The Cultivating Reader – Literary Leaf-Mould provides a fresh source of recommended books gathered from classic and contemporary Christian authors. I will introduce you to varied genres through the ages—classic literature, poetry, and inspiring non-fiction. You may occasionally find a good cookbook, because breaking bread together over a good read nurtures fellowship. My prayer is for you to set aside time alone or with friends to linger over good words.
“Surely that gift—the gift of a world of human decency—is the one that all countries hunger for still.”
— Lois Lowry, Number the Stars [1]
Greetings, my fellow bibliophiles! I welcome you into this winter season of longer nights of rest with book suggestions focused on kindness. Imagine a cozy blanket for your soul, warming your imagination with characters who impart brightness and beauty into the darkness. The books I have chosen for you include read-aloud stories, tales that fill your heart no matter what age, classic fiction, and a resource on awakening the virtuous imagination.
It would seem that our world is bereft of kindness, but I would encourage you to look in the small moments—the person who pays it forward in the drive-through, a child who holds the door open for you, someone who calls you by name. Being kind isn’t complicated. C. S. Lewis tells us that “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.”[2] Bearing that in mind, offering kindness is a decision we can take each day.
I have discovered that children are often the greatest exemplars of kindness. (The names in the following story have been changed to ensure anonymity) One day, the director of our homeschool co-op called me out of the class I was teaching and into her office. She explained, “A family just contacted me. They are out of options. Their first grade son is autistic and requires a companion because he is nonverbal. The school system will not work with him. Do you think you could help?”
I replied, “Yes, of course!”
Over the sixteen years of teaching at our large co-op, I was blessed in beautiful ways by the special needs children who joined my classes, usually one each year in my art classes. I embraced the opportunity to encourage the parents and help their children find their unique call.
The following week, Adam and his assistant joined our first grade Adventures in Art class. He was bigger than his classmates, but they didn’t seem to notice; in fact, they took no notice of any differences between Adam and themselves. He was treated as one of the gang. During coloring time, Adam only wanted green markers. His new friends gave him their green markers. Adam only drew shapes, especially triangles, for each lesson. He received many compliments on his renderings of triangles. Adam would not look at any faces, but his classmates figured out that he loved high-fives, his favorite way to express happiness. When he arrived at class, everyone ran to give him a high-five and a cheery greeting.
The complete acceptance of Adam by my students demonstrated the purest form of kindness. He was welcomed as their friend. Adam was seen and known by name.
These children exemplified what Paul exhorted in Colossians 3:12 (ESV). “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” This was an experience of kindness-caught. This pure unveiled tenderness is how we are created in God’s image, to be image-bearers of His mercy. Adam thrived in the fellowship of his classmates.
The following books share brilliant examples of kindnesses caught and taught; portrayals of selfless tenderness and friendship. To teach this well, we must lead with it. Proverbs 31 talks about an excellent woman who “opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue” (v. 26, ESV) Studies suggest that reading fictional narratives may increase empathy. Maybe that is true. I believe that stories certainly ignite the imagination and help us to see other points of view. The following stories invite us to “stand in his [or her!] shoes and walk around in them.”[3]
1. Witness compassion for the downtrodden in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
This powerful story hits differently each time I read it, but the beauty of unguarded kindness always catches my heart. Atticus, Southern small-town lawyer, tells his daughter, Scout, that “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”[4] This classic is an emotional portrayal of living this truth out every day. After witnessing her father’s legal call for justice, Scout learns to see people for who they really are. Look for the small acts of kindness as you read Mockingbird.
2. Read of faithful witness in a lifelong friendship in The Mythmakers by John Hendrix.
A winsome, visual feast, this graphic novel with extensive prose reveals details of the abiding friendship between C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Their challenging journeys that brought them together inspired the Inklings, one of the most influential literary groups in history. Endearing kindness and mutual respect for each other transcended their differences and “each man was a gift to the other.”[5]
3. Witness how kindness can touch generations for eternity in The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis.
This allegorical writing of choosing heaven or hell literally brought me back from the darkness. You may identify with particularities of each soul and their life story, but the final scene with Sarah Smith is a testimony to the eternal legacy of a kind heart. Lewis writes that “Every beast and bird that came near her had its place in her love.”[6] Sarah was met in heaven by every life she touched. Her time on earth embodies the holy calling of kindness.
4. Find books that guide a child’s moral imagination in Tending the Heart of Virtue by Vigen Guroian.
Just as Jesus used stories and parables to teach Christian values, we can use children’s books to re-enchant and inspire virtuous behaviors. Children in prior generations learned positive behaviors through fairy tales and by examples of characters who exemplified good and evil. This helpful resource provides a list of classic children’s stories that teach life lessons such as kindness, faith, courage, friendship, and agape love. Guroian helpfully elaborates on each moral quality to be learned from these tales.
5. Read of kindness when there is great personal risk in Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.
This Newbery Medal winner, set in WWII Nazi-occupied Denmark, tells the perilous adventure of 10-year old Annemarie and her Jewish friend, Ellen. As soldiers move in to “relocate” the Jewish residents, Annemarie’s family bravely orchestrates a plan to protect Ellen’s family. Courage at the onset shored up with unexpected kindness of friends and strangers—what choices would you take under such dire circumstances?
6. Discover charity to the orphan and elderly in The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.
This Caldecott Medal winner, a magical novel told in line drawings and prose, is inspired by the history of legendary filmmaker Georges Melies. Hugo Cabret is an streetwise orphan with a mysterious past, living in a Paris train station in the early 1900s. He is befriended by a young bibliophile, Isabelle, whose own life connects with Hugo’s past. Generosity and guidance given to Hugo by Isabelle’s family, without judgment of Hugo’s lot in life, lead to a remarkable discovery.
7. Aspire to imitate gentle patience and love of friends expressed in Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.
This charming tale of Badger, Mole, Rat, and Toad is a stellar narration of true friendship. You will probably identify with one of the characters and aspire to be more like another! These friends extend admirable measures of patience to each other, especially when one of the animals deserves admonishment, but receives mercy.
8. See how kindness toward all creatures is portrayed in Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.
I nearly wore out the library copy of this book when I was little, but few children have it on their bookshelf today so I include it here. This is the gentle story of Fern, who rescues Wilbur the runt pig from certain demise. Wilbur is moved to another farm where he meets Charlotte the spider and a host of farm animals who befriend him. The goal is to save Wilbur’s life, and Charlotte imagines the perfect plan. It’s a remarkable story of sacrificial kindness.
I pray that these literary gems will act as guiding lights of goodness and hope for you! When you see the person in the car next to you or the clerk at the checkout, remember that they each have a story inside of them. Remember that they are no ordinary souls. See them with the kind eyes of Jesus.
“As I look out at all of you gathered here, I want to say that I don’t see a room full of Parisians in top hats and diamonds and silk dresses. I don’t see bankers and housewives and store clerks. No. I address you all tonight as you truly are: wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, and magicians. You are the true dreamers.”
—Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. [7]
[1] Lois Lowry, Number the Stars (Houghton Mifflin, 1989), 137.
[2] C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (HarperOne, 2001), 45-46.
[3] Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (HarperCollins, 2010), 322.
[4] Ibid., 33.
[5] John Hendrix, The Mythmakers (Abrams, 2024), 186.
[6] C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce (HarperOne, 2000), 120.
[7] Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic Press, 2007), 506.
The featured image, “Wray Castle Book Set,” is courtesy of Lancia E. Smith and is used with her glad permission for Cultivating.
Annie Nardone is a lifelong bibliophile with a special devotion to the Inklings and medieval authors. She is a Fellow with the C.S. Lewis Institute and holds an M.A. in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Christian University. Annie is the Director of Visual Artists for The Cultivating Project and columnist for Cultivating Magazine. She is founding board member, managing editor, and author for the apologetics quarterly, An Unexpected Journal. Her writing can also be found as travel blogger for Clarendon Press U.K., with published poems at Calla Press and Poetica.
She holds a MA in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Christian University, and is a Fellow with the C.S. Lewis Institute. Annie writes for Cultivating, Literary Life, and Clarendon House Books, and is a managing editor and writer for An Unexpected Journal. Annie collaborated on three books in 2022, published by Square Halo Books and The Rabbit Room. She recently designed a curriculum detailing the intersection of theology, the arts, and history and is a Master Teacher for HSLDA. She resides in Florida with her Middle Earth/Narnia/Hogwarts-loving family, and an assemblage of sphynx cats and feline foundlings.
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