Kids Books About Honor

This summer, we traveled to see my mom’s family, my maternal grandma, and to visit my mom’s grave in Newfoundland, Canada. It’s a very far trip to take with my kids, but it is worth it. I am so fortunate to be able to cherish my family’s roots in this way and honor my mom’s life and her lifelong commitment to family. I really value family.

Even though I’ve never lived in Newfoundland, being back there feels like “home” somehow. It’s where my ancestral roots are.

We were fortunate to visit the land my great-great-great-grandfather homesteaded on. In the 1960s, my great-grandfather was asked by the government to resettle to a larger community because it was too expensive and impractical to bring services like electricity, plumbing, schools and hospitals to this village. He had lived there all his life, in his grandfather’s home. The land is still technically in my family’s name and so we went to the house foundation for a picnic one sunny afternoon.

Defining Honor for Kids

Being honorable means living according to your virtues and what you believe is true. Honor means you respect others. It means you respect the people in your family, your community, your country – and the things they value. You are proud of who you are and where you come from. You are not ashamed. When you are honorable, you do what you know is right, even if it is harder to do.

I am very proud of my family’s Canadian (Alberta, Quebec, and Newfoundland roots). Now that I’m raising my kids in California, it is even more important to me to invest in honoring these roots. We are who we are in large part because of where we came from and the people who raised us. In my opinion, there are not nearly enough children’s books that speak to this virtue of honor.

These are some of the books I’ve found that help explain the virtue of honor to my kids through story:

A Different Pond by Bao Phi

A Different Pond is one of my favourite stories. It tells the story of a Vietnamese refugee family and how they fish for their supper to make ends meet even after they move to America. It speaks to the honor the boy has for his parents and how hard they work to make a new life for their children.

The Firekeeper’s Son by Linda Sue Park

In this story, a boy in historic rural Korea honors the pledge his family made as Firekeepers by making sure the fire is lit each night as part of a chain of fires that communicate peace across the land.

The Unknown Soldier by Jess M. Brallier

This story explains the ways in which we honor our military veterans and those who died in service, even when we don’t know where they are buried. I feel personally drawn to this story because my grandpa’s brother went missing in action over Italy during his time as a navigator on a bomber during the second world war with the the Royal Canadian Air Force. He has no known grave.

The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci

In this story, a little girl is rewarded for her obedience but even more so for not laughing and dismissing the absurdities of a bizarre old woman.

Where do you feel at home? Where are your roots? What do you feel a need to honour?

Warmly,

Heather

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