If you have ever picked up a picture book to read to a hopeful child in your lap, or been a child yourself being read to by a parent before bed, or by a teacher at the head of a class room, or even by an older sibling who has mastered the deciphering of words, you know deep in your soul, that not all picture books are created equal. There are some stories that churn our hearts and imaginations - beckoning us into the pages. There are lyrical stanzas, captivating illustrations, and ancient wisdom that nurtures the minds of young and old alike. This act of reading aloud can be a gift to both the reader and the listener. It can be magical.
However not all books make the mark. And I am not just talking about AI garbage - which is just that: trash - or the ever so famous “twaddle” that Charlotte Mason despised (goodness knows, there is much of that too in the world) but books that deceive, distort, neglect, or twist Truth.
Before you think I am about to disparage fairy stories, think again. This isn’t an essay to create a world without fiction, simply a plea for Goodness, Truth, and Beauty in the literature that we read and that we read to our children.
I once read a picture book called The Story of Passover and besides getting multiple Biblical facts wrong, the book completely skipped the part about the Israelites putting the blood of the lamb over their doorway. They passed over the Passover and slapped “The Story of the Passover” on the front.1 It was one of the most bizarre books I had encountered in my read-alouds and it made me realize that anyone can say anything - even in a picture book.
Sometimes it is obvious by the cover if a book is - or isn’t - Good, Beautiful, and True. I often see them on display at our local library and can easily avoid checking out with them. But other times they dress themselves up, like wolves in sheep’s clothing or Passover books that neglect the Passover, and if we are not rooted in wisdom, we can get swept away with folly.
“The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,
but the folly of fools is deceiving.” - Proverbs 14:8
By now I am sure you are wondering about the tale of two books, and so I’ll start my story.
It all started with my January Reads where I was introduced to and inspired by several women of faith - Lillias Trotter, Anne Bradstreet, and Katie Luther. I opened the catalog at my local library and put all the picture books of these ladies on hold (there were none of Katie Luther - bummer). I wanted to introduce my younger kids to these women and their stories. As the holds came in, I brought them home, snuggled on the couch with little bodies on and around me, and read aloud.
Lily the Girl Who Could See came to life on the pages. Her story unfolded as she not only learned to see the world God created and paint it masterfully, but seek that same Creator and do the things he was asking her to do. When faced with the choice to fully give everything to her talent or the Lord, she chose the latter. And in that, Lily was able to still use her gifts for his Glory. In a world ready to hand her fame on a platter, she chose instead to make the name of Christ famous as a missionary to North Africa. As enraptured by her story as I was when I heard it for the first time when reading Rambrant is in the Wind, I was again, this time with my kids.2
Lilias is someone to admire. Someone to look up to. Someone who reminds us that it is God who gave us our giftings to be used for his Glory! A real woman of faith who can inspire us all to be faithful! Amen. Goodness, Beauty, and Truth.
The next book - Poet, Pilgrim, Rebel. The Rebel epithet assigned to Anne Bradstreet gave me pause, but her life and story is so beautiful plus the illustrations on the front won me over, so I gave it a chance. I opened the pages and poured through the contents, arriving at the end a little broken hearted. They missed it. This great-granddaughter x14 of Anne Bradstreet, who happens to be the author, only sees Anne’s story through her modern lens. In this book (and several other modern poetry sources3) Anne is depicted as a soul-crushed Puritan who is oppressed by the men around her and forced into a life of motherhood, homemaking, and faith. Through the lens of modern feminism, her act of writing while being a woman can only be rebellious in nature. The idea that she truly loved the Lord and her family (the topics of nearly all her poetry) is only a cover so she wouldn’t get banished from the colony.
In fact, this book goes so far to push this narrative by saying Anne made her brother-in-law take her poetry to England to be published as an act of rebellion, when most scholars believe he took them without her knowledge. If that is the case, it doesn’t make the men in this story to be quite the villains modern day feminists want them to be. So the author instead asserts - based on insider feelings - that she “knew exactly what she was doing” and rebelliously stormed through all the expectations of her day seeking publishing. It is so foreign to so many (most outside the Christian faith, but still some in) that a woman could be supported, loved, celebrated, and encouraged to use her God-given talents even in traditional roles and a Puritan faith. Her daily acts of faithfulness to the Lord - loving and caring for her family, encouraging them with her talents and passions (she wrote many poems as gifts to the ones she loved), and supporting her husband are glossed over to present a woman who was eager to be America’s first published poet despite the patriarchy holding her down. Yet if you read her poetry or letters, it doesn’t show a woman hungry for fame. It shows a faithful woman who was truly talented, used her gifts for God’s glory, and was blessed (by God) to become America’s First Published poet.
This book told a story that was mostly true, but distorted the Truth to fit a narrative. It missed the mark of Goodness, Beauty, and Truth. So someone write the right book. Tell the story of a woman who was faithful to the Lord and used her gifts for his Glory. Encourage future generations to seek the approval of God not man. Stop disparaging the past and talking bad about these women (and men) of faith who have gone before us.4
I’ve reached the end of my tale, and all that is left to do is leave the moral. Beware fellow book readers. As you put books on hold at the library, add to your Amazon cart, or checkout on Thriftbooks, know that not all picture books are created equal.5 Read with discernment. Be wise about what you assume and consume. And teach your children to do the same.
It is shocking to me this book has any 5 stars reviews on Goodreads.
To be fair, I didn’t think the writing was top notch, but it didn’t put a damper on the book for me and still was easily a 4 or 5 star read!
The Poetry Foundation loves to say how “conflicted” she was because she found beauty in this world, yet also hope in heaven, she loved her husband yet also loved the Lord. I have no idea why both these things can’t be true at the same time, but I guess Jesus reminded us there would be people who just don’t get it - “you will hear clearly, but you will never understand. You will see clearly, but you will never perceive.” (Matthew 13:14)
This may be another substack article for another day, but I’ve lately been convicted about how I view people (and specifically Christians) of the past. Even so much so to be surprised there are still Christians today based on all the “fake” Christians who have gone before us. I scoff at the Crusades, the events leading up to the Reformation, and even the Puritans and assume I know more, I know better. But there have been faithful Christians throughout all generations. God has been moving and making all things new since the beginning - in every Country, Nation, and Century.
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