How Our Family Navigates the Library

Our kids love trips to the library. They love the opportunity to look for new books and have the freedom to choose. My kids always walk away from our monthly library visits with 8-10 books that excite them. 

HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THE BOOKS YOU BRING HOME ARE GOOD BOOKS? 

In addition to the books my kids choose, a week or two before going to the library, I put 20-30 books on hold of fabulous read-alouds and new-to-us chapter books and early readers, ones that come highly recommended (if I'm being honest, it often reaches 40+ books. The librarians LOVE checking me out). 

I find book recommendations from a number of sources including Read Aloud Revival, Honey for a Child’s Heart, and Give Your Child the World. I also have compiled book lists on my website that you are welcome to use!

The reason I put so many books on hold is two-fold. Often, the books we want are not held at our local library. Second, allowing our children to select books from the library in the current culture is tricky. Many books put on display are not appropriate for children or conflict with our Christian values. 

Sadly, our family has had to switch libraries because the original library we were visiting consistently put inappropriate books on display. The library we visit now has been a better fit, other than the books put on display around Halloween. 

WHAT ABOUT THE BOOKS YOUR KIDS PICK OUT? 

I've decided to pick my battles when it comes to the books my children choose from the library, always giving them a once-over before we take any of them home. My little ones know that I have the power to veto a book (see below) or even take one off the shelves once we get home if I missed something at the library.

For chapter books, I like to read Christian homeschool reviews if I haven't read the book already! 

I'm noticing that the more we read quality literature at home, the better my children are getting at selecting their own books from the library. Part of the fun of going to the library is searching for your own books! The lower-quality books they pick out are usually abandoned pretty quickly at home anyway. 

While we are at the library, I make it my job to act as matchmaker, pulling books for each child to peruse at one of the tables. They love having ones pulled just for them and they decide which ones they want to take home. 

We also love exploring the nonfiction section of the library. My children have spent hours flipping through the pages of the nonfiction books they discover. 

HOW DO YOU VETO A BOOK? 

Reserving the power to veto books at the library is very important. As parents, we are our children's protectors and, therefore, we need to be conscientious about what information our children are taking in. Our goal should be to flood their imaginations with good, True, and beautiful content. 

Practically speaking, what does this look like when you release your children to go look at books at the library?  

I usually begin our library visit by taking a stroll down the display aisle. I've developed a pretty good eye for books that are pushing an agenda, and when this happens, I try to steer the kids away from those books as they browse. If I have a major problem with the books on display our library visit ends pretty quickly. 

There have been several times that my children have been drawn in by the covers of books with content inappropriate for children before I notice. My children know that I have the power to veto a book, and they are now used to me occasionally saying, “We are not going to check out that book.” Then the book goes into my hands and back on the shelf. 

For now, they are also used to going without an explanation as to why. Sometimes, if they continue to push on why I'm vetoing a book, I'll remind them that I want only the best books brought into our home. My children are still too young to get into the details of why. When they are older, I will absolutely have conversations with my children about the reasons we avoid certain books. 

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN TO VETO?

What values your family holds can help you decide when to veto a book. For our family, I'm usually looking to see if a book has sexual content (can you believe I even have to say this?), witchcraft (this is a little tricky because some magical content is okay with me), or content that goes against the teachings of our Faith (gender identity comes to mind). 

I try not to veto “candy” books (ones that lack valuable content but are still fun for the kids to read) unless I object to the content. Sometimes these books reveal character flaws that aren't clearly identified as being vices. When this happens, we end the book with a conversation about the problem we encountered, and then I discreetly remove that book from our stack to be returned. 

At the end of the day, I know every month I’ve filled our home library with 20-30 quality picture books, so these other books usually end up taking a back seat. This is just one way I help my kids navigate the library. 

SCHOLASTIC-READER STYLE BOOK GUIDES:

Another way I am combating the difficulty of navigating today's library is by creating my own Scholastic Reader-style book guide that my kids can peruse to choose books they are interested in checking out from the library. If they are interested in a book, I either put it on hold or help them locate it at the library! I'm also planning to use the book guides to allow them, from time to time, to choose a book or two that they would like to collect in their personal library.

You can find my book guides for young readers on TPT or on my website! Here is a sample of full color, but I also included pages that require less ink :) 

WHAT ABOUT CATHOLIC PICTURE BOOKS? 

Our library system carries very few Catholic picture books, so I’ve spent the last few years collecting many of my own. I know these can be requested at the library but I figure having my own collection will also become an heirloom to be passed along. 

If you subscribe by email (scroll to the bottom) you will receive my Catholic Children’s book library guide which contains 90+ book recommendations. 

I’ve also included pages for you to encourage your local parish or school to grow their library! 

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