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Our Guide to Reviewing Wholesome Chapter Books for Kids

Explore our guide on reviewing wholesome chapter books for kids, focusing on character development, themes, and content.

Our Guide to Reviewing Wholesome Chapter Books for Kids

Here is a link to our blog post: What is a Wholesome Children's Book?

Please remember that some things may be missed in content warning reviews, and this is meant to be a general overview without spoilers. Use your discretion with the information provided to make the right choice for your children or grandchildren!

*Recommending a children's book for its content or educational value does not imply our endorsement of the author's personal beliefs or actions.

Character Development

This section doesn’t include a scale but rather a descriptive sentence or short paragraph about the character development within the book.

Examples:

  • Characters display courage, selflessness, humility, compassion, kindness, and many other character traits.

Religious Themes

This section doesn’t include a scale but rather a descriptive sentence or short paragraph about the religious themes or issues within the book.

Examples:

  • Taking the Lord’s name in vain
  • The overall theme of the book
  • References to Christianity in a negative way 
  • We note mentions of other religions

Language

  1. None: No swearing at all, but it can include “nice” cursing like “Good grief” or “son of a gun.”
  2. Mild: Includes “What the hell?” Or “ass” and other mild cursing, nothing strong.
  3. Moderate: Includes sporadic use of strong curse words, doesn’t saturate the novel.
  4. Heavy: Includes consistent use of strong curse words throughout.

Parenting

This can include abortion, adultery, pregnancy out of wedlock, abuse, neglect, excessive punishment, favoritism, inconsistency, and divorce.

  1. None/Mild: Mentioned or has a theme, but nothing descriptive or complicated to read.
  2. Moderate: Talked about in some detail, may be difficult for some readers.
  3. Heavy: Discussed in great detail; may be difficult to read.

Sexual Content

This can include LGBTQ+, transgender, sexual identity, inappropriate sexual conduct, pre-marital sex, and other sexual things.

  1. None/Clean: May include kissing or hand holding, nothing more
  2. Mild/Moderate: Sexual content is implied, kissing may be steamy, nothing is descriptive
  3. Heavy: Sexual content is an open door; severity will be described on a by-case basis

Violence/Gore

Can include death, fighting, war, abuse, kidnapping, rape, animal cruelty, self-harm, other violent things.

  1. None
  2. Mild: Some violence is implied or lightly described
  3. Moderate: Violence is descriptive without being overly graphic 
  4. Heavy: Graphic and descriptive 

Substance Use

Includes alcohol, drugs, and controlled substance abuse.

  1. None
  2. Mild: Mentioned but not described or used heavily (example: my mom was an alcoholic, or he took a drink of his beer)
  3. Moderate: Mentioned and used sporadically throughout the novel, somewhat detailed 
  4. Heavy: Detailed, heavily used throughout the novel 

At Big Sky Life Books, we sincerely aim to be a trusted resource for parents seeking wholesome and uplifting books for their children. As we curate recommended children's books and book collections, we strive to be a reliable source for parents and grandparents who share our vision of instilling positive values in their children.

To learn more about our journey to providing this valuable resource, visit our Our Story page!

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