Reading
You Are What You Read
September 03, 2025
It's important to be selective with the literature we consume—especially for children. Discover how to fill your family's library with inspiring stories and why returning to a beloved book can offer new perspectives at every stage of life.
Just like with anything else, people are easily influenced by whatever they spend time with. That can be the people they see and interact with every day, the social media they spend scrolling, the food and nutrients (or lack of) they fill themselves up with, etc. The same is true for reading - have you ever felt more anxious when reading a thriller? Or sad when reading a tragedy? Perhaps carefree and excited when reading a quick love story? Experiencing the richness of all of these emotions through stories is always fun and an important part of the entire process. However, it’s important to keep a level head and not let everything you read seep into your own personal emotions or how you spend your time.
Vetting Books Before Your Kids Read Them
This can be easier for adults, but something children will need to learn. And, just like with everything else, some books (or movies, food, and even friends) are better left out of our lives. So, when we look at selecting books for our children to read, or our next read alouds, it’s important we remain selective. Some books are okay for older readers and allow us the opportunity to discuss more difficult topics with our children. For example, I’m not really sure there is a huge benefit to having my young son read a story about a cranky boy who doesn’t like school, isn’t interested in sports, loves making fun of his family members and picks fights with other kids at school. There is such a plethora of good quality, worthy books that children can enjoy and learn from; stuff that makes them feel good and maybe even inspires them to be productive or go do some writing of their own. Let’s fill our children’s’ minds with good literature, language and morals while they read. If you find yourself in a position where you have a voracious reader that is reading faster than you can read ahead of, there are some great tools that can give you a quick synopsis and review of a book so you can see if its contents align with your family values and what you’d like your child exposed to, such as Redeemed Reader.
The Importance of Rereading
Another relevant philosophy often shared is that we should read and reread the same books over and over again as opposed to seeking out too many new, lesser quality books. Many prominent thinkers and readers have emphasized the benefits of in-depth rereading such as Philosopher Karl Popper who said “Anything worth reading is not only worth reading twice, but worth reading again and again.” A well-known quote on Goodreads states “A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age…master those books you have. Read them thoroughly. Bathe in them until they saturate you.” I’ve heard this spoken related to Little Women many times, as well the Little House series. These books have stood the test of time and reading them at different ages can offer different experiences and perspectives, and you may find yourself relating more to different characters as you reread the book during different seasons of life.
What are some of your favorite books to reread? What books have you reread the most? Are there any books you recommend children avoid? We’d love to hear from you!
Vetting Books Before Your Kids Read Them
This can be easier for adults, but something children will need to learn. And, just like with everything else, some books (or movies, food, and even friends) are better left out of our lives. So, when we look at selecting books for our children to read, or our next read alouds, it’s important we remain selective. Some books are okay for older readers and allow us the opportunity to discuss more difficult topics with our children. For example, I’m not really sure there is a huge benefit to having my young son read a story about a cranky boy who doesn’t like school, isn’t interested in sports, loves making fun of his family members and picks fights with other kids at school. There is such a plethora of good quality, worthy books that children can enjoy and learn from; stuff that makes them feel good and maybe even inspires them to be productive or go do some writing of their own. Let’s fill our children’s’ minds with good literature, language and morals while they read. If you find yourself in a position where you have a voracious reader that is reading faster than you can read ahead of, there are some great tools that can give you a quick synopsis and review of a book so you can see if its contents align with your family values and what you’d like your child exposed to, such as Redeemed Reader.
The Importance of Rereading
Another relevant philosophy often shared is that we should read and reread the same books over and over again as opposed to seeking out too many new, lesser quality books. Many prominent thinkers and readers have emphasized the benefits of in-depth rereading such as Philosopher Karl Popper who said “Anything worth reading is not only worth reading twice, but worth reading again and again.” A well-known quote on Goodreads states “A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age…master those books you have. Read them thoroughly. Bathe in them until they saturate you.” I’ve heard this spoken related to Little Women many times, as well the Little House series. These books have stood the test of time and reading them at different ages can offer different experiences and perspectives, and you may find yourself relating more to different characters as you reread the book during different seasons of life.
What are some of your favorite books to reread? What books have you reread the most? Are there any books you recommend children avoid? We’d love to hear from you!