Are you looking for great books about love and family values, but always find them filled with references to God?  Well, I have just the book for you!

Source:Youtube

The above video is a narration of one of my favorite books to read to my sons: Wherever You Are by Nancy Tillman.  It is sweet and simply written and accompanied by stunning illustrations.

The reason that this book appeals to me so much is that it explores the endlessness of love without any theist values thrown in. I like to keep an eye out for such books because they are not all that common.  This story explains that the love of their elders will always exist around, and within, them.  The narrator is never named, either.  This means that the book is appropriate for kids being raised in a variety of settings.

This is my favorite excerpt:

“In the green of the grass… in the smell of the sea… in the clouds floating by… at the top of a tree… in the sound crickets make at the end of the day… You are loved. You are loved. You are loved,” they all say.”

I love the poetry of the book, of course, but also the message that love is neverending and vast, and that it can never be lost. It explores emotions like loneliness and fear and reminds children to find courage in the fact that they are special and loved.

That energy, once shared, can never be destroyed.

 

 

Featured Photo Source: Flickr, F. Rabelais