I always like to have a good book handy, whether we’re heading out for a hike or a check up or a trip to the zoo. You never know when a long wait will strike or when energy levels reach a low point. Here is the perfect book for just such an occasion.

I can Make a Difference: A Treasury to Inspire our Children by Marian Wright Edelman, illustrations by Barry Moser, is an outstanding collection.

And you just might win your own copy if you post a comment here or on our Facebook page! I’ll draw from the names and announce the winner on Monday.

If time is short or your desire for whimsy is long, you and your child can wonder among this book’s poets, from the silly salience of Shel Silverstein to the smooth, observant rhythms of Maya Angelou. Or this:

Well, son, I’ll tell you,
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor–
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on….

~Langston Hughes, Mother to Son

Or maybe you’re waiting for your oldest to finish whatever extra-curricular has caught her eye, and you know you have time to linger. Grab this book for a short story. Little Miss is entranced by Leo Tolstoy’s Little Girls Wiser than their Elders, while I prefer the Italian fairy tale called The Month of March.

Words of wisdom from Martin Luther King, Jr., Anne Frank, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and numerous are peppered throughout the book as well, providing ample opportunity for meaningful conversation.

In her introduction, Edelman writes beautifully:

I hope this book will inspire and empower children through the stories and wisdom of the many cultures and people with whom our children must share a world. All our children need to know that goodness and wisdom come in all colors and countries and genders and sizes and do not belong to any single person or group or nation.I also hope this book will help build children strong on the inside, with spiritual anchors to meet challenges with resiliency…

I can only add that the works in this treasury do not simply teach and inspire. They are literary jewels, beautiful in and of themselves, and I am always delighted to sit down with my children to savor words so perfectly crafted.

What books do you rely on to inspire and engage your children? Share them here or on our Facebook page and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a copy of I can Make a Difference.

Tags: Books & Resources, Children's Books

About Sarah

Sarah Aadland is striving to make family volunteering a meaningful habit for her family of five. Join the conversation as she ponders what they may (or may not have) learned and looks for helpful information about raising compassionate kids.Though she plans to one day put her Masters in Public Policy back to work for social justice, she sees family volunteering as a way to build a stronger community, a better world, and a more connected family. In addition to her children, Sarah tends a large garden, a small flock of chickens, and a habit of mindfulness amid the necessary rituals of parenting.

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