Books About Guiding Life Pathways for Children

Books take children to imaginary and real worlds to explore new ideas. Books also help parents illustrate life pathways through stories. Texts that deal with life questions introduce values, spirituality and decisions that involve important choices. Some of the best books in children's literature, including easy readers, chapter books and read-aloud picture books allow kids to read and review important messages about life. Reading, combined with parent discussions, guides kids in making important life choices. Assisting your children in selecting books, allows you to help them find books they will enjoy that are also helpful in guiding their life pathways.

  1. Pictures Tell a Story

    • Children can learn much about the world around them by listening to parents read aloud. Parents can also guide children on life paths by reading from and looking at picture books showing themes of sharing, positive behavior and striving to do good. Classic picture books about pathways include David Shannon's "Bad Case of Stripes," a text that focuses on human individuality, and William Steig's book "Amos and Boris" that introduces the ideas of learning to give respect. Both offer a forum for parents to discuss a variety of different pathways using pictures and images. Be prepared to read your child's favorites over and over again. Young children frequently enjoy the same books for months at a time, according to Reading Is Fundamental, a nonprofit literacy organization.

    Chapter Books

    • Chapter books develop a story with a theme or message. Children's author Maurice Sendak tells parents that children don't appreciate books with condescending material. Sendak believed that kids have the ability to understand real emotions and true feelings. Books with chapters that explore life pathways include "Girl with 500 Middle Names" by Margaret Peterson Haddix, a book dealing with social pressures. "On My Honor" by Marion Dane Bauer explores the consequences of making bad decisions.

    Graphic and Short Novels

    • Graphic and short novels that focus on life pathways of developing relationships with family and the process of developing as an individual help children learn to deal with life challenges. "Just Listen" by Sarah Dessen deals with friendships and the importance of telling the truth. Val Dolezal, executive director of preschool through 8th grade at the Cedar Rapids School District in Iowa, recommends parents read the same books as their children do so they can discuss the messages presented in the text.

    Fables and Folk Tales

    • Folk and fairy tales explore life pathways while also teaching children about the family's cultural and spiritual heritage. Classic fairy tales that explore morals and behavior include stories by the Brothers Grimm and the collected tales bound as the Mother Goose tales first collected by Charles Perrault in 1697. Modern spins on the traditional story format include "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales" by Jon Scieszka. The Cinderella story has many cultural variations, including "Yen Shen" by Ai-Ling Louie, "Adelita" by Tomie De Paola and the "Persian Cinderella" by Shirley Climo. Pourquoi literature pathways ask children the question "Why?" to encourage kids to think about actions and beliefs. Interesting books in this pathway genre include "Why Mosquitos Buzz in Peoples' Ears?" and "Where Do Stories Come From?"

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