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Our Wholesome Children's Book Guidelines

All 1,713 books in our database have been pre-read by us personally.

Our goal is to help you discover wonderful books worth sharing, and when a book includes content notes, we provide them to give you a closer look and help you decide what’s appropriate for your family.

We spend thousands of hours discovering, reading, and thoughtfully vetting every book we can get our hands on to bring you the very best in wholesome, engaging literature for families and schools.

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The full criteria

What we look for19 criteriaCharacter and morality, family and values, hard work, imagination, history, wholesome content

We believe books have the power to shape hearts, strengthen character, spark imagination, and inspire the next generation. We look for stories that do more than entertain—we want books that encourage children to think deeply, dream boldly, work hard, love their families, respect others, and grow into people of strong character.

We especially value books that promote:

Character & Morality

  • Courage, honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion, and perseverance
  • Personal responsibility, respectfulness, humility, and good manners
  • Characters who learn from mistakes and grow through challenges
  • Minor character flaws that are addressed and resolved throughout the story

Family & Values

  • Strong family relationships and biblical family values
  • Children who respect their parents and enjoy one another as siblings
  • Families who work together, support each other, and share meaningful experiences
  • Reflect biblical gender roles

Hard Work & Leadership

  • Diligence, determination, self-discipline, and taking pride in a job well done
  • Standing up for what is right, helping others, and leading by example
  • Stories that demonstrate the value of responsibility, service, and perseverance

Imagination & Curiosity

  • Stories that ignite imagination, inspire creativity, and encourage big questions
  • Books that introduce new ideas, spark curiosity, and foster a lifelong love of learning
  • Adventures that expand young minds and encourage independent thinking

History & Learning

  • Books that teach history and introduce children to inspiring people and important events
  • Stories that celebrate courage, patriotism, ingenuity, and the lessons of the past
  • Literature that builds vocabulary, knowledge, and an appreciation for learning

Wholesome Content

  • Age-appropriate language, themes, and scenarios
  • Entertaining stories that reflect wholesome values and leave children encouraged and inspired

Our Hope

We want to encourage a generation with the leadership of George Washington, the love of reading and learning of Abraham Lincoln, the tenacity of Booker T. Washington, and the courage of Molly Pitcher.

We aren't simply looking for books to fill bookshelves. We're looking for stories that shape character, nurture curiosity, strengthen families, and inspire children to become thoughtful, courageous, capable adults who make a positive difference in the world.

What content notes may include35 criteriaViolence and language, morality and character, unbiblical teachings, magic and occult, and more

Violence, Language, and Mature Themes

  • Graphic violence or torture
  • Inappropriate language
  • Themes and scenarios that may require parental guidance and discernment

Morality & Character

  • Bad or disrespectful attitudes that go uncorrected
  • Negative character traits such as name calling, unkindness, or lying
  • An attitude of “I don’t need you” towards parents
  • Childhood romance
  • Romance outside of marriage
  • Immodesty
  • Adultery

Self / Psychology Messages

Books that promote self-glorification

Other

  • References to spirituality and other religions without clarity on biblical truth
  • Woke ideologies including DEI, SEL, and environmentalist agendas
  • Aliens
  • Fluff or content without substance

Unbiblical Teachings

  • Unbiblical doctrines
  • LGBTQ+ content
  • Evolution or reincarnation
  • Taking the Lord’s name in vain
  • Speaking for Jesus (aside from quoting Scripture)
  • Calling evil good and good evil
  • Suicide
  • Irreverence

Extra-Biblical Teachings

  • Adding or changing content to the Bible
  • Extrabiblical traditions
  • Altered Bible stories

Family & Gender Roles

  • Embracing divorce
  • Sexual, pornographic, or erotic content
  • Feminism
  • Effeminate men
  • Portraying fathers in a weak or negative light

Magic & Occult

  • Divination: luck, tarot cards, astrology, crystal gazing
  • Magic: sorcery, witchcraft, hexing, enchantment
  • Spirits: necromancy, consulting spirits, Ouija boards
  • Halloween themes: ghosts, skeletons, zombies, mummies
  • Glorification of mysticism, magic, and the occult

Fiction and Non-FictionWhy we hold invented stories to a stricter standard than history

Fiction and non-fiction children's books serve different purposes. Historical books document real events, while fiction authors make deliberate choices about the themes, values, and worldviews they present to children.

We recognize these distinctions require different considerations. Non-fiction may contain difficult content—war, persecution, hardship—because these events actually happened. We evaluate historical books based on how content is presented and whether it's age-appropriate, identifying any concerns according to our guidelines. Fiction narratives can subtly shape a child's understanding of right and wrong, so we hold them to a stricter standard.

We evaluate each book individually, considering its genre, purpose, and how content is framed. We apply our standards with discernment, recognizing that truth-telling about history serves a different purpose than imaginative storytelling.

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