Review: Stories Woven in Silver

While our kids were still finishing up their dinner, my husband would often pick up our latest shared book and begin reading to us. Many nights of reading passed by uneventfully, but a few linger in our collective memory—the ones when my husband choked up, grew quiet, and couldn’t go on because he was crying. Those moments came when something powerful jumped off the page, reminding us all of God’s greater promise of redemption.

I thought of these episodes as I explored the new title from Kathryn Butler and Korrie Johnson, Stories Woven in Silver: Pointing Kids to the Gospel Through Children’s Literature. The authors approach the text as attentive mothers who have tended their own kids’ reading. But they also bring expertise: Butler is the author of the popular Dream Keeper Saga; Johnson runs Good Book Mom, which reviews and recommends children’s books for parents.

When families are equipped to enjoy the freedom and joy that come from good stories, a world opens up: one that emphasizes the goodness of God’s world, the fallenness of man, and the truth found in the pages of the Bible. Butler and Johnson set out to help families build a sense of shared enjoyment of good stories by learning “to marvel at how God’s story—greatest and most magnificent story for which we all yearn—weaves itself into the most memorable children’s narratives” (xvii).

Two Ditches

Parents run the risk of falling into two ditches when they’re evaluating kids’ books. Some parents end up pursuing “safety” above all, avoiding any non-Christian fiction. Other parents throw in the towel and allow their kids to read anything they can reach from the children’s section.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

There are certainly benefits to focusing on explicitly Christian fiction and well-crafted discipleship material. When the boundaries are clear, it’s easier to avoid battles arising over popular books with themes that may be too mature for a child. Yet those who adopt this approach often miss out on the joy that comes from finding truth in surprising places because of common grace.

This review appeared first at The Gospel Coalition; click here to read the whole thing.

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Kelly Keller

Kelly Keller is the managing editor of Story Warren. She has her BS in Elementary Education from Messiah University and has taught various ages, but her favorite was worldview and literature with high school students. The “gap” in her resume is actually a window of eighteen years of homeschooling, which she recommends as an effective, though demanding, way of expanding one’s home library.

When she’s not behind her laptop, Kelly enjoys live music, baseball, reading great books, and traveling with her husband, David. Kelly hails from beautiful snowy New England, but after two decades in North Carolina, she feels right at home.

She invites you to subscribe to her newsletter, On the Common, or to follow her on Instagram.

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