So many books, so little time . . . This was my thought when I first started considering the types of books I would want in my home for my children to reach out for and engross themselves in, to become attached to, and to remember for the rest of their lives. When they were very little, it was the board books and the wordless picture books that would grab their attention. And, as children will do, they would find a favorite, carry it around with them everywhere, have it read to them every day, and then take it to bed to gaze at as they would fall asleep. As I came to realize just how much time my homeschooled children would spend with the books in our home, I also realized that we, as the gatekeepers of the home, wanted to be very intentional about choosing the books that would populate our bookshelves, cars, bedrooms, and, most importantly, our children's arms. Over the past 22 years of raising children and building a rich home library, here are a few of the principles that I have applied when choosing children's books.

Text Quality

• Does it have an engaging story that children will take pleasure in?

• Is the story complete? Does it yield a clear understanding of some valuable thought?

• Does it match my worldview? For instance, is good shown as good and bad shown as bad? Does wrongdoing get revealed and dealt with? Do the characters reflect honor to those about them? If not, is this dealt with?

Illustration Quality

• Do the illustrations contribute to the experience and support the theme? Do they engage the child?

• Is the artwork of a quality that can enhance the child's appreciation of art and order?

• Do the illustrations encourage the child to try out different mediums and to be creative?

Condition

USED: buying a book is much like buying a car- it drops 1/2 of its resale value (or more!) as soon as you take it off the showroom floor (or out the bookstore door.) Therefore, I prefer to hunt for treasures among pre-owned books. Many of my books came from auctions, thrift stores, used bookstores, library sales and friends I have made among booksellers all over the country. An even more important reason for purchasing used books is that I get to buy time-tested stories with lasting morals. The fact is, I am not comfortable with MOST of the children's books that are published in this post-modern era. Unless I have a recommendation from a trusted source, such as the Five in a Row booklists, I would much prefer to buy older books. I find that library sales are a great source for the QUALITY older books that are removed from the shelves to replace the newer, modern books that have to find room on the shelves -- not to mention the excellent bindings of library books - more about that under "bindings".

Of course, there are a wide range of used books. Usually, I will try to purchase books that are in Very Good to Like New used condition. I have two exceptions to this rule: 1- Hard to Find or Out of Print books & 2- books to be used for art projects, for instance to make a collage from a loved story.

Things to watch for in a used book:

• page markings & tears?

• is the binding tight? is the spine intact? is the cover in good condition?

• smells: musty or mildewy? does it come from  smoke free home?

NEW: There ARE times when I will buy a new book - particularly when I am following up on a recommendation, and have exhausted all my other resources, or when I can get a discounted price on a book I'd like to own.

Types of Binding

Your choice of binding is determined by several factors: how you plan to use the book, how long you want to keep it around, price & availability. Don't minimize the importance of that last factor. Most often, when I am shopping in the used book market, availability is the determining factor. When there is a choice, here are some of my guidelines for choosing the form of the book.

• Paperback: good for short-term ownership, to preview a book to decide if it's one you want to make permanent in your home library, perhaps to keep for your grandchildren to read someday. Also good for art projects. Benefits: lightweight, takes up less space on the shelves.

• Hardback, including book club editions: good for durability, for lots of loving and long-term ownership

• BEST:  school and library binding: for the ultimate in durability - one of the best things about buying ex-library books -- in very good condition-- is the special binding that is put into books that go on library shelves. These are NOT your ordinary hardback books you can buy off the shelf at your bookstore. These bindings tend to be more expensive and built to last thru a nuclear war. Also, watch for the mylar covered dustjackets that often come with library bound books - very cool!

These are just a few of the guidelines I have used and will continue to use, to build my family's home library. My children are booklovers, and I have personally developed a fresh appreciation for picture books that I intend to hang on to until there are no more children to read to, and maybe longer . . Happy book hunting to you!