6 Children's Books to Read For Boys With Sensitive Hearts

Our son is as a wonderful mixture of characteristics - he is brave, he is thoughtful, he is gentle, he has lots of empathy, he is silly, and he has a very sensitive heart.

Even as a young toddler, when we were reading his Bible together, and we were reading the Easter story, he would always kiss Jesus' boo-boos.

I love that culture is portraying a sensitive heart as a strength more and more - especially in boys. Having empathy and caring for others IS a strength! It's what makes a superhero a real superhero, and not just a person in a cape.

So, here are some of my top books to read for your boy who happens to have a sensitive heart.

1. Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Red Shoes by Lindman Maj

You can't go wrong with any of the Snipp, Snapp and Snurr books. They are a set of triplets from Sweden. In this particular one, they work very hard to earn a pair of lovely red shoes for their mother. In another, they save up enough to buy a brand new sled - only to then see a young boy outside the store who cannot afford one, but would like a sled more than anything... These stories help teach generosity and hard work.

2. Dear Boy, by Paris Rosenthal and Jason B. Rosenthal

My mom got our son this book, and I love it! It has lots of inspirational and solid advice for young boys; things like, "feeling cloudy? It's okay to let the rain fall.", "when you're alone with your thoughts, you are never alone", "be kind", "yes means yes, anything else means no" and "play your favorite sport - and be a good sport, while you're at it." It's a great one to pull out to help your kiddo if they're having a difficult time working through something.

3. The Hole in the Dike by Norma Green, illustrated by Eric Carle

I am a sucker for Eric Carle illustrations! I love this story, as it has a face value lesson to teach, as well as a deeper one. I love that it encourages kids to take action when they see something wrong, even if they are young. I love that the actions of one boy saved his whole country. What bravery!

4. The Circle Maker for Kids by Mark Patterson

This is a great, and very timely story to read with any kid, but especially a young boy with a tender heart. It is about a drought Israel, and a man, the circle maker draws a circle in the sand, kneels in it, and begins praying for rain. Our son loved it so much that he started drawing circles to pray in. It is great to instill a desire for a prayer life in kids, especially at a young age!


5. Across the Alley by Richard Michelson

This is a more serious story, but one that is important for kids to hear. It is about a young African American boy, and a young Jewish boy whose windows open to each other. They form a friendship, play baseball, and the violin... but will they be able to be friends outside of their ally?




6. The Boy and the Ocean by Max Lucado

I don't know what I love better about this book - the beautiful way it describes God's love, or the vast and dream-like illustrations. Boys with sensitive hearts will be comforted by the love expressed through the pages, and will find their imaginations wandering. I love this book so much, that I have it on a shelf in our son's room.

Those are my top 6, but there are so so many more. 

Please drop your favorite in the comments below! 

9 Children's Books to Read On International Women's Day

It's March 8th - International Women's Day!

I have a "book bucket" in our living room, where I switch out the books, depending on what the season is, what holiday is coming up, or even what our family may be going through (new baby, moving, transitions, etc.)

This month, I rounded up of our books that are about inspirational women - fictional, as well as historical. We had more than I thought we might, which gave me a personal little thrill. :) 

I decided that some of these were so great, that I couldn't keep them to myself.

So I'm sharing them with you!

1. Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

This delightful children's book is about Rosie, a young girl who gets discouraged about her inventions when someone laughs at them. The adult laughed in a good-natured way, but young Rosie internalizes it, and decides that she can't be an engineer. Until one day she chooses to build her favorite great-aunt (Rosie the riveter) an airplane... will young Rosie succeed?

We need more women in STEM, so I love books like these that encourage young girls to use their brains! This is just one of the great books in a series of them from Andrea Beaty, and I'm excited to add more to our collection along the way!

2. The Perfume of Memory by Michelle Nikly

I found this little-known book at a library sale years ago. It is about a land where girls aren't allowed to create perfume, or go to school, or do the same things boys are allowed. One perfume maker, however has been teaching his young daughter Yasmin the secrets of perfume making. Due to a turn of events, it is now up to Yasmin to save the queen with her forbidden skills. I love that it hints at cultures where, even today, girls and women still aren't afforded the same opportunities as boys or men. I love that Yasmin's father is teaching her anyway, and I love Yasmin's bravery, even though at one point it may mean she can no longer follow her dreams. I feel that representation is important, and love it when the characters portrayed in the illustrations don't necessarily look like us. I think it opens up opportunity for great discussions.

3. Tea With Milk by Allen Say

I've mentioned this book before, but I feel like it bears repetition. :) This book is about a young woman who is caught between two homes and two cultures - Japan and America. It is about how she navigates through the traditional expectations of the Japanese culture, and her desire to have an education and be an independent woman, like she experiences in the US. Children's books that tell stories of people caught between two homes are particularly important for families like ours. Our son has completely taken to his new home - he picked up the language very quickly, he loves his school and buddies... but we will be returning to the States for a long-ish period of time before coming back. Those transitional periods can be hard on kids, and stories like this can help them know that it's okay to feel this way, and maybe even give them the words they need, to better express themselves.

4. Little Bible Heroes by Victoria Kovacs

These sweet Bible stories have just been translated into Slovene, and our church gave each family a box set - so sweet, and generous! I loved how many female characters were included. One of the great features of these books is that they are flip-over, so there is another story waiting for them on the other side. Deborah is a FANTASTIC biblical role model for girls - she was a judge! In charge of armies, and making decisions that shaped the course of her country. Now THAT is a hero!

5. A Is For Abigail by Lynne Cheney

This was one of my books when I was a kid (go figure, lol!). It's an older book, so some more recent amazing women won't be mentioned. But a TON more are! I really like the illustrations, and the way the text is laid out, I'm constantly finding new little bits of information. It's fun to see all different kinds of women represented - scientists, nurses, doctors, politicians, authors, inventors and entertainers. I like that, because it shows that there are so many different routes you can take your life!

6. She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton

I've mentioned this one before too, but I don't even care, I LOVE this book, and its sequel (She Persisted Around The World). The illustrations are wistful and seem full of love. I appreciate the inspiring stories that are brought to life on its pages. It does a great job representing women of different racial backgrounds, and the second book features Malala Yousafzai, one of my personal heroes, so that's an added bonus! You need this book in your personal library.

7. Babylit Books

Honestly, you can't go wrong with any of the BabyLit books, these are just some of our favorites. These books are a great way to introduce babies and toddlers to classic literary characters. I really enjoy how each primer has a theme, like "friendship", "emotions", "numbers", etc. The illustrations are bright, and the text age-appropriate. These books are gems!

8. The True Princess, by Angela Hunt

This is a great twist on a princess story. In the book, a young princess' father, the king, goes off to help a neighboring kingdom. Out of fear for his daughter's safety, he entrusts her to "Nana", who teaches her how to do things for herself - as well as others. Through Nana's guidance, the young princess learns to laugh at herself, become more independent, and develop a strong work ethic. When the king returns and requests the audience of the princess - and 17 girls show up, how will the young princess prove who she really is?


9. American Girls: Molly Takes Flight, by Valerie Tripp

I grew up on these American Girl books, so these make me a little nostalgic. Looking at them now as an adult, they still completely hold up! 
This is one of the stories in the life of Molly, who is growing up during World War II. Her father is in England fighting, and her favorite aunt just joined the Women's Airforce Service Pilots. The second world war was a really important time in women's history, as women started doing many of the jobs normally reserved for men. It was devastating time on so many levels, but also empowered women to reach for higher goals than they ever thought they could've before - and isn't that what we want for our daughters?

These are just some of the amazing books out there to encourage tomorrow's generation of both girls AND boys!

What's your favorite? What book should I be on the lookout for?

Leave your suggestions in the comments below!