Spiritual books for kids

Do you ever wonder how to introduce your kids to spirituality without pushing it on them? Of course, they'll quite probably discover it for themselves, but maybe they won't mind a helping hand.

Here are some of the books that I found inspiring as a child, and some that I have discovered since.

Illustrated books for younger children

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I love this book so much that I bought the French edition as well (it was originally written in French). It's a poignant story of how an aviator who has crashed in the desert meets a traveller from another planet - the little prince who lives on the asteroid B612. The little prince tells of his travels from one asteroid to another. The story is quirky and charming, but also sad and wistful.

Google Books · Wikipedia

The Whales' Song by Dyan Sheldon and Gary Blythe

This is a lovely book with beautiful illustrations and the evocative story of Lily, a small girl who lives with her grandmother. Her grandmother tells her stories about the whales, and how beautiful they are.

It is presumably meant to be read aloud to small children, but it is enjoyable for all ages.

Amazon.co.uk · GoodReads

Where is God? by Lawrence and Karen Kushner

A review by B Keeper on Amazon.com says it all really:

Kushner's Where Is God is a wonderful introduction to the concept that God's presence infuses nature and all human exchanges and experiences. I actually prefer this board book to the full-size, older-children's book it is drawn from (Because Nothing Looks Like God), because the board book forces one to linger on the poetry of the text and the tenderness of the cropped illustrations. I get choked up almost every time I read this little book to my two-year-old son, simply because it is so simple and so true, and because I feel it expresses exactly my belief about God's immanance and the joys of being human here on earth.

Lawrence Kushner is a Reform rabbi and currently the scholar-in-residence at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco, California.

Amazon.co.uk · Lawrence Kushner

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

An absolute classic ever since it was published, Jonathan Livingston Seagull is the story of a gull who is not like other gulls. He lives to fly rather than to eat. Eventually he is shunned by the other gulls, until some come to learn from him. This is a story of individuality and courage, beautifully illustrated with pictures of gulls in flight.

GoodReads says:

People who make their own rules when they know they're right...people who get a special pleasure out of doing something well (even if only for themselves)...people who know there's more to this whole living thing than meets the eye: they'll be with Jonathan Seagull all the way. Others may simply escape into a delightful adventure about freedom and flight.

Amazon.co.uk · Wikipedia · GoodReads

Longer books for older children

The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin

This is a wonderful series of books on how to use magic responsibly, with unforgettable characters, beautiful seascapes, and an excellent style of writing. The author is a Taoist, and the philosophy of Taoism is evident in the unfolding of the story (but never in a heavy-handed way).

Ged, a mage from a remote island, goes to wizard school on Roke, but one day when he is showing off his powers to the other students, he brings a terrible thing into the world: a gebbeth. He must go on a quest to track it down. On his journey, he has wonderful adventures and meets a dragon and an unhappy priestess.

Amazon.co.uk · Fantasy Book Review · Ursula K Le Guin

Witch Child by Celia Rees

Aimed at teenagers, this is a story of a girl whose grandmother is hanged for witchcraft, and who must then make her own way in a world of fear and superstition. Celia Rees writes beautifully of landscapes and customs, but the book is gripping from start to finish.  There's also a sequel, Sorceress.

"compelling and convincing.Rees has become a major writer for teenage readers." Independent 

"every now and then one reads a book which stirs up the deepest of feelings and continues to cause ripples and this book is just such a one" School Librarian Journal

Amazon.co.uk · Celia Rees

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Lily is a lonely motherless girl who lives in South Carolina and is visited by bees. After her friend Rosaleen is beaten up for registering to vote, they run away and find happiness from an unexpected connection from the past.

This novel has also been made into a film directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.

Amazon.co.uk · Sue Monk Kidd