Three Rules for Creating a Stellar Family Library

Choosing books for my family isn’t random. With limited time and a big goal - the shaping of both character and intellect in my children - I’ve narrowed it down to three simple requirements:

1. First, the book has to show what goodness looks like. Not perfection, but real virtue. I want my children to see courage, honesty, and self-sacrifice lived out in stories. The best books don’t preach, they just quietly make goodness compelling. That’s why we come back to titles like Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Old Yeller by Fred Gipson, and The Lonesome Gods by Louis L’Amour. Each of these, in very different ways, gives a clear picture of what it means to choose what is right.

2. Second, books need to portray family life in a way that reinforces the things that make families strong: love, cooperation, faith, hard work, respect, and kindness. I want my kids to see people working through conflict, supporting one another, and growing together. I want them to know that, in families, we treat eachother with decency. This is why we have loved books like Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank and Ernestine Gilbreth, Little Britches by Ralph Moody, and the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. They show that strong families are built on strong foundations.

   
   

3. Third, the books that earn their place on our shelves have to exhibit heroism. I want my children filling their minds with examples of people who take the high road, especially when it’s difficult. Real heroes aren’t always flashy, but they are steady and principled. We see this in books like Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. These stories remind us that courage often shows up in endurance, integrity, and quiet strength.

   
   

At the end of the day, I’m not just choosing stories; I’m helping shape the kind of people my children are becoming. This makes the standard worth keeping high.