Book lists, Book Reviews

If I ran a bookstore….

My top 333 suggestions for RP’s new reading room

*****

If you love reading, the idea of running your own bookstore has probably crossed your mind. Spending your days getting great books – your very favorite titles – into the hands of as many people as possible would be just so rewarding! So, when Reformed Perspective moved into new offices – a small house in the middle of Smithers – and it had space for a reading room too, I was ready and eager to offer up suggestions for what books we should fill it with.

Now, I happen to live more than a thousand kilometers away, so I’m very happy that we’ve got a wonderful volunteer reading room manager in Lori Bandstra. But that she is ready and eager to deal with the practicalities of actually running the store frees me to offer up suggestions unburdened by any of the practical constraints of availability or cost. I can go ahead and just pitch the version of a Christian bookstore that I’ve got in my head.

So, below are 333 books, ordered roughly by age, youngest to oldest.

What makes my offering here a bit different from what you’d find in most other Christian bookstores is that while they’re filled with titles exclusively by Christians, what I’m prioritizing is excellence (Phil. 4:8) to provide fantastic titles for Christians. And that has meant that not all of these are authored by Christians. That’s especially so among the picture books, where Christians just aren’t equaling the quality of their secular counterparts. I think we’ve misunderstood this particular medium, where the minimal page count allows for a lot of brightly colored fun, but not all that much substance, and still Christian authors keep trying to pack in the profundity. Picture books are really more suited to, not lessons, but celebrations of whatever is fun, silly, goofy, wondrous, hilarious, and remarkable. And God has made a universe full of such delight, so I’ve got no shortage of picture books to suggest.

Then, as the list progresses into the older ages, where the page count is available to go deeper, it’s only natural to turn to authors who know that it is the knowledge of the Holy One that is the beginning of understanding (Prov. 9:10).

The vast majority of these books have reviews on RP's website. Simply click on whatever titles interest you to find out more.

Silly fun

1. Don’t Trust Fish, by Dan Santat
2. Once I Ate a Pie, by Patricia MacLachlan
3. Art & Max, by David Wiesner
4. Cheetahs Eat Cantaloupe, by Stephanie Vanderpol
5. Charlie the Ranch Dog, by Ree Drummond

Favorite picture book authors

1. Mo Willems’ 25-book Piggie and Gerald series, his Knuffle Bunny trilogy, and the first book of his Pigeon series, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (no need for the sequels)
2. 24 out of 25 of Cynthia Rylant’s Mr. Putter and Tabby series (with the exception being Mr. Putter and Tabby Take the Train)
3. Shirley Hughes’ Alfie Gets in First, Alfie’s Feet, Alfie Gives a Hand, Alfie and the Birthday Surprise, Alfie Wins a Prize, Alfie and the Big Boys, An Evening at Alfie’s, The Big Alfie and Annie Rose Storybook, and her classic Dogger too.

Folk and fairytale classics

1. Little Red Riding Hood, by Trina Schart Hyman
2. The Three Pigs, by David Wiesner
3. Ella’s Big Chance, by Shirley Hughes
4. The Mitten: a Ukrainian folktale, by Jan Brett
5. Tikki Tikki Tembo, by Arlene Mosel
6. Larry Bendeco Johannes Von Sloop, by Larry V. and Mark Kummer
7. Fern and Otto, by Stephanie Graegin
8. The Empty Pot, by Demi
9. Little Jake and the Three Bears, by Robert H. Jacobs
10. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, by Jerry Pinkney
11. A Triune Tale of Diminutive Swine, by John Branyan

Wordless wonders

1. Mark Pett’s The Boy and the Airplane and The Girl and the Bicycle
2. The Hero of Little Street, by Gregory Rogers
3. Thé Tjong-Khing’s Where Is the Cake? and Where Is the Cake Now?
4. Once Upon a Banana, by Jennifer Armstrong
5. The Lion and the Mouse, by Jerry Pinkney
6. Aaron Becker’s Journey, Quest, and Return

Moral to the story

1. Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss
2. Nobody Knows How to Make a Pizza, by Julie Borowski
3. Beautiful Oops, by Barney Saltzberg
4. Yellow and Pink, by William Steig
5. The Dog Who Cried Wolf, by Keiko Kasza
6. Mr. Pusskins, by Sam Lloyd (the sequels are not that good)
7. Seven Blind Mice, by Ed Young
8. The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes, by Mark Pett
9. Ready for Anything, by Kieko Kasza
10. The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep, by Hannah Harrison

Storybook collections

1. Frog’s Rainy-Day Story and Other Fables, by Michael and Sarah Dowling
2. James Herriot’s Treasury for Children
3. The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh, by A.A. Milne
4. Richard Scarry’s Best Story Book Ever

Goofy comic book adventures

1. Mister Invincible: Local Hero, by Pascal Jousselin
2. John Patrick Green‘s Kitten Construction Company and A Bridge Too Fur
3. Bolivar, by Sean Rubin
4. Graham Annable’s Peter and Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths, The Lost Sloths, and Sloths in the Night
5. Little Robot, by Ben Hatke
6. Kodi, by Jared Cullum

History for littles

1. Gertie: the Darling Duck of WWII, by Shari Swanson
2. Finding Winnie, by Lindsay Mattick
3. Blueberries for the Queen, by John and Katherine Paterson
4. Corrie ten Boom: the Courageous Woman and the Secret Room, by Laura Caputo-Wickham
5. Shooting at the Stars: The Christmas Truce of 1914, by John Hendrix
6. The Little Ships: The Heroic Rescue at Dunkirk in World War II, by Louise Borden

Accessible educational

1. Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr., by Kristen A. Jenson
2. Pro-Life Kids!, by Bethany Bomberger
3. David Powlison’s Zoe’s Hiding Place and Jax’s Tail Twitches
4. Buster’s Ears Trip Him Up, by Edward Welch
5. The Plot Chickens, by Mary Jane and Herm Auch

Knights rock!

1. Christopher Denise’s Knight Owl and Knight Owl and Early Bird
2. Brandon Hale’s Prince Martin Wins His Sword, Prince Martin and the Thieves, and Prince Martin and the Dragons (there are more but the first 3 are best)
3. Castle, by David Macaulay (get the color 2010 version, not the B&W 1977 one)
4. Saint George and the Dragon, by Margaret Hodges

A miscellaneous onesome

1. The Gardener, by Sarah Stewart

Chapter books

1. Bruno the Bear, by W.G. Van de Hulst
2. Piet Prins’ Wambu trilogy, with the new covers
3. Arleta Richardson’s In Grandma’s Attic, More Stories from Grandma's Attic, Still More Stories from Grandma's Attic, and Treasures from Grandma's Attic
4. Scout, by Piet Prins (and consider getting “The signature collection”)
5. Mooses with Bazookas, by S.D. Smith
6. Alexander McCall Smith’s The Great Cake Mystery, The Mystery of Meerkat Hill, Akimbo and the Lions, and Akimbo and the Crocodile Man
7. Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter (but it needs to be a beautiful version)
8. The Little Riders, by Margaretha Shemin
9. Snow Treasure, by Marie McSwigan
10. Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective, by Donald Sobol

Devotionals/Bible study

1. Teach Them Your Ways O Lord, a story bible by Amanda DeBoer
2. The Biggest Story, by Kevin DeYoung (not the later, similarly named, The Biggest Story Bible Storybook which has pictures of Jesus)
3. The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New, by Marty Machowski
4. Susan and Richie Hunt’s Discovering Jesus in Genesis and Discovering Jesus in Exodus
5. The Great Escape, by Christine Farenhorst
6. Still Thinking, by Jason Bouwman

Dinosaurs!!!

1. Titans of the Earth, Sea, and Air, by Jonathan Sarfati and Joel Tay
2. Dinosaurs: Marvels of God’s Design, by Tim Clarey
3. Guide to Dinosaurs, by the Institute for Creation Research
4. Dire Dragons, by Vance Nelson
5. Dinosaurs: God’s Mysterious Creatures, illustrated by Susan Windsor
6. Dragons: Legends & Lore of Dinosaurs, by Bodie Hodge

Nature’s wonders

1. Dig, Dance, Dive, by Etta Kaner
2. God’s Big Book of Animals, edited by Shirley Rash
3. Bug: Big & Small God Made Them All, by Will Zinke
4. Guide to Animals, by Frank Sherwin
5. Animals by Design, Earth: Our Created Design, and Space: God’s Majestic Handiwork, illustrated by Susan Windsor
6. Made in Heaven, by Ray Comfort

Tween educational fiction

1. Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech
2. James Payne’s Princess Navina Visits Malvolia, Princess Navina Visits Mandaat, and Princess Navina Visits Nuevava Malvolia (but not the 4th)
3. The Hyperinflation Devastation, by Connor Boyack
4. The Amazing Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
5. Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, by Randy Alcorn

Great fiction for tweens

1. Anne De Vries’ 4-book Journey Through the Night series (with the new covers)
2. Found Boys, by S.D. Smith
3. Innocent Heroes: Stories of Animals in the First World War, by Sigmund Brouwer
4. Hostage Lands, by Douglas Bond
5. John D. Fitzgerald’s 6-book The Great Brain series
6. Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe (a beautiful unbridged version)

Immigrant experience illustrated

1. Lost & Found, by Mei Yu
2. The Arrival, by Shaun Tan
3. Home in a Lunchbox, by Cherry Mo

Fictionalized Christian biographies for tweens to adults

1. When Lightning Struck: The Story of Martin Luther, by Danika Cooley
2. The Revolt, by Douglas Bond
3. The War in the Wasteland, by Douglas Bond
4. Luther in Love, by Douglas Bond
5. The Betrayal, by Douglas Bond
6. The Thunder, by Douglas Bond
7. The Battle for Seattle, by Douglas Bond
8. Once Upon a Wardrobe, by Patti Callahan
9. Steal Away Home: Charles Spurgeon and Thomas Johnson, by Matt Carter

World War II graphic novels

1. Freiheit! The White Rose Graphic Novel, by Andrea Grosso Ciponte
2. Eric Heuval’s A Family Secret and The Search
3. Stealing Home, by J. Torres and David Namisato
4. Canada at War, by Paul Keery
5. Lauren Tarshis’s I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 and I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944
6. The Faithful Spy, by John Hendrix

Comic books that teach

1. Maker Comics: Survive in the Outdoors, by Mike Lawrence
2. Let’s Make Bread!, by Sarah Becan
3. Survival Scout: Lost in the Mountains, by Maxwell Eaton III (but not the sequels)
4. Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse, by Torben Kuhlman
5. Golden Boys: the Winnipeg Falcons of 1920, by Paul Keery

Non-fiction to read before you leave your teens

1. You’re Not Enough and That’s Okay, by Allie Beth Stuckey
2. You Who?, by Rachel Jankovic
3. She’s Got the Wrong Guy, by Deepak Reju
4. Do Hard Things, by Alex and Brett Harris
5. Don’t Waste Your Life, by John Piper
6. Risk is Right, by John Piper
7. Does God Listen to Rap?, by Curtis Allen
8. Just Do Something, by Kevin DeYoung
9. The Amazing Dr. Ransom’s Bestiary of Adorable Fallacies, by N.D. Wilson
10. Skip College, by Connor Boyack

Novels for older teens

1. If We Survive, by Andrew Klavan
2. Tim Downs’ Shooflypie and Chop Shop
   

Church history done in panels

1. Martin and Joy Williams’ John Calvin’s Illustrated Institutes: Vol. 1 and 2
2. Luther: the Graphic Novel, by Rich Melheim
3. Susan K. Leigh’s Luther: Echoes of the Hammer and Katie Luther: the Graphic Novel

Novels as graphic novels

1. The Hobbit: An Illustrated Edition of the Classic, adapted by Charles Dixon
2. 100 Cupboards: the Graphic Novel, by N.D. Wilson
3. Animal Farm, adapted by Odyr

Christian fantasy

1. Jeremiah Montgomery’s The Dark Harvest Trilogy
2. Neil Dykstra’s The Seraph’s Path and The Seraph’s Calling
3. The Winter King, by Christine Cohen
4. Dawn of Wonder, by Jonathan Renshaw
5. Urchin of the Riding Stars, by M.I. McAllister
6. Wings of Dawn, by Sigmund Brouwer
7. S.D Smith’s 4-book The Green Ember series
8. The Last Archer, by S.D. Smith
9. Jonathan Rogers’ The Wilderking Trilogy
10. Andrew Peterson’s 5-book The Wingfeather Saga
11. Brave Ollie Possum, by Ethan Nicolle
12. The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic, by Jennifer Trafton

Stories you’ll remember

1. The Auschwitz Escape, by Joel C. Rosenberg
2. Rule of Law, by Randy Singer
3. Directed Verdict, by Randy Singer
4. Flags Out Front, by Douglas Wilson
5. Sigmund Brouwer’s The Last Disciple, The Last Sacrifice, and The Last Temple
6. Francine Rivers’ The Mark of the Lion trilogy

Educational fiction

1. The Gospel Blimp and Other Parables, by Joe Bayly
2. Winterflight, by Joe Bayly
3. Jay Adams’ Greg Dawson and the Psychology Class, The Hopeless Marriage, and Together for Good: Counseling and the Providence of God
4. The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis
5. Time Will Run Back, by Henry Hazlitt
6. The Unaborted Socrates, by Peter Kreeft

Christian biographies

1. God’s Smuggler, by Brother Andrew
2. The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom
3. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, by Nabeel Qureshi
4. Upheld, by Christine Farenhorst
5. Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, by Rosaria Butterfield
6. Son of Hamas, by Mosab Hassan Yousef
7. Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand
8. The Cost of My Faith, by Jack Phillips
9. The Hardest Peace, by Kara Tippets
10. The Faith of Christopher Hitchens, by Larry Alex Taunton
11. A Promise Kept, by Robertson McQuilkin
12. Only When It’s Dark Can We See the Stars, by John Van Popta
13. The Gospel Patrons, by John Rinehart
14. The Poetic Wonder of Isaac Watts, by Douglas Bond

A well-rounded education

1. How to Read a Book, by Andrew David Nasselli
2. Tactics, by Greg Koukl
3. The Grace and Truth Paradox, by Randy Alcorn
4. Death by Living, by Nate Wilson
5. How In the World Did We Get Here?, by Jim Witteveen
6. Everyone’s a Theologian, by R.C. Sproul
7. A Christian Citizenship Guide, by Andre Schutten and Michael Wagner
8. Reforming Journalism, by Marvin Olasky
9. The Prodigal God, by Timothy Keller
10. Respectable Sins, by Jerry Bridges
11. God Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life, by Ray Comfort
12. The Happy Christian, by David Murray
13. Understanding the Koran, by Mateen Elass
14. Know Why You Believe, by K. Scott Oliphint
15. Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl, by N.D. Wilson
16. Impossible Christianity, by Kevin DeYoung
17. God & Government, by Charles Colson
18. Are We Together? A Protestant Analyzes Roman Catholicism, by R.C. Sproul
19. A Different Shade of Green, by Gordon Wilson
20. What’s Your Worldview?, by James Anderson

Parenting and marriage

1. When Sinners Say “I Do”, by Dave Harvey
2. 8 Errors Parents Make, by Michael Brock
3. Parenting, by Paul David Tripp
4. The Tech-Wise Family, by Andy Crouch
5. 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You, by Tony Reinke
6. Sex Matters, by Jonathan McKee
7. Devoured by Cannabis, by Douglas Wilson
8. David Murray’s Why Am I Feeling Like This? A Teen’s Guide to Freedom From Anxiety and Depression and Why is My Teenager Feeling Like This?

Creation, evolution, and ID

1. Darwin’s Sandcastle, by Gordon Wilson
2. Alien Intrusion, by Gary Bates
3. The Ultimate Proof of Creation, by Jason Lisle
4. The Stairway to Life: An Origin-of-Life Reality Check, by Chané Laura Tan
5. Echoes of Ararat, by Nick Liguori
6. The Flood of Noah: Legends & Lore of Survival, by Bodie Hodge

Pilgrim’s Progress for any age

1. Little Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan and illustrated by Joe Sutphin
2. Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan and edited by C.J. Lovik
3. The Journey, by Peter Kreeft
4. Persuasions: A Dream of Reason Meeting Unbelief, by Douglas Wilson

Economics for everyone

1. Economics in One Lesson, by Henry Hazlitt
2. There’s No Free Lunch, by David Bahnsen

Best commentaries

1. Proverbs, by Jay Adams
2. John, by R.C. Sproul