on fantastical stories …

Listen to the full podcast episode at LaurieChristine.com!