I usually give books to my grandchildren to celebrate the holidays. In 2024, I am focusing on books about values. Specifically truth, kindness, empathy, good choices, equality, and patriotism. Based on the news in the last couple of months, these themes seem timely.

This list contains lessons we all need to learn, or remember.

Make smart choices

Our media is full of examples of bad choices. How do we teach our children to make the right ones?

What Were You Thinking? By Bryan Smith
A third grader struggles with impulse control.

Can you believe it?

Speaking of the media and bad choices, this book helps kids distinguish fact from lies.

Can You Believe It? By Joyce Grant

Be kind

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another — including someone in circumstances very different from your own.

The Notebook Keeper by Stephen Briseno
A mother and daughter flee from danger but are denied entry at the U.S. border, and must find the refugee in charge of “the notebook,” an unofficial ledger of those waiting to cross into the U.S.

Cooperation is good

Which is better? “Us vs Them” or “We” working together?

Stone Soup by Jon J. Muth
A tale about a selfish community that is tricked into creating a delicious soup from stones. The moral of the story is that people have strength when they work together. This tale has a long history and shows up in the literature of many countries. Get the book and/or watch the read-aloud edition.

Bullying

Is it really OK to bully someone with a disability?

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
A brilliant student with cerebral palsy faces bullying. The book was adapted into a movie available on Disney+

Books for teens: Morality and governance

What rights should people have? What happens when freedom of speech is banned? How much power should political leaders have? These books explore challenges we face in creating a good society. All three have been on banned book lists.

Animal Farm by George Orwell
“One of the most telling satiric fables ever penned — a razor-edged fairy tale …Animal Farm records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible.” View summary video (3 Minutes)

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
“Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, Lord of the Flies is perhaps our most memorable novel about “the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart.” View trailer video for the 1990 film adaptation.

1984 by George Orwell
“Doublethink, memory hole, unperson, thoughtcrime, Newspeak, Thought Police, Room 101, Big Brother—they’ve all entered the English language as instantly recognizable signs of a nightmare future. It’s almost impossible to talk about propaganda, surveillance, authoritarian politics, or perversions of truth without dropping a reference to 1984.” View trailer video for the 1984 theatrical film adaptation.

Patriotism

Yes, indeed. These are the times that try men’s souls.

The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation by Jonathan Hennessey and Aaron McConnell

“Using Lincoln’s words as a keystone, and drawing from first-person accounts, The Gettysburg Address shows us the events through the eyes of those who lived through the events of the War, from soldiers to slaves.”

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

“A stunning graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei's childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon -- and America itself -- in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love.” Note: On a banned book list.

Related: Watch this interview with author George Takei

Equality

Are all men created equal? …Let’s try that again. Are all men and women created equal? …One more time: Are all people of every race created equal?

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles
The true story of six-year-old Ruby Bridges, a young African-American girl, who entered a whites-only school in New Orleans in 1960. Watch read-aloud video.

How Women Won the Vote by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
“stunningly illustrated, and tirelessly researched story of the little-known DC Women’s March of 1913 — a pivotal event in the history of women's suffrage in America!”

Banned books

These books have been on banned book lists. What could happen if our children do not learn these important lessons?

The Diary of Anne Frank
The diary of a 13 year-old Jewish girl who was killed by the Nazis during WWII. The Anne Frank Museum explains how this diary became one of the most read books in the world.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A Pulitzer prize winning novel about race in America and a hero who confronts it. It was also made into a multiple award-winning movie: Official Trailer - Gregory Peck (1962)

The truth matters. Tell it.

Yes, we know. Presidents cannot tell a lie. (Right, George?)

The Lying King by Alex Beard
“When other animals fail to take a stand, a lying warthog becomes their king with devastating results”. (Watch read-aloud video.)

Are your children learning these lessons in school?

Lest we forget, one of the most important roles of education is to teach our children to be responsible citizens in a democracy. As a grandparent, I consider myself a member of the back-up team to help pass values from one generation to the next.

Thankfully, there are many great books written every year. Happy reading!