In “The Warrior Poet Way” author John Lovell, founder of The Warrior Poet Society, affirms that “Revolution Starts at Home” by explaining that “Each night (unless I’m traveling), I read them [my children] a story. Whether it’s illustrated Shakespeare plays abridged for children, one of the Great Illustrated Classics, Greek myths, the Green Ember book series, or the Chronicles of Narnia, we are always getting into some new and imaginary tale.”
“As I read, I do the different character voices, and my wife chimes in with sound effects. Side note to my fellow fathers: read to your kids and don’t wimp out on the voices. This is good fun and constantly causes our kids to fall more and more in love with reading every day.”
“It’s no exaggeration to say that my eight-year-old has read more than most graduating high schoolers. My kids read that much.”
“This is not a new phenomenon we’ve stumbled upon. It’s old knowledge and timeless wisdom. Ever since human beings were able to read, people have understood that accumulating knowledge naturally puts a child at an advantage to his peers. In our family, we’ve created a culture of reading, and it’s paying off in huge dividends. My belief is this will make our children more knowledgeable, sure, but also freer thinkers, less likely to be pushed around by authority figures who don’t have their best interests at heart.”
The difference in our lives a year from now will largely be due to the books we read. A wise man once said, “Readers are leaders and leaders are readers. If you stop reading, then you stop leading.” In light of that, perhaps it would be an encouragement to you if I shared with you my reading list from recent years. It includes books that I’ve read personally along with books that I’ve read aloud to my wife and children or am currently reading. My prayer is that your heart would be stirred to read some good stuff yourself and intentionally cultivate a “forward-leaning mind” by the grace of God to the praise of His glory in Christ Jesus.
2020/2021
“The Wingfeather Saga” Book 1, “On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness” by Andrew Peterson
“The Wingfeather Saga” Book 2, “North! Or Be Eaten” by Andrew Peterson
“The Wingfeather Saga” Book 3, “The Monster in the Hollows” by Andrew Peterson
“The Wingfeather Saga” Book 4, “The Warden and the Wolf King” by Andrew Peterson
“Wingfeather Tales: Seven Thrilling Stories From the World of Aeriwiar” edited by Andrew Peterson
“The Landing of the Pilgrims” [Landmark] by James Daugherty
“The Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens (Great Illustrated Classics version)
2022/2023
“The Hardy Boys (#3): The Secret of the Old Mill” by Franklin W. Dixon
“Winning His Spurs: A Tale of the Crusades” by G.A.Henty
“Great Stories Remembered” Compiled and Edited by Joe L. Wheeler
“A Family Christmas” by James Dobson
“The Chronicles of Narnia” Book 1, “The Magician’s Nephew” by C.S. Lewis
“The Chronicles of Narnia” Book 2, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis
“The Chronicles of Narnia” Book 3, “The Horse and His Boy” by C.S. Lewis
“The Chronicles of Narnia” Book 4, “Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia” by C.S. Lewis
“The Chronicles of Narnia” Book 5, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” by C.S. Lewis
“The Chronicles of Narnia” Book 6, “The Silver Chair” by C.S. Lewis
“Ginny & the Mystery Cat” by Catherine Woolley
“The Stranger at Home: A Childhood Account” from SAT Publications
“The Chronicles of Narnia” Book 7, “The Last Battle” by C.S. Lewis
“The Hobbit (or There & Back Again): The Enchanting Prelude to the Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien
“Dictionary of the Gospel” by Thomas M. Bruscha
“Christmas In My Heart 12” Compiled and Edited by Joe L. Wheeler
2023/2024
“Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe (Focus on the Family Great Stories Edition)
“The Green Ember” by S.D. Smith
“All Aboard for Freedom” by Marie McSwigan
May this list encourage your heart to be counter culturally radically at intentionally passing on the faith to the next generation. This is one of the many ways that together we can be devoted to “Advancing the Cause of Christ to the Ends of the Earth…Beginning Right at Home.”
