Reddit mentions: The best values books for children

This might be a completely crazy idea, but...since he's clearly smart and enjoys learning, maybe teach him some basic neuroscience? Explain that there are parts of his brain that make him feel his feelings (limbic system), and other parts of his brain that help him stay in control (prefrontal cortex). Explain that as kids grow up, their prefontal cortex gets bigger and stronger so they get better at managing big feelings. Explain that he can help his prefrontal cortex get bigger and stronger by practicing calming himself down when he feels big feelings. He's actually growing his brain every time he practices! (This is more or less true, though it's more about neural connections than brain volume, and obviously there are some developmental limits on what a 4-year-old brain is capable of). Anyway, just thinking this might help motivate him to try a bit more self-regulation, and help him feel less out of control if he understands a bit better what's going on in his own brain. There are some great neuroscience books for kids out there (aimed at slightly older kids, but shouldn't be a problem for your kiddo) such as The Adventures of Your Brain and Your Fantastic Elastic Brain. My First Book about the Brain is another good one in coloring book form.

Helping him become more in tune with his body so he can recognize when he's starting to ramp up might also be helpful. Listening to My Body or Visiting Feelings might help with this. He might also really relate to the story Sometimes I'm Bombaloo. Once he's able to recognize when he's getting wound up, help him redirect that energy/emotion into more appropriate outlets. Maybe encourage him to run around outside, or do jumping jacks, or stomp his feet. You might look into sensory-based activities; this book looks like it might be helpful. Ask him what his body feels like it wants to do, and help him find a way to do that safety/appropriately (e.g. if he wants to destroy something, have him knock down block towers or rip up paper). You could also try calming strategies like deep breathing, yoga, or other mindfulness activities - there are some great apps for that such as Stop Breathe & Think Kids and Super Stretch Yoga, or books such as Breathe Like a Bear and My Magic Breath. He might especially relate to The Lemonade Hurricane. The Mindful Kids activity cards are great too.

Hope something in there is helpful - best of luck to you and your son!

I'm so excited for your son to have fallen in love with reading - books are some of the best comforts one can have.

Ages 6 - 8 (some of these may be challenging)

Flora & Ulysses (Newbery Award winner) by Kate DiCamillo

I actually haven't read this book, but DiCamillo is an amazing author, and Newbery award winners are usually a safe bet. Tale of Despereaux is another great book of hers.

Everything written by Roald Dahl

Just in case he hasn't read them yet - I suggest Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, BFG, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Mathilda, James and the Giant Peach, and The Witches.

The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis

Fantastic fantasy series to prepare him for Lord of the Rings trilogy I'm sure he'll watch/read in the future. Fun fact: the authors were dear friends.

Ages 9 -12 (more challenging)

The Giver, by Lois Lowry

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L'Engle

Holes, by Louis Sachar


Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls

Warning: he will cry at the end. Everyone cries at the end.

Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli

A runaway kid who starts a new life - like a children's version of Forrest Gump.

The A. I. Gang Trilogy, by Bruce Coville

• Operation Sherlock
  
  
  
• Robot Trouble
  
  
  
• Forever Begins Tomorrow
  
  
  Bruce Coville is a great children's author and this series would be right up your kid's alley if he likes spies. Five kids go to an island with their mad scientist parents and basically have amazing spy adventures. This series is geared toward 9+ years, but his other books and collections of stories are geared for younger kids (some of which are about aliens, which may appeal to his Star Wars attraction).
  
  There are so many more books out there, but I didn't want to overwhelm you with choices. Please let me know if there are a specific genre you'd think your son would be interested in, and I'll try to think of more (although I was much more into fantasy when I was younger). Your son is so lucky to have a parent who encourages his reading!!
  
  P.S. I LOVED The Phantom Tollbooth when I was younger :D

I understand your points, I'm not sure why you're getting such a hard time about it.

And yes, I too believe morals are relative, those claiming absolute morality nearly always do so because they believe that God has declared something. I believe different human cultures create different moralities, this is influenced by religious beliefs, traditions, etc.

The reason I like Western culture is because the morality it accepts is often agreed by a democratic process while retaining basic and fundamental rights for all it's citizens. It has certainly been influenced in the past by common religious beliefs but having a separation of church and state makes a great positive difference, in allowing the community to work out what morality is acceptable.

This kid's book Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong really opened my eyes about understanding morality.

It talks about how we can have certain principles that can help guide us to make good/ethical/moral decisions, rather than simply following rules as dictated by religion (commandments) or governments (laws).

Some of the key points:

• A principle is an idea, not a command.
  
• A principle does not tell you what to do, but how to think about what to do.
  
• Principles, unlike rules, can be broken (for example, by a more important principle, and so sometimes you have a dilemma and a good decision can be difficult).
  
• Principles, unlike rules, require careful thought.
  
• Morality is how you decide what actions are right or wrong, good or bad, better or worse (and is the same as having good principles.)
  
  The book outlines what it deems basic good principles:
  
  
• Life is valuable
  
• Respect the rights of others
  
• Try to always be fair
  
• Always be honest
  
• Try to be responsible
  
• Try to be kind to others
  
• Always try to learn
  
• Enjoy your life

Some help:

Maybe Yes, Maybe No (LINK)

by Dan Barker

In today's media-flooded world, there is no way to control all of the information, claims, and enticements that reach young people. The best thing to do is arm them with the sword of critical thinking.

Maybe Yes, Maybe No is a charming introduction to self-confidence and self-reliance. The book's ten-year-old heroine, Andrea, is always asking questions because she knows "you should prove the truth of a strange story before you believe it."

"Check it out. Repeat the experiment. Try to prove it wrong. It has to make sense." writes Barker, as he assures young readers that they are fully capable of figuring out what to believe, and of knowing when there just isn't enough information to decide. "You can do it your own way. If you are a good skeptic you will know how to think for yourself."

Another book is "Me & Dog" by Gene Weingarten.

And Born With a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story : Books 1, 2, 3

Here Comes Science CD + DVD

The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins

Bang! How We Came to Be by Michael Rubino.

Grandmother Fish: A Child's First Book of Evolution
Grandmother Fish, free in PDF form online

Also:

Greek Myths – by Marcia Williams

Ancient Egypt: Tales of Gods and Pharaohs – by Marcia Williams

God and His Creations – by Marcia Williams

"I Wonder" by Annaka Harris

"From Stardust to You: An Illustrated Guide to The Big Bang" by Luciano Reni

"Meet Bacteria!" by Rebecca Bielawski

See also Highlights for Children - this has materials for younger children.

Atheism books for children by Courtney Lynn

"It Is Ok To Be A Godless Me", "I'm An Atheist and That's Ok", "I'm a Freethinker", "Please Don't Bully Me" and "I'm a Little Thinker" etc.

Courtney Lynn has a couple more for grown ups as well.

Grandmother Fish, free in PDF form online

A child's first book of evolution.

15 Holiday Gift Ideas for Secular Families

Bedtime Bible Stories by Joey Lee Kirkman - for mature teens only

Coming up: TINY THINKERS is a series of books introducing popular scientists to children, by telling their stories as if the scientists themselves were kids!

Twice now, professional friends of my wife (who, as always, is a humanities professor) have given my oldest daughter this kind of book as a gift. Each time it was a from a late 30s childless feminist female professor (who are people I like fine, btw). They apparently thought the books were "fun" and "playful" with a "good message".

The first of these, A is for Activist, I mostly rolled my eyes about and then gave away after a while.

The second one, Rad American Women A-Z, was given as a gift when I wasn't around, so I only came across it when looking at my 5 year old daughter's book shelf. The very first content page of this book when I opened it was this hagiography of Angela Davis - it is instructive to compare the article in the kids book with the information in the wikipedia page. And I'll admit, I seethed for a while after finding this book on my daughter's book shelf.

I recognize that there are people out there who want to give their kids these kinds of books, just as there are people who want to give their kids Baby's First Bible Stories or Baby's First Bill O'Reilly or Baby's First Glenn Beck or Baby's First Hamas.

And aside from that Hamas cartoon, this doesn't bother me. This is basically one major way people pass on their values and culture and worldview to their kids.

Nor does it bother me that my daughter will learn, over time, that there are well-meaning people out there who support Angela Davis, or Glenn Beck, or Moses, or radical feminism, or traditionalism, or Orthodox Judaism, or whatever, and that they disagree with each other, and they have their reasons, and that's okay. And she'll have to make up her own mind about those things.

But what does bother me is the idea that it's reasonable, and fun, and not even worthy of comment, to give what amounts to pretty nakedly partisan / radical propaganda to other people's kids.

It was actually after finding this second book that it finally sunk in for me that my previous practice of just politely and silently keeping my politics and worldview to myself around my wife's peers wasn't going to work. It doesn't bother me that I don't agree with them on plenty of stuff, and it's not important to me that they be convinced of, or engage with, my viewpoints or values. I actually get nothing out of them getting a window in to what I think and believe, really. But I've started seeing their assumptions about what all decent people think and value leak into how they treat my kids. And that's getting my back up. It's the assumptions part of it more than anything.

EDIT: To clarify, both books were given to my wife by the friends. No one was trying to go around our backs or anything like that... nor would they, because it wouldn't have occurred to them that there was anything objectionable about the books in the first place. It just happened to be the case that I found the second book on the book case without knowing it had been given, as described above.

Come to think of it, the only short story anthology I've read that was without a doubt YA is Young Warriors, edited by Tamora Pierce and Josepha Sherman. I honestly only read it because Tamora Pierce's name was connected to it, so myself and others are probably missing out on a lot of great anthologies because we don't recognize the names blazed on them.

That said, lots of experience with more grown up short stories. I'm more willing to branch out with "adult" authors, I think. The YA ones tended to have more humor and triumphs in them rather than bittersweet or ironic or tragic endings. In adult short stories, an unhappy ending tends to be perfectly fitting, but I think it would often turn off a younger audience that is looking for entertainment rather than "literary" value. Anecdote: every short story my high school lit mag published had an unhappy ending. Our readership was limited to aspiring English majors.

I would say that a good short story is self-contained, but doesn't explain much about the world at large. I don't like to waste time in a very short story with a bunch of unnecessary exposition. As a reader, I like to think that I'm smart enough to fill in some gaps in the setting based on clues and context.

If I love a book series, I will happily seek out short stories (and sometimes fanfiction) set in the same world. JK Rowling seems to have avoided this so far by publishing "textbooks" from the HP world rather than stuff with familiar characters, but I enjoyed those anyways because it still added to the depth of the universe. Pottermore might be a different story to that effect, but I haven't delved much into that.

Yes that is a good start. I also suggest reading her this book "The Colors of Us." http://www.amazon.com/The-Colors-Us-Karen-Katz/dp/0805071636 (and Sesame Streets' We're Different, We're the Same.)

The message is that everyone is a shade of brown. From there you can tell her that you are also brown, her mom is brown, and her siblings are brown. And that when she makes comments like that they hurt people, like you and her family.

I think since you dont know where or who is influencing her, your main concern is to have her understand that she is smart(give examples), beautiful, and brown. And that she shouldnt be ashamed of it. Show her influential "brown people" like Barack Obama, Condoleeza Rice, Princess Angela of Liechtenstein (yes a real 'brown' princess)..etc..etc... Show her that brown women are beautiful (Iman, Kimora Lee Simmons, Tyra Banks, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj (if your niece likes her), etc..etc.. You get the idea, right?

Off the top of my head i think you can:

• At work, avoid being put in positions of power over other people, and if you happen to be momentarily put in such a position do your best not to act in an authoritarian manner and always respect your co-workers - regardless of their position relative to yours - as your equals. During workplace disputes side with the workers against the boss and side with the victims of harassment against the harassers.
  
  
• Do volunteer work for or donate to some organization that does actual good work helping the marginalized (Say: Planned Parenthood, Survival International, your local homeless and abuse survivor's shelters, Food Not Bombs, BlackLivesMatter chapters, etc) or to local leftist groups. Avoid money-grabbing shitty NGO's.
  
  
• Join a union, convince your co-workers to unionize (try to keep that a secret from your boss though...) or to even join a solidarity network if one exists in your area (do keep that a secret from your boss if you do so!).
  
  
• As others have mentioned, raise your kids on a libertarian way - teaching them to be autonomous and think critically about everything they do, convincing them of things with reasoning rather than commands, try to put them in the least-authoritarian school you can find in your area. Read Paulo Freire's book on education if you are so inclined. Also check out this children's book.
  
  
• If you can, ditch the use of proprietary software and start using libre software and donating to interesting libre software projects - abandon Windows for a GNU/Linux distribution like Debian, Microsoft Office for LibreOffice (if your work does not require Excel), Twitter for GNU Social/Mastodon, etc. Take real steps to protect your privacy and security online (this is someone everyone should do for safety reasons alone, regardless of political positioning).
  
  
• If you see something, do something - when you hear your acquaintances saying sexist or racist shit, don't let that pass for something "normal", make it clear that that stuff is not cool. Cut your ties to downright toxic people when you are able to.
  
  
• If you are convinced by the ethical arguments against the ownership and exploitation of animals or by the pragmatic environmental arguments against the meat industry, become a vegetarian or a vegan. Consult a nutritionist and other resources to make sure you maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
  
  
• Try to live a simpler and more frugal life - spend less time distracting yourself with commodities and more time with your friends and family and building healthy relationships with other people. Make an effort to cultivate virtues that will help you become a more independent, kinder and more empathetic person; and bring those virtues out in others.
  
  
• Read and read and read more and question your beliefs often, make sure you are well-informed about everything that matters to you and that your analytical skills always stay sharp.
  
  Those actions by themselves won't exactly do much to topple global capitalism, but then again nothing an individual does will - obtaining liberty is a collective effort and the future of this project is always uncertain, no amount of lifestyle changes will really "free" people. However they are a positive step that you can take to help a bit with out jeopardizing your family's life.
  

I am awesome at making mix cds. I don't have a picture or a tracklist of anything I've made, but even people who aren't my friends or family have praised my skill. When I used to have a blog, I made the offer to make a mix cd for one of my commenters as long as they told me some some music they like and some they don't and the recipient later told me that he listened to it up until the day he couldn't find it, which made me proud to hear from a stranger.

I would love [this book] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0375829636/ref=tmm_pap_new_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=new).

Get books then and read them together. The ones in our sidebar are pretty good and the best part is Amazon has a little carousel of related books so you can quite easily end up finding a whole shelf full of potential content.

One particularly good book to promote skepticism is Maybe Yes, Maybe No: A Guide for Young Skeptics

The page says its for older children but if you read the reviews you'll find it's just fine for kids your daughter's age as well.

There is also the Awkward Moments Children's Bible, Vol. 1

Which says it isn't for children and I'm going to hee and haw about that as I feel the Bible itself is inappropriate for Children and I further feel it is dishonest that many children's Bible's gloss over some bad parts in order to only sew a dishonest sense of good feelings in children through cherry picking which I would challenge most people to distinguish from indoctrination, brainwashing, whatever you want to call it -- they're weaponized books and the authors often carefully study child psychology to maximize indoctrination potential. If you get it maybe read over it yourself before deciding if it's appropriate, I'd definitely give it to a teenager without reservation but younger children it depends on how mature they are and what you want them exposed to.

Anyways best of luck!

The Giver by Lois Lowry

My name is Zach, and the book above is what started my love for reading in grade school. I'd absolutely love a kindle because too often I'm in a situation where it would make reading so much easier.

It's awesome that you're doing this and give the Giver a shot if you get a chance and haven't before. I read it again a year ago, and it's a very fun and quick read. Not quite Dostoyevsky [one of my favorite writers], but it's an interesting read despite it's target audience.

I haven't read through all the responses, but I'm sure you've been given some good advice on how this discussion would go.

I thought I'd mention this children's book I've heard great things about. (There tends to be a lot of good kid's books covering an array of difficult social topics) I recently put it on my baby registry so I could bring up the topic to my child in the future.

The Color of Us

Forget those people and thank you for building that kitchen! My brothers and guy cousins learned to cook and sew right along with us. And now we all know how to mend their own buttons & hems, and cook for themselves.

If you’re interested, I get this book (no affiliation) for my friends with little boys. It teaches them that they can bake, clean, etc and it will help them become good leaders when they grow up.
this book

I have a ton of those types of books in my "Wish List" on Amazon.

I've been winging it until I can afford one and/or they become available. In the meantime, I've been reading about evolution with my young child. There's a book about critical thinking that I bought, too, that was really good. I know you want books on religion; I'm in the same boat as you-- I need some comparative religion books now! (The ones at the local library children's section were written on a pro-religion slant.)

I thought the 30-day Amazon Kindle "unlimited" trial membership would help me but NOPE. Unlimited, my ass.

Another thought: The "Kindle Unlimited" trial had a couple adult books on comparative religions. I intend to read them, educate myself, and then explain it to my little one as best I can.

Those children's books have been so hard to come by for me!!

Sure there are. But probably with a different name.

Zen Shorts are one. It's a series of books with short Zen stories and illustrations for kids:
https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Shorts-Caldecott-Honor-Book/dp/0439339111/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486130149&sr=8-1&keywords=zen+shorts

Have You Filled a Bucket Today:
https://www.amazon.com/Have-Filled-Bucket-Today-Bucketfilling/dp/099609993X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1486129860&sr=1-3&keywords=fill+a+bucket
lets kids know that it feels bad to others to bully, but that you can "fill others' buckets" by giving compliments and saying nice things.

Heck, most kids can even understand The 4 Agreements: https://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486130060&sr=8-1&keywords=the+4+agreements

I'm sure there are quite a few others, but they are not coming to mind right now.

Have you done "filling other people's buckets"? There are lots of variations on books/videos on the theme. For example. Or try googling "filling other people's buckets" for lots of suggestions.

"Good will" I'd say is just aiming to fill other people's buckets with kindness / honesty / wanting the best for them etc

I don't know of videos, but the book Maybe Yes, Maybe No is an introduction to skepticism. It may be a bit too juvenile depending on how mature your daughter is.

How Do You Know It's True might be a better option if you think she's too mature for the first suggestion.

I Can Handle It by Laurie Wright

Listening to My Body: A guide to helping kids understand the connection between their sensations (what the heck are those?) and feelings so that they can get better at figuring out what they need. by Gabi Garcia

Breathe Like a Bear: 30 Mindful Moments for Kids to Feel Calm and Focused Anytime, Anywhere by Kira Willey

Edit to add a French book: Léon et les émotions by Annie Groovie!

Well, The Giver is part of a trilogy (soon to be a quartet), so you could try the other two books in the series. Dean Koontz has a huge body of work. I've read most of them and enjoyed all that I've read. If you like Dean Koontz, you'd probably enjoy Stephen King, John Saul and Cliver Barker.

It more or less comes down to showing your kid/s that it is ok to not know something, and to show them how to find an answer that satisfies them.
Explaining The scientific method and how we know things to be true is another thing to work on.

I would suggest picking up a couple books. Dale McGowen and Dan Barker have some great books for this topic


http://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Yes-No-Dan-Barker/dp/0879756071

http://www.amazon.com/Raising-Freethinkers-Practical-Parenting-Beyond/dp/0814410960/ref=pd_sim_b_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=05WNCHQ8SAJV1KE5DBDX

I read an article about this book "A Rule is to Break:Anarchy for Kids" a few months ago. I don't have any kids but would be interested to read it and see what it has to say, it has some great reviews!

This book is AWESOME. And my kids love it because it's interactive (a la "choose your own adventure"). They're 4, so at 5 your kid is in the right age range:

"What Should Danny Do?"
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/069284838X