Two Kids' Classic Books for Teaching Family Values

When my children were young, I spent hours reading classic kids' books to them. Reading together was our favorite part of the day my kids learned the importance of family values while snuggling on the couch reading. Now, I read the same well-worn books to my grandchildren and they value them as much now their parents did when they were children.

The following children's' classic books are two of my favorites for teaching the values of love, responsibility, friendship, trust, keeping promises, and facing consequences, as well as developing reading comprehension and vocabulary skills.

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

Make Way for Ducklings tells of family love and responsibility as Mr. and Mrs. Mallard fly over Boston, choosing the safest spot to build a nest and raise their eight ducklings. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard experience generosity from the people in Boston who feed them peanuts and popcorn, especially Michael, the policeman. Michael helps Mrs. Mallard cross the busy city street with her ducklings as they go to the Public Garden where Mr. Mallard promises to meet them.

The ducklings learn trust, friendship, and love as they follow Mrs. Mallard throughout the city as the people they meet help them have a safe journey to Boston Public Garden. When Mrs. Mallard and the ducklings arrive at the garden, Mr. Mallard is waiting, keeping his promise to his family.

Ping by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese

Ping is the story of a small duck named Ping who lives on a houseboat on the Yangtze River in China. He and the rest of his family leave the boat to forage for food on the shore each day. Ping knows that at the end of the day, the last duck to get back to the boat faces punishment for lagging behind. On one particular day, Ping realizes he will be the last duck to get back to the boat and hides in the reeds, rather than face his punishment.

Ping spends the night alone and meets new friends but also faces life-threatening dangers before he returns to his family. Ping sees rice cake crumbs in the water and swims to eat them. A man throws a basket over Ping and locks him, planning to cook him for dinner.

A little boy helps Ping escape. Ping decides to return home, realizing that it is better to face the consequences of disobeying rather than the fear and loneliness he feels and the dangerous circumstances he faces when separated from the family he loves.

Ping teaches family values of honesty, love of family, and facing consequences for wrong behavior. Ping also teaches children the lesson of not talking to strangers or accepting treats from strangers because not everyone is a friend.

Resources:

McCloskey, Robert, "Make Way for Ducklings", 1941.

Flack, Marjorie and Weise, Kurk, "Make Way for Ducklings", 1933.

Personal Experience