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Sometimes finding the right book for the right person or purpose is daunting. Our team at Westminster Kids has been fielding questions about the content and structure of books for years and distilled all of that knowledge into a sophisticated filter mechanism on our kids' site search to help you find the book you're looking for. It's no exaggeration that the filters for our search is one of my favorite aspects of our site. We personally checked each book on Westminster Kids to identify genre, age group, and special considerations.
Want to gift your niece a board book for her new baby and want it to present the gospel? You can filter for that. Looking for a book for your 8-year-old that will help teach him biblical theology but doesn't have any images of Jesus? You can filter for that. Want a fiction bedtime read for your family to enjoy that is appropriate for your 7-year-old but will hold your 12-year-olds attention? You can filter for that, too.
Here is a taste of the filters that we have on our search and what we hope to achieve:
Genres You Can Search
Systematic Theology:
Christian belief is a network of related biblical teachings. Systematic theology brings those teachings to people one topic at a time. Here you’ll find kids books that present various doctrines of the faith in accessible and winsome ways.
Fiction and Allegory:
The truth of Scripture can be presented through stories and symbolism. Even Jesus told stories in order to communicate the truth—parables. Here you’ll find books that use the features of storytelling to present the Christian faith or principles in imaginative ways.
Bible Stories:
Drawn right from the pages of Scripture, Bible stories offer kids the well-known stories of Scripture in engaging formats. From David and Goliath to Jonah and Jericho, from Jesus walking on the water to Paul’s missionary journeys, the books here will help your kids fall in love with the truth of Scripture in all its story-telling glory.
Biblical Theology:
The one great story of Scripture develops with themes throughout the Bible: identity, faithfulness, worship, sacrifice, love, war, inheritance. Biblical theology is the tracing of these themes throughout the Bible, leading to books that help kids see the unity and richness of Scripture.
Church History and Biography:
Great stories aren’t just in Scripture; they’re also in the lives of those who have followed it in faith. The books you find here will tell of God’s providence in church history and in the specific lives of his people. Readers can find courage, hope, inspiration, and wisdom in the movements and moments these books capture.
Counseling:
The gospel applies to everything. It’s news that changes us. It meets us where we are and draws us deeper into God. “Where we are” involves many places in the realm of counseling: anxiety, fear, sadness, identity, self-worth, and many others. The books you find here offer biblical wisdom addressing these critical areas for kids and parents.
Special Considerations You Can Filter
No Images of Christ:
Some readers or parents prefer books that do not portray Christ graphically. We respect that preference, and we offer this filter to help you find books that best meet your standards.
Ethnic Diversity Represented:
God’s church is global and includes people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. We believe it’s important to represent this diversity in the books we promote. This filter will help you find titles that portray the church in all of its beautiful diversity.
Adopted or Foster Children Sensitive:
Adopted and foster children, like all young readers, want to feel included in the audience for the books they read. This filter will help you find books that welcome these children into the reading community.
Explicit Gospel Presentation:
Not all readers who you are shopping for are Christians, of course! This filter will help you find books that provide an explicit offer of the gospel for the reader.
Children with Disabilities Represented:
Children with disabilities deserve resources that communicate to them in their unique challenges and abilities. This filter will help you find books that address these children with love, appreciation, and empathy.
We hope you enjoy the site and the search and that it's an encouragement for you as you seek to equip the children in your life with biblically faithful books. If there is a filter that you think we should look into adding or if you run into any issue with the filters, please let us know.
