It’s not even just the children. There are terrible and inappropriate books at every level. It really is so sad. I’m so disappointed I’m so late to the “I didn’t realize what my child was reading” I was one of those moms until God led us to The Good and the Beautiful. I am SO thankful and moved by what God is doing in and through Jenny. Thank you for being obedient and diligent in your calling. I am so willing to support you all in this endeavor and curriculum. Thank you thank you thank you!!
I wrote my English paper about the lack of good adults/parents in children books and even my professor didn't think I could pull it off, because it's just so ingrained in our brains that kids can't go on their adventures with adults around. Then we wonder why teenagers don't tell their parents where they're going or who they're dating because they don't think they'll 'get it.' The argument is always that books and stories need to be "realistic' without realizing that we've created that "realistic" to begin with, through our media.
@@violethaye6987 I'll jump in, if I may...She's saying that the reason usually given for why literature intended for children is so disrepectful and of low moral character is that it's simply reflecting "reality". In other words, kids act this way in the world, so it makes sense to write characters who act in ways modern children will recognize in their own experience. But what the comment above is pointing out is that our modern "realism" is a result of modern media in the first place. She's saying that we just blindly accept things as being how they are, without seeing that they're that way in large part because available media, which was for a long time primarily literature, began to have a lower and lower moral focus.
I loved reading The Happy Hollisters as a child. The family was a father married to the mother, and 5 children (boys ages 12 and 8, girls ages 10, 6 and 4). There were pets too. They had adventures TOGETHER. It was a delightful, wholesome series.
As a young mother, I did not realize the power of a good book. I was just happy my kids were reading. I now see first hand the amazing beauty that comes from good books. It has brought joy and peace to my home. Thanks for sharing this vision with me, Jenny!
You may not ever fully know how many lives and hearts you have changed, but please know that this work you do has changed mine, and my children's. Thank you Jenny
This video made me cry. Thank you so much for caring so much for families and children and for doing what you can to spread goodness and God's light and love.
This curriculum has been so eye opening to the junk food media out there. I’m so grateful for Jenny, her teams, and her curriculum. They’ve changed our lives!
Thank you, Jenny and everyone at TGTB! Your book list and your testimony have been a Godsend to me and my family. I can't thank you enough for bringing us closer to the good and to God.
Thank you for saying these things that most people do not want to hear. I know just changing the books my kids read have changed EVERYTHING in my home. The difference is shocking. I now love being around them all the time. Just changing the books changes SO much. Thank you so much!
Jenny's message opened my eyes to the importance of good books. I'm always aware of what type of movies and music my children should be exposed to, and often books get forgotten. Since we started making better, wholesome books available for our children, I've been surprised by how much they've become more drawn to good and beautiful books. They love them! They feel happier, uplifted, and empowered reading books that send good messages. In a world filled with darkness, this message is SO important!
Jenny thank you so VERY much for the dedicated research that you and your team have put into making the book list that is such a gift to all of us parents and home educators! It helps not only steer clear of inappropriate books, but to guide us towards great books we've never heard of before! God bless you!
Thank you for this super important message! I agree with you 100% and as a new homeschooling mom I was so happy to find your books. There is one thing I would also add to your message on literature. The illustrations in children's books are often far from good and beautiful as well. I have Russian kids books with amazing illustrations and then I go to the local book store (I'm in Canada now) and I want to cry when I see the illustrations here... Especially for younger readers I think both the language and the pictures are important. 🙏
I agree with so much your saying! But it is sad that most kids who are in a public education system, will be subjected to these things without any parental control. Where I live a lot of parents are not aloud to opt out of a lot of things that the students are subject to. Books must be read for book reports all the way through graduating high school, and teachers read from books to the kids all the time. I thank God everyday that we homeschool and can choose what things my daughters hears, reads, watches. But most kids and parents are so lucky.
I love the title of this. Be brave! This has empowered me to be brave about the books that I have in my home for myself and my kids. I didn't realize that there were so many really really wonderful books for my kids. I thought the popular books mentioned were just the books that we should read. Thank you Jenny!
I have just discovered your website and was sold by the evening. In the UK we have virtually no good homeschool material. I begin your curricula Monday. I had no idea how beautiful learning could be.
I SO appreciate the time you have invested and the service you are rendering. What an extremely time consuming and daunting task. Kudos to you for not giving in to the voices that say it's impossible because there is an infinite amount of books out there nowadays, or that we need our children to be educated in the ways of the world and thus exposed to darkness. I am sharing this in several ways, including sending it to some of our teachers and school principals.
Thank you! I have been fighting this too but on the front of the scary, horror, violence and sorcery books. I have met with the librarian and principal of my child's charter school about the books. I have also opted out of a certain book for my son this month. I will be passing this on to a journalist who will be writing about the books in children's libraries. I do agree with all this as well. Thank you!
Thank goodness for you Jenny and your wonderful company. I feel like such a prude/controlling parent for checking and monitoring what my daughter reads, even though she's a sensitive soul. Thank you so much for going against the grain and helping the rest if us go with our gut reaction! Blessings Xx
Thank you so much for sharing this information! We are already careful with what our children read or have read to them. This video has encouraged me though, to reevaluate our books!!
Thanks for your videos, thanks for taking the time! Every time I see new videos, or an email I get so excited! So grateful for TG&TB and thanks for saying out loud what other ppl don’t want to say, see or hear! I’m so strict with everything my kids hear, see and do and ppl call me uptight and crazy. This is confirmation I’m not. My family appreciates you and your company!
My son has read 2 books from The Good and the Beautiful library and he really loves them. I can already see a change in how he treats his little brothers. ❤️
Thank you and May God bless you. This is what our word need. We are called to be the light and salt of this word please let’s hold hands and do our part.
One of the most important videos I've watched in a long time. Thank you for increasing my awareness of the dark influences on our children which are dressed up as "harmless fun". Wolves in sheep's clothing.
Wow! I thought I was doing something by screening their music, tv, and movie choices but I just love reading so much I let them read to their hearts content whatever is recommended. I’ve been blinded but I 100% agree with you and things will be changing around here. Thank you, for opening my eyes. God bless.
I’ve come back to report that since getting rid of our old books a year ago, my kids have only read books on your book list and they LOVE them! My daughter tried reading a popular book the other day and set it down after a few minutes. She said it was boring! Such a great gift you have given Jenny. Thank you 🙏🏻
Amen! So right!!! Another day I had to get 2 books away from my daughter's shelf and finish a book club subscription because of the bad values spread in the books. Awfull! I started first with my daughter, then my nieces and now I am going further talking with some moms. Thank you so much! 🙏❤❤❤❤❤ God bless you all! ❤❤❤❤❤
Kind of ironic, people say Tom Sawyer is bad, bad enough to ban it from schools. They say this while some current books bad mouth the very people that ban books like the former, and allow books like the ladder. I’m personally not much of a Tom Sawyer fan as a story, but I have nothing against it. Books, and shows both have these new messages. I might have to go through a few of my books. When I do have kids of my own, maybe I’ll come to your site/list. We all need clean, good books, not just kids.
Thought-provoking, and I appreciate how classy Jenny was in her reviews of the books. But I'm curious... anyone know the titles of any of the books she was talking about? The only one I could identify was The Magic Treehouse Series.
Her booklist (which includes as a part of it books that did not make the list and why) may give you a place to start: www.goodandbeautiful.com/book-list/
As a filmmaker, this applies to our movies and TV shows too. The only TV show I show my kids is Mr. Roger’s (the original, NOT Daniel Tiger) It’s one of the best parenting decisions I’ve ever made, no kidding. And we love the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Thank you for posting this video. You are right! I did notice unpleasant behavior and language in a number of books put out there for children. You can even find it in books aimed at the 4 and 5 year old audience. I found the words stupid and fat in these books, as well as books which portray teachers or authority figures in a negative light, as you mention. I find the same in children's shows. They often picture characters who are entitled, disrespectful and ill-mannered & while some of them use these type of characters side by side well mannered superheroes or other characters, the behavior of the former tends to be imitated by our children. When I noticed this in my 5 year old, I knew right away where the behavior came from and eliminated the viewing of those shows/movies from my home, with a lesson to my daughter on mannerisms and living a Christian life. Again thank you for this video! It provided confirmation on what I was seeing in my own child, as well as other useful information. I homeschooled my daughter last year using a self-created curriculum, but will be using TGTB this year for K5.
I'm curious what the modern book titles are...i appreciate her addressing the issue but without bashing the titles but I feel I need to be aware of the inappropriate options out there.
Download her free booklist at goodandbeautiful.com. It will come with a section of some books which did not make the list. You will get a good idea of her standards which at least for me helped me better discern myself which books she’s referring to
I am curious how this book list compares to the Ambleside Online CM booklist. Has anyone compared the two? I'm just looking for similarities and differences.
You're welcome, Crystal! Be sure to also check out our collection of free audiobooks from The Good and The Beautiful library! goodandbeautifulstorytime.com/
Most modern middle grade books do. I’m interested to see the books on the list because I’ve only bought middle grade for my nieces and realized how sassy and disrespectful the kids were afterward. It’s sad
Thank you for this video, it truly resonates with me. I would like to access the books you have in your library however the shipping cost to Australia is unbearably high (I know the shipping cost is out of your hands). Will be you able to stock them in Australia any time soon? (I am desperately hoping)
Hello Nini! We keep the price of our products so low it is not feasible for us to stock them anywhere other then our warehouse in the United States. However, we are working on future plans that will hopefully make it easier for our international customers to access the books.
Thank you for your reply. I am looking forward to be able to access these books. We are loving your language arts curriculum and the science. We got the pdf and printed them off. They have been great blessings to us.
Some of the books on the book list are out of copyright, so you can get them on Project Gutenburg for free online (to view online or as a Kindle book), and the book list also has certain ones marked (by "lib" if I remember correctly) that have free audio book recordings on Librivox.
Hi there! We don't have information about translations available on our book list but you can search the individual titles online to see if they have been translated into German. We hope you are able to find many in German!
I feel this same way about all the trashy, discouraging literature out there, and wish I could find well-written, uplifting, wholesome books for me (as an adult) to enjoy. Any recommendations???
Just curious: Is there any plan to make audiobook versions of your library books? Maybe books on the same level compiled in one CD? I'm thinking that would be useful for long drives or during craft/art time. Thanks!
Hi there! We do have many of our library books available on Audible and we add more frequently. You can find the titles on our website (goodandbeautiful.com/library ) by either looking in the product description or by hovering over the covers on a computer to see the "Available on Audible" designation. You can also search by author for The Good and the Beautiful on Audible. We hope you love them!
Hi! I just came across your curriculum/website. I am currently an unexpected homeschool mom- my children are e-learning due to CoVid. It has been eye opening what they are and aren't learning! I have decided to take the leap into homeschooling for their 2020/21 academic year. I have found your website and book list such a helpful resource, thank you! I have found that my son (11 y/o) interactions with his "friends" over google meets, facetime etc is so negative and frightening at such a young age. This age group is just addicted to technology. We do not have phones or cable for our children but unfortunately my son has video games. My husband regrets exposing him because in my mind it has become an addiction that takes over every waking moment of his life. Do you have any resources/suggestions on decreasing that dependence and increase family time. He has lots of regulations (2 hrs per day) not on school days but then it becomes a battle of the wills asking for more all day. He is an avid reader so I will be putting your booklist to good use!! Thank you for your programs :)
I hate video games, my husband likes them. Whenever I see my daughter playing video games I get very annoyed and I tell her to go do something else. She isn’t addicted at all, maybe she plays once every 2 months. But, if she was addicted, those video games would be out of my house so fast she wouldn’t even have time to notice. My suggestion is get rid of them, hide them don’t allow him to play with them until that obsessive behavior is gone. When it is tell him you will allow him to play on a Saturday for an hour, if he does what he is supposed to do throughout the week. If he continues to ask to play once that hour is up, he doesn’t get to play next Saturday. Trust me they catch on quickly, it’s your house your rules. Idk that’s what I would do with my child anyways. Lol good luck.
Hello! The Good and the Beautiful Book List is available on our website! With that free download, a separate pdf is automatically included: "Books That Did Not Make the List." We hope you find this resource informative and useful! goodandbeautifulbooklist.com/
What you are doing is wonderful. The next step concerns witchcraft. So many books and movies glorify it. The Bible condemns it. So, should parents have their children reading Harry Potter, for example? It's something to think about. Your next level may be to make parents aware of books that glorify things that the Bible condemns.
Do you take feedback? I'm not a parent but the constant mention of "no literary value" or "no academic value" is driving me up the wall (I'm here from Grace and Grit don't judge me). Kids as likely to become readers from books you considered fluff as they are from the literary greats. Now messages yeah sure (even though there are some I see on that list that annoy me that they are there and I could argue for) but I do not think it's fair for a book to be put on the "not recommended" list just because they're not super educational. That is how you make readers. I was a reader growing up because I was allowed to read books that sometimes were just for fun. Because when kids enjoy reading they will do it and if they don't they'll be forced and quit it the minute they can. Also I even resent the fact you say they have no value because I read Geronimo Stilton and Rainbow magic growing up and they taught me to imagine and showed me worlds beyond myself. Those skills are just as valuable as learning about the presidents. Now if you don't want that for your kids I can't change your mind but I have to say that makes me terribly sad.
Hi Maddison, Thank you for taking the time to comment! It sounds like you are passionate about books and have a real love of reading! I would love to offer some additional videos that Jenny has created that dive deeper into the concepts behind the book list and ranking of books. She talks about the books you mention that are just for fun, which we term rollercoaster books, in her video "How to Get Your Children Interested in Good and Beautiful Books": th-cam.com/video/WXHGrsPA6eA/w-d-xo.html. value. Here is more that she has to say about these types of books "These books may be fine to read occasionally, just like riding a rollercoaster occasionally may be fine, but it offers little more than fun and thrill. I believe that children who grow up on a steady diet of roller coaster books are affected in negative ways. Constantly reading stories that are all about fun, thrill, adventure, friends, excitement, etc. can result in viewing life as all about those things, a more shallow character, less desire to seek knowledge and learning, more of a desire to seek instantly gratifying entertainment, and more of a desire to seek the easy, fun way. Just like we want our kids to eat fruits and vegetables and nutritious foods for a strong body, we need our kids to read books of value for a strong mind and character." Good and Beautiful Books are required to be entertaining and although they have high academic value, they are not dry or filled with only nonfiction. These books open up innumerable cultures, people, and experiences for children. It sounds like that is something that is very important to you as well! These books also form not only readers, but give children invaluable skills such as increased attention span, a varied and rich vocabulary, and writing skills including use of descriptive language, poetic devices, and sensory language. They also positively impact academics by helping children gain increased focus, concentration, and memory. In her "How Books Have Changed in the Past Century" video, she dives deep into the concepts behind literary value and why the primary types of books children read really do matter. It's found here: th-cam.com/video/0qI1-pGiqJ0/w-d-xo.html With more books available than we could read in a hundred thousand lifetimes, choosing books that are the very best for academics, entertainment, and literary value is something we feel very passionate about. Thank you again for taking the time to comment and being open to exploring more information about this subject!
This is genuinely terrifying. It smacks of Gilead and theocracy. Of course Jenny is incensed by anything other than WASPY portrayals of anything; she is the epitome of white privilege, nuclear family, economic stability, etc. I am a middle school librarian, and yes, I see a lot of frivolity in the books I purchase for my students. However, my students live in an increasingly difficult world, and those frivolous moments provide them with an escape from reality into a gentler, more humorous world. Additionally, my students are savvy enough to know where willing suspension of disbelief ends and real life begins. Jenny wants books that reflect her point of view, and HER point of view ONLY. What about kids from economically disadvantaged families? What about the Native American students on the reservation where I teach? Most of my students, regardless of their racial/ethnic backgrounds, do not live Jenny's life. They are from single-parent families who are struggling to get by. Many are in the foster system; their families are broken, and they, themselves, are the sole source of their strength. In Jenny's world, any characters like themselves would be erased from literature. I couldn't agree more that Jenny's kids deserve to see characters that reflect her children's lived experiences, their family values, etc. But EVERY child deserves that, and the people who are excited about this "movement" (most of whom I can discern are white and middle class) need to recognize that as a right of EVERY. SINGLE. CHILD. and stop using their economic, racial, and political clout to whitewash the world.
Hello, Amy. It is obvious that you have a genuine and deep love for the students that you work with. Thank you! We need more people like you in our world that care so much about the children in their communities :) If you take a close look at our book list and library, you will find a wide range of life circumstances and viewpoints, while, yes, all based on Biblical principles of high moral character and faith in God. What we are talking about is books that make fun of family, make fun of learning, have crude and profane content, and make inappropriate behavior seem acceptable. Surely children who live on reservations and come from economically disadvantaged families do not need literature that promotes low character just because they are in difficult situations. Frivolity and fun are fine, of course, at times! One of the best things we can do to help children from difficult situations is to give them the BEST books that will shape strong hearts and minds so they are better prepared to face the difficult things in their world and not just escape from them temporarily through frivolity. It is very possible to agree on the need for high moral character and respectful behavior in books, despite a person's economic, racial, and political background. We understand that not everyone will agree with this message, but we do feel is important to have civil, kind, and helpful conversation and that we work together to bless all children. We would love to donate a copy of all the books in our good and beautiful library to your school and help you in the great work you are doing with the students in your area! www.goodandbeautiful.com/library/ Please email support@goodandbeautiful.com, and we can get those shipped to you. Check out these books from our library that feature children from many different backgrounds and circumstances. These are just some of the many books on our list that have characters that are not at all in the circumstances that Jenny or her children are in, and you can find many, many more! --New Boy in School: Lenne finds he is the only black person in his classroom and feels lonely and out of place. With a positive attitude, Lennie finds solutions to his troubles. --Steppin' and Family (coming soon!): A teenage boy in Harlem in a single-parent, low-income family wants to become a tap dancer more than anything. How can he succeed at what seems an impossible dream? --Black Hawk: A powerful look into a difficult time when Black Hawk's tribes were being forced off of their land and treated unfairly. --Inoyo of the Congo Forest: Inoyo, living in difficult circumstances in the Congo forest works tirelessly for the opportunity to receive an education. --Just David--orphaned David finds himself completely alone in the world and has no one that understands or appreciates him until he eventually wins the hearts of those around him. --Ladycake Farm: An African American family has finally saved up enough for a farm, but their neighbors do not want them around. This family breaks down walls of racial injustice with love and kindness. --Nearby--A teacher helps a boy whose family experiences prostitution, suicide, and abandonment. -Tiger on the Mountain: An underprivileged boy in Asia longs to have the money to learn. --Chrystal and the Sea Larks: An orphaned girl is raised by her cross grandfather. The girl marries and is abandoned by her husband, left alone to raise her child. --Harriet the Moses of Her People: Enslaved woman Harriet Tubman shows incredible moral and physical courage amidst her trials. --Pyxie of the Pines--Pyxie is abandoned by his foster parents and finds himself alone in the world. --Slave Boy of Judea--How one Judean boy faces enslavement and trials with faith and courage.
It’s not even just the children. There are terrible and inappropriate books at every level. It really is so sad. I’m so disappointed I’m so late to the “I didn’t realize what my child was reading” I was one of those moms until God led us to The Good and the Beautiful. I am SO thankful and moved by what God is doing in and through Jenny. Thank you for being obedient and diligent in your calling. I am so willing to support you all in this endeavor and curriculum. Thank you thank you thank you!!
This is so eye opening! These years are so formative for our children. What a stark difference in our literature that is shaping their person
I wrote my English paper about the lack of good adults/parents in children books and even my professor didn't think I could pull it off, because it's just so ingrained in our brains that kids can't go on their adventures with adults around. Then we wonder why teenagers don't tell their parents where they're going or who they're dating because they don't think they'll 'get it.' The argument is always that books and stories need to be "realistic' without realizing that we've created that "realistic" to begin with, through our media.
Jenny Phillips can you explain more about that quote? I don’t understand it that much
@@violethaye6987 Its not her quote, she was quoting Carmen White above.
@@violethaye6987 I'll jump in, if I may...She's saying that the reason usually given for why literature intended for children is so disrepectful and of low moral character is that it's simply reflecting "reality". In other words, kids act this way in the world, so it makes sense to write characters who act in ways modern children will recognize in their own experience. But what the comment above is pointing out is that our modern "realism" is a result of modern media in the first place. She's saying that we just blindly accept things as being how they are, without seeing that they're that way in large part because available media, which was for a long time primarily literature, began to have a lower and lower moral focus.
I loved reading The Happy Hollisters as a child. The family was a father married to the mother, and 5 children (boys ages 12 and 8, girls ages 10, 6 and 4). There were pets too. They had adventures TOGETHER. It was a delightful, wholesome series.
As a young mother, I did not realize the power of a good book. I was just happy my kids were reading. I now see first hand the amazing beauty that comes from good books. It has brought joy and peace to my home. Thanks for sharing this vision with me, Jenny!
You may not ever fully know how many lives and hearts you have changed, but please know that this work you do has changed mine, and my children's. Thank you Jenny
This video made me cry. Thank you so much for caring so much for families and children and for doing what you can to spread goodness and God's light and love.
Thank you for your kind words!
This curriculum has been so eye opening to the junk food media out there. I’m so grateful for Jenny, her teams, and her curriculum. They’ve changed our lives!
Thank you, Whitney!
Your mission has changed our lives. Thank you for caring enough to spread this message.
Thank you, books really do change lives!
100%
Thank you, Jenny and everyone at TGTB! Your book list and your testimony have been a Godsend to me and my family. I can't thank you enough for bringing us closer to the good and to God.
Thank you for saying these things that most people do not want to hear. I know just changing the books my kids read have changed EVERYTHING in my home. The difference is shocking. I now love being around them all the time. Just changing the books changes SO much. Thank you so much!
Jenny's message opened my eyes to the importance of good books. I'm always aware of what type of movies and music my children should be exposed to, and often books get forgotten. Since we started making better, wholesome books available for our children, I've been surprised by how much they've become more drawn to good and beautiful books. They love them! They feel happier, uplifted, and empowered reading books that send good messages. In a world filled with darkness, this message is SO important!
It really is so important! Thank you.
Jenny thank you so VERY much for the dedicated research that you and your team have put into making the book list that is such a gift to all of us parents and home educators! It helps not only steer clear of inappropriate books, but to guide us towards great books we've never heard of before! God bless you!
Thank you for this super important message! I agree with you 100% and as a new homeschooling mom I was so happy to find your books. There is one thing I would also add to your message on literature. The illustrations in children's books are often far from good and beautiful as well. I have Russian kids books with amazing illustrations and then I go to the local book store (I'm in Canada now) and I want to cry when I see the illustrations here... Especially for younger readers I think both the language and the pictures are important. 🙏
I agree with so much your saying! But it is sad that most kids who are in a public education system, will be subjected to these things without any parental control. Where I live a lot of parents are not aloud to opt out of a lot of things that the students are subject to. Books must be read for book reports all the way through graduating high school, and teachers read from books to the kids all the time. I thank God everyday that we homeschool and can choose what things my daughters hears, reads, watches. But most kids and parents are so lucky.
You’ve helped transform our home library. We enjoy our books now, and they are wholesome, rich and beautiful. 🥰
Thank you for your work! I appreciate you and your team for all the work you put into making our world a more good and beautiful place to live.
I love the title of this. Be brave! This has empowered me to be brave about the books that I have in my home for myself and my kids. I didn't realize that there were so many really really wonderful books for my kids. I thought the popular books mentioned were just the books that we should read. Thank you Jenny!
I have just discovered your website and was sold by the evening. In the UK we have virtually no good homeschool material. I begin your curricula Monday. I had no idea how beautiful learning could be.
Hello Steff! We're so glad you have found us! You may also enjoy our FREE audiobooks at goodandbeautifulstorytime.com/. We hope you love them!
I SO appreciate the time you have invested and the service you are rendering. What an extremely time consuming and daunting task. Kudos to you for not giving in to the voices that say it's impossible because there is an infinite amount of books out there nowadays, or that we need our children to be educated in the ways of the world and thus exposed to darkness. I am sharing this in several ways, including sending it to some of our teachers and school principals.
Thank you for sharing, it's such an important message!
Wow! Love you Jenny for loving and helping us!
Thank you! I have been fighting this too but on the front of the scary, horror, violence and sorcery books. I have met with the librarian and principal of my child's charter school about the books. I have also opted out of a certain book for my son this month. I will be passing this on to a journalist who will be writing about the books in children's libraries. I do agree with all this as well. Thank you!
Thank goodness for you Jenny and your wonderful company. I feel like such a prude/controlling parent for checking and monitoring what my daughter reads, even though she's a sensitive soul. Thank you so much for going against the grain and helping the rest if us go with our gut reaction! Blessings Xx
Thank you so much for sharing this information! We are already careful with what our children read or have read to them. This video has encouraged me though, to reevaluate our books!!
Thanks for your videos, thanks for taking the time! Every time I see new videos, or an email I get so excited! So grateful for TG&TB and thanks for saying out loud what other ppl don’t want to say, see or hear! I’m so strict with everything my kids hear, see and do and ppl call me uptight and crazy. This is confirmation I’m not. My family appreciates you and your company!
Thank you for your comment and your kind words!
My son has read 2 books from The Good and the Beautiful library and he really loves them. I can already see a change in how he treats his little brothers. ❤️
Thank you and May God bless you. This is what our word need. We are called to be the light and salt of this word please let’s hold hands and do our part.
One of the most important videos I've watched in a long time. Thank you for increasing my awareness of the dark influences on our children which are dressed up as "harmless fun". Wolves in sheep's clothing.
Wow! I thought I was doing something by screening their music, tv, and movie choices but I just love reading so much I let them read to their hearts content whatever is recommended. I’ve been blinded but I 100% agree with you and things will be changing around here. Thank you, for opening my eyes. God bless.
I’ve come back to report that since getting rid of our old books a year ago, my kids have only read books on your book list and they LOVE them! My daughter tried reading a popular book the other day and set it down after a few minutes. She said it was boring! Such a great gift you have given Jenny. Thank you 🙏🏻
Amen! So right!!! Another day I had to get 2 books away from my daughter's shelf and finish a book club subscription because of the bad values spread in the books. Awfull! I started first with my daughter, then my nieces and now I am going further talking with some moms. Thank you so much! 🙏❤❤❤❤❤ God bless you all! ❤❤❤❤❤
Kind of ironic, people say Tom Sawyer is bad, bad enough to ban it from schools. They say this while some current books bad mouth the very people that ban books like the former, and allow books like the ladder. I’m personally not much of a Tom Sawyer fan as a story, but I have nothing against it.
Books, and shows both have these new messages. I might have to go through a few of my books. When I do have kids of my own, maybe I’ll come to your site/list. We all need clean, good books, not just kids.
This book is one of the best books on the planet🌈❤💖❤🌈GOD IS WITH HER🌈🌈🌈
Wow! From the bottom of my heart thank you so much for caring.
Thought-provoking, and I appreciate how classy Jenny was in her reviews of the books. But I'm curious... anyone know the titles of any of the books she was talking about? The only one I could identify was The Magic Treehouse Series.
Her booklist (which includes as a part of it books that did not make the list and why) may give you a place to start: www.goodandbeautiful.com/book-list/
I wondered too, I found the brain dead reference is in “Dork Diaries”.
" I like my family and all, but I'm just not sure we're all meant to live together" - Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
I loved this video, it put into words what I’ve been feeling the past couple years with my kids. Especially when it comes to my kids shows! Thank you!
As a filmmaker, this applies to our movies and TV shows too. The only TV show I show my kids is Mr. Roger’s (the original, NOT Daniel Tiger) It’s one of the best parenting decisions I’ve ever made, no kidding. And we love the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Thank you for posting this video. You are right! I did notice unpleasant behavior and language in a number of books put out there for children. You can even find it in books aimed at the 4 and 5 year old audience. I found the words stupid and fat in these books, as well as books which portray teachers or authority figures in a negative light, as you mention. I find the same in children's shows. They often picture characters who are entitled, disrespectful and ill-mannered & while some of them use these type of characters side by side well mannered superheroes or other characters, the behavior of the former tends to be imitated by our children. When I noticed this in my 5 year old, I knew right away where the behavior came from and eliminated the viewing of those shows/movies from my home, with a lesson to my daughter on mannerisms and living a Christian life. Again thank you for this video! It provided confirmation on what I was seeing in my own child, as well as other useful information. I homeschooled my daughter last year using a self-created curriculum, but will be using TGTB this year for K5.
This was an eye opener. I need to go through my kids books now. I know one series for sure needs to go
Love love love this!
I'm curious what the modern book titles are...i appreciate her addressing the issue but without bashing the titles but I feel I need to be aware of the inappropriate options out there.
Download her free booklist at goodandbeautiful.com. It will come with a section of some books which did not make the list. You will get a good idea of her standards which at least for me helped me better discern myself which books she’s referring to
Thank you so much for your input. I subscribed this morning and look forward in reading Jenny's list.
this!!!!! love you guys so much!
This is my favorite video ❤
Amen. This is huge!
Thank you!! 🙌
I am super curious what the books that Jenny quotes are.
So good and so needed. Thank you!!
Thank you. Keep up the good work!
I am curious how this book list compares to the Ambleside Online CM booklist. Has anyone compared the two? I'm just looking for similarities and differences.
Thank you! Very interesting. I just finished reading “Redwood Pioneer” from your book library this morning and thought it was great.
Amen!!
Thank you so much for this video! ❤️
You're welcome, Crystal! Be sure to also check out our collection of free audiobooks from The Good and The Beautiful library!
goodandbeautifulstorytime.com/
I looooooooooooooovvvvvvvvveeeee to read😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
I really would like to k ow the book that mocks families that was mentioned to avoid it
I belive the book not mentioned is Diarys of a wimpy kid. Not 100% but yeah
Most modern middle grade books do. I’m interested to see the books on the list because I’ve only bought middle grade for my nieces and realized how sassy and disrespectful the kids were afterward. It’s sad
Thank you for this video, it truly resonates with me. I would like to access the books you have in your library however the shipping cost to Australia is unbearably high (I know the shipping cost is out of your hands). Will be you able to stock them in Australia any time soon? (I am desperately hoping)
Hello Nini! We keep the price of our products so low it is not feasible for us to stock them anywhere other then our warehouse in the United States. However, we are working on future plans that will hopefully make it easier for our international customers to access the books.
Thank you for your reply. I am looking forward to be able to access these books. We are loving your language arts curriculum and the science. We got the pdf and printed them off. They have been great blessings to us.
Some of the books on the book list are out of copyright, so you can get them on Project Gutenburg for free online (to view online or as a Kindle book), and the book list also has certain ones marked (by "lib" if I remember correctly) that have free audio book recordings on Librivox.
Thank you! We have to be discerning. Which kid’s books have F words??
Thank you
How can I find out, if the books on your list are translated into German?
Hi there! We don't have information about translations available on our book list but you can search the individual titles online to see if they have been translated into German. We hope you are able to find many in German!
I feel this same way about all the trashy, discouraging literature out there, and wish I could find well-written, uplifting, wholesome books for me (as an adult) to enjoy. Any recommendations???
Check out the books in our Library, Emily! You might be surprised to find a few titles that interest you. www.goodandbeautiful.com/library/
Just curious: Is there any plan to make audiobook versions of your library books? Maybe books on the same level compiled in one CD? I'm thinking that would be useful for long drives or during craft/art time. Thanks!
Hi there! We do have many of our library books available on Audible and we add more frequently. You can find the titles on our website (goodandbeautiful.com/library ) by either looking in the product description or by hovering over the covers on a computer to see the "Available on Audible" designation. You can also search by author for The Good and the Beautiful on Audible. We hope you love them!
@@TheGoodandtheBeautiful Really?!Thank you so much!
Hi! I just came across your curriculum/website. I am currently an unexpected homeschool mom- my children are e-learning due to CoVid. It has been eye opening what they are and aren't learning! I have decided to take the leap into homeschooling for their 2020/21 academic year. I have found your website and book list such a helpful resource, thank you! I have found that my son (11 y/o) interactions with his "friends" over google meets, facetime etc is so negative and frightening at such a young age. This age group is just addicted to technology. We do not have phones or cable for our children but unfortunately my son has video games. My husband regrets exposing him because in my mind it has become an addiction that takes over every waking moment of his life. Do you have any resources/suggestions on decreasing that dependence and increase family time. He has lots of regulations (2 hrs per day) not on school days but then it becomes a battle of the wills asking for more all day. He is an avid reader so I will be putting your booklist to good use!! Thank you for your programs :)
I hate video games, my husband likes them. Whenever I see my daughter playing video games I get very annoyed and I tell her to go do something else. She isn’t addicted at all, maybe she plays once every 2 months. But, if she was addicted, those video games would be out of my house so fast she wouldn’t even have time to notice. My suggestion is get rid of them, hide them don’t allow him to play with them until that obsessive behavior is gone. When it is tell him you will allow him to play on a Saturday for an hour, if he does what he is supposed to do throughout the week. If he continues to ask to play once that hour is up, he doesn’t get to play next Saturday. Trust me they catch on quickly, it’s your house your rules. Idk that’s what I would do with my child anyways. Lol good luck.
So well said. Thank you for making this well worded video and for all of the research you have done.
Thank you
Thank you! 🙏🏼
Is there a list of books that are not recommended to stay away from?
Hello! The Good and the Beautiful Book List is available on our website! With that free download, a separate pdf is automatically included: "Books That Did Not Make the List." We hope you find this resource informative and useful! goodandbeautifulbooklist.com/
I miss my all books 📚 nmariev wish I could get back on it just need to get heal from my surgery.
Classics are classics for a reason! Will the book "I Need a New Butt" by Dawn McMillan endure through the ages? Most likely not.
What you are doing is wonderful. The next step concerns witchcraft. So many books and movies glorify it. The Bible condemns it. So, should parents have their children reading Harry Potter, for example? It's something to think about. Your next level may be to make parents aware of books that glorify things that the Bible condemns.
Oh I think you discovered the root cause of today's bullying crisis.
Do you take feedback? I'm not a parent but the constant mention of "no literary value" or "no academic value" is driving me up the wall (I'm here from Grace and Grit don't judge me). Kids as likely to become readers from books you considered fluff as they are from the literary greats. Now messages yeah sure (even though there are some I see on that list that annoy me that they are there and I could argue for) but I do not think it's fair for a book to be put on the "not recommended" list just because they're not super educational. That is how you make readers. I was a reader growing up because I was allowed to read books that sometimes were just for fun. Because when kids enjoy reading they will do it and if they don't they'll be forced and quit it the minute they can. Also I even resent the fact you say they have no value because I read Geronimo Stilton and Rainbow magic growing up and they taught me to imagine and showed me worlds beyond myself. Those skills are just as valuable as learning about the presidents. Now if you don't want that for your kids I can't change your mind but I have to say that makes me terribly sad.
Hi Maddison,
Thank you for taking the time to comment! It sounds like you are passionate about books and have a real love of reading! I would love to offer some additional videos that Jenny has created that dive deeper into the concepts behind the book list and ranking of books.
She talks about the books you mention that are just for fun, which we term rollercoaster books, in her video "How to Get Your Children Interested in Good and Beautiful Books": th-cam.com/video/WXHGrsPA6eA/w-d-xo.html. value. Here is more that she has to say about these types of books "These books may be fine to read occasionally, just like riding a rollercoaster occasionally may be fine, but it offers little more than fun and thrill. I believe that children who grow up on a steady diet of roller coaster books are affected in negative ways. Constantly reading stories that are all about fun, thrill, adventure, friends, excitement, etc. can result in viewing life as all about those things, a more shallow character, less desire to seek knowledge and learning, more of a desire to seek instantly gratifying entertainment, and more of a desire to seek the easy, fun way. Just like we want our kids to eat fruits and vegetables and nutritious foods for a strong body, we need our kids to read books of value for a strong mind and character."
Good and Beautiful Books are required to be entertaining and although they have high academic value, they are not dry or filled with only nonfiction. These books open up innumerable cultures, people, and experiences for children. It sounds like that is something that is very important to you as well! These books also form not only readers, but give children invaluable skills such as increased attention span, a varied and rich vocabulary, and writing skills including use of descriptive language, poetic devices, and sensory language. They also positively impact academics by helping children gain increased focus, concentration, and memory.
In her "How Books Have Changed in the Past Century" video, she dives deep into the concepts behind literary value and why the primary types of books children read really do matter. It's found here: th-cam.com/video/0qI1-pGiqJ0/w-d-xo.html
With more books available than we could read in a hundred thousand lifetimes, choosing books that are the very best for academics, entertainment, and literary value is something we feel very passionate about. Thank you again for taking the time to comment and being open to exploring more information about this subject!
The Berenstain (spelling?) Bears are awful! They are so disrespectful of the father.
This is genuinely terrifying. It smacks of Gilead and theocracy. Of course Jenny is incensed by anything other than WASPY portrayals of anything; she is the epitome of white privilege, nuclear family, economic stability, etc. I am a middle school librarian, and yes, I see a lot of frivolity in the books I purchase for my students. However, my students live in an increasingly difficult world, and those frivolous moments provide them with an escape from reality into a gentler, more humorous world. Additionally, my students are savvy enough to know where willing suspension of disbelief ends and real life begins. Jenny wants books that reflect her point of view, and HER point of view ONLY. What about kids from economically disadvantaged families? What about the Native American students on the reservation where I teach? Most of my students, regardless of their racial/ethnic backgrounds, do not live Jenny's life. They are from single-parent families who are struggling to get by. Many are in the foster system; their families are broken, and they, themselves, are the sole source of their strength. In Jenny's world, any characters like themselves would be erased from literature. I couldn't agree more that Jenny's kids deserve to see characters that reflect her children's lived experiences, their family values, etc. But EVERY child deserves that, and the people who are excited about this "movement" (most of whom I can discern are white and middle class) need to recognize that as a right of EVERY. SINGLE. CHILD. and stop using their economic, racial, and political clout to whitewash the world.
Hello, Amy.
It is obvious that you have a genuine and deep love for the students that you work with. Thank you! We need more people like you in our world that care so much about the children in their communities :) If you take a close look at our book list and library, you will find a wide range of life circumstances and viewpoints, while, yes, all based on Biblical principles of high moral character and faith in God. What we are talking about is books that make fun of family, make fun of learning, have crude and profane content, and make inappropriate behavior seem acceptable. Surely children who live on reservations and come from economically disadvantaged families do not need literature that promotes low character just because they are in difficult situations. Frivolity and fun are fine, of course, at times! One of the best things we can do to help children from difficult situations is to give them the BEST books that will shape strong hearts and minds so they are better prepared to face the difficult things in their world and not just escape from them temporarily through frivolity. It is very possible to agree on the need for high moral character and respectful behavior in books, despite a person's economic, racial, and political background. We understand that not everyone will agree with this message, but we do feel is important to have civil, kind, and helpful conversation and that we work together to bless all children. We would love to donate a copy of all the books in our good and beautiful library to your school and help you in the great work you are doing with the students in your area! www.goodandbeautiful.com/library/ Please email support@goodandbeautiful.com, and we can get those shipped to you. Check out these books from our library that feature children from many different backgrounds and circumstances. These are just some of the many books on our list that have characters that are not at all in the circumstances that Jenny or her children are in, and you can find many, many more!
--New Boy in School: Lenne finds he is the only black person in his classroom and feels lonely and out of place. With a positive attitude, Lennie finds solutions to his troubles.
--Steppin' and Family (coming soon!): A teenage boy in Harlem in a single-parent, low-income family wants to become a tap dancer more than anything. How can he succeed at what seems an impossible dream?
--Black Hawk: A powerful look into a difficult time when Black Hawk's tribes were being forced off of their land and treated unfairly.
--Inoyo of the Congo Forest: Inoyo, living in difficult circumstances in the Congo forest works tirelessly for the opportunity to receive an education.
--Just David--orphaned David finds himself completely alone in the world and has no one that understands or appreciates him until he eventually wins the hearts of those around him.
--Ladycake Farm: An African American family has finally saved up enough for a farm, but their neighbors do not want them around. This family breaks down walls of racial injustice with love and kindness.
--Nearby--A teacher helps a boy whose family experiences prostitution, suicide, and abandonment.
-Tiger on the Mountain: An underprivileged boy in Asia longs to have the money to learn.
--Chrystal and the Sea Larks: An orphaned girl is raised by her cross grandfather. The girl marries and is abandoned by her husband, left alone to raise her child.
--Harriet the Moses of Her People: Enslaved woman Harriet Tubman shows incredible moral and physical courage amidst her trials.
--Pyxie of the Pines--Pyxie is abandoned by his foster parents and finds himself alone in the world.
--Slave Boy of Judea--How one Judean boy faces enslavement and trials with faith and courage.
@@TheGoodandtheBeautiful What a beautiful, and graceful response! Thank you!
What books are you referring to?