Old Stories for a New Generation

The children sat on the ground, legs crossed in the mandatory “criss cross, applesauce” style teachers often prompt in a large group. All eyes were on me, anticipating the stories that would be read to them that reflected the theme of the day: adventure. I had carefully chosen my titles to share with different age groups over the course of 3 hours for the special reading program at a local elementary school. I wore a t-shirt boasting a favorite children’s book cover from my own childhood. Whenever I wear this shirt, adults’ eyes light up, and they burst out with, “I loved that book!” Occasionally, a child will recognize the title, or ask me about it. On this particular day, I held the copy of the book that matched the t-shirt and asked, “How many of you have read this book before?” In a room of 50 children, maybe 10 raised their hands. One teacher said, “Oh, that is an OLD book!” This same scenario repeated itself over and over for each of the six classrooms I addressed. 

Harold and the Purple Crayon was first published in 1955. Despite its age, it ranked #16 on the “Top 100 Picture Books” list from a survey conducted in 2012 by School Library Journal. It is one of the best picture books of all time, yet it was unfamiliar to the majority of the 300-plus children I read to that day. 

I then held aloft a second title: a children’s book published in 1963, entitled Where the Wild Things Are. A picture depicting iconic characters from this book with the phrase, “Let the wild rumpus start” adorns yet another of my t-shirts. This book is included on The 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time according to Time Magazine. Even fewer children on this particular day had heard of or were familiar with this title. 

This hurts my children’s librarian’s heart. There are so many good stories that children miss out on when parents and caregivers forget about them and don’t pass them on to the next generation. One of my missions at the public library where I work is to make sure the classics stay in circulation and bring them to the attention of children, parents, and grandparents alike. Good stories deserve to persevere and are worthy of being passed on, over and over and over. So I will continue to bring these OLD books to share with new generations of readers. There are just certain titles I will always purchase a new copy of for replacement rather than relegating it to the weed/discard pile. 

There are other stories, however, that are far more important to pass on. Psalm 78:4-7 talks about this: 

…we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done … so the next generation will know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God. (NIV)

Don’t just wear the t-shirt! Tell your children and grandchildren those stories. Let them hear, over and over again, about the Lord’s glorious deeds, his power, and his mighty wonders. Tell how God’s work has been displayed in scripture, in your own life, and in the lives of others. These stories, even the old ones, are worth telling because of the eternal impact they can make.