Quality Children’s Book Recommendations You Can Rely On
We sat around the table the other day swapping book titles with cousins we hadn’t seen in years. Our children share a love of many of the same series and authors, but my oldest still filled both sides of a sheet of paper with hastily scribbled titles for them to check out.
That conversation got me thinking about the sources we’ve used through the years to find quality books for our children to read and listen to. Though both my husband and I love books, we can’t keep up with our children’s voracious reading and audiobook consumption. And while we can—and do—peruse homeschool curriculum reading lists by grade level, I love the nuance of trusted personal endorsements. We’ve been so grateful for recommendations we can rely on, that don’t require us to pre-read every title.
Here are a few of our favorite children’s book reviewers we’ve been following for years…
Read-Aloud Revival
Sarah Mackenzie’s passion for books is infectious! She’s been helping families fall in love with books since 2014 through the RAR podcast. Countless titles she’s recommended fill our shelves and Audible library. Be sure to browse all the booklists on the website and don’t miss Sarah’s “Book of the Week” videos on YouTube and social media.
Redeemed Reader
With thoughtful reviews of new books as well as old, this team of four women has been a trusted source for information on graphic novels and YA fiction alike since 2011. Redeemed Reader includes separate ratings for worldview/moral value vs. artistic/literary value, as well as content considerations, which are helpful in making decisions about which books to bring into our home.
StoryWarren
Home of S.D. Smith’s The Green Ember series, the “allies in imagination” at StoryWarren have been featuring reviews as well as thoughtful articles in their weekly emails, blog, and social media since 2012.
House Full of Bookworms
Carolyn Leiloglou is a children’s book author who has been sharing kidlit reviews on House Full of Bookworms since 2014. I always enjoy perusing her unique book list themes.
Newer bookish follows I’m loving…
Treasured Hour Bookshop
Leilani Curtis curates beautiful children’s book/audiobook reviews and themed recommendations (plus she sells used books and bookish merchandise!).
Fill Your House with Books
Anna Symonds provides reviews of classics, Christian, and wholesome books for the whole family (plus a monthly used book sale!).
Natalie Glaser
I am so excited that my sis-in-law has begun sharing book lists on Substack, because she has a wealth of literary recommendations (not to mention, she’s a fabulous storyteller!).
Publishers to shop from…
Rabbit Room Press
The original home of Andrew Peterson’s The Wingfeather Saga, Rabbit Room Press has a beautiful selection of children’s books and graphic novels.
Purple House Press
If you love vintage living books but want copies for everyday reading, be sure to check out their collection which includes reprints of everything from Little Britches to The Mistmantle Chronicles.
Waxwing Books
Beautiful books you’ll want to read aloud, Waxwing Books is the home of Sarah Mackenzie’s own picture books. Every book is exquisite—from the cover and end papers to everything in between!
I love this! I would have loved some of these resources when we were still homeschooling (both my kiddos have graduated and my daughter graduates college next weekend!!). It all goes by so fast! I have several book tubers I like to watch, and I follow quite a few people on Instagram, and have a decent amount of book bloggers I visit as well 😉