An avid reader and founder of the blog, Young Book Love, Megan Kaeb is passionate about inspiring kids to love books and reading. She is a faithful Christ-follower, wife, and mother to six.
At The Savvy Sauce, we will only recommend resources we believe in! We also want you to be aware: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Go Dogs Go by P.D. Eastman
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”
Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession- to the praise of his glory.”
Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”
Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“
Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“
Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
[00:00:00] <music>
Laura Dugger: Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.
[00:00:17] <music>
Laura Dugger: Hey friends, did you know you can make your own customizable board book for a very reasonable price? I came across this idea years ago, and I've made special board books for each of my daughters with Pint Size Productions.
They are also the only company to offer personalized editions of the world-famous children's author Sandra Boynton's titles, including Moo, Baa, La La La! and Are You a Cow?. Keep listening for more information and a coupon code to use on your order from pintsizeproductions.com.
Hey everyone, we're back for part two with Megan Kaeb. Megan is a voracious reader and loves to inspire others to read and grow as well. And a fun fact that you all may not know is that Megan and I are second cousins. Here's our chat about book recommendations for various ages and ways to make reading fit into your family schedule. [00:01:20]
Welcome back to The Savvy Sauce, Megan.
Megan Kaeb: Thank you. I'm glad to be here.
Laura Dugger: Well, in case anyone didn't hear you last time, can you just tell us a bit about your background?
Megan Kaeb: Sure. My name is Megan. I have been married to my husband, Cory, for 19 years. We have six kids that range in age from 9 years old to 14. Back in November, I started a blog called youngbooklove.com which is all about helping parents discover great books that their kids will fall for. I have been an avid reader all of my life. It is my favorite thing to do. I'm pretty much always in the middle of a book.
Laura Dugger: That's incredible. And last time you gave us so many great nuggets. And today we're going to just dive right in to your specific book lists, which we will also link to more in the show notes. [00:02:17] But can you just share a few of your favorites?
Megan Kaeb: Sure. But this is really hard because I have so many favorites. There are so many good ones out there. But I will try to narrow it down to just a few. And if you want more good ones, you can head on over to the blog.
We'll go by age. Starting with the newest of new readers, so kids who are just learning how to read, a few ideas for good books, probably my favorite book for that age is the book Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman. It's the first book several of my kids read for the first time like all on their own. And it's just, it's great pictures. It's a classic. It's just a really great book.
Just a couple other ideas for that age though would be Piggie and Elephant books are so much fun and Fly Guy books are also really fun books for that age.
For readers six and up who have maybe mastered the basics and are kind of looking to move away from the early reader books, wanting to get into more chapter books, but maybe not quite ready for the bigger chapter books, Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo is one of my very favorite books. [00:03:32] I feel like these are great... they're great early chapter book. They have tons of fun pictures. The stories are hilarious and so well written. And they are a great book for your early readers as well as your older readers.
When my second grader was reading these out loud to me, my 12-year-old was hovering over our shoulder listening as well. And then when we were done, he picked it up himself to read through. They're just so great for those newer readers, but also for readers of any age.
A few other books that are really good for that age group, the early chapter books. Princess in Black is a great one. Frankie Pickle is really fun. That's a little bit part graphic novel, but also just early chapter book. Captain Awesome is another really fun series for kids.
Moving on up to like readers eight and up... and this category, yeah, I just feel like when I say eight and up, I really mean and up. [00:04:34] Like this is not just for eight-year-olds. Some of my very favorites. Kate DiCamillo again, she is one of my favorite authors. The Tale of Despereaux is an excellent book. She also wrote Because of Winn-Dixie, which is another one of my favorites of hers.
The Penderwicks is a book by Jeannie Birdsall, and it's about four sisters and kind of just their adventures together. The writing is amazing. The stories are so good. The first one I did not love as much as the second and the third and the fourth. I feel like it's one of those books, that as you just get to know the characters, you just grow to love them. They feel like family almost, and so you want to keep reading. But I love The Penderwicks.
Roald Dahl's books are so much fun. The BFG and Danny, the Champion of the World are two of my favorites of his. But he's written a lot that people are so familiar with. He's a classic author, a classic kids' author for sure.
One more for this age range, although, like I said, there are so many good ones to choose from. [00:05:39] The Mysterious Benedict Society is another one of my favorite books. It's just a good adventure story. It's about kids doing hard things and saving the world. Each of the characters in it are just so much fun and unique and easy to connect with. It's just a really good book.
So readers 10 and up, so this is older elementary, maybe moving into junior high. There's a series called The False Prince series, and it's just a really fun adventure. Actually, it's not The False Prince. The first book is The False Prince. It's really a fun adventure book. It's a page-turner. It's hard to put down. So even for kids who maybe are not the biggest readers, I think if they would start this book, it would hook them and be hard to put down.
The Wednesday Wars is a book that is one of my very favorites ever. It makes me laugh and it makes me cry. It tackles some tougher subjects, but it just does it in such a really... I don't know, just a good way. [00:06:42] It's a boy who, during the Vietnam War, Wednesday afternoons, he finds himself alone with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, who he thinks hates him because half of his class is Catholic and goes to one class in the afternoon and the other half of his class is Jewish and goes to another class in the afternoon.
So he's alone with his teacher and she starts to teach him Shakespeare. I don't know, just the way Shakespeare interacts with his life, the way his teacher interacts with his life, some of the harder things going on in his home against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. It's just really an amazing book. One of my very favorites.
A good nonfiction series is called Christian Heroes: Then & Now. This is one of my favorites to recommend. They are biographies about men and women of faith over the years and just telling their stories. They're amazing stories. People like George Mueller, Mary Schleser, Corrie Ten Boom, there's just a ton of missionaries included in this series. [00:07:45] Cory and I, my husband, we love reading these as well. They're so faith strengthening and they're just really excellent books.
Laura Dugger: Your passion is incredible and completely contagious. I can't wait to get some of these. Then as a parent, how do you find time to monitor these book options for your tweens especially?
Megan Kaeb: That's a good question because I have some avid readers and there is no way I can keep up with them because they are constantly reading a book. With my oldest, we will talk a lot about it and she... I trust her because she has come to me at times and been like, "This book had this in it." And she's even given up on books before, which again, that just builds my trust in her.
But there are ways that you can see a little bit about what content might be in a book without actually reading it. One trick is to check on Amazon. If you find the one and two-star reviews of different books, a lot of times, those will list inappropriate items found in the book. [00:08:53]
Like a lot of times the reason why people did not like them is because of certain things that were in the book and so they will list them there. Sometimes I think if you just look for those one and two-star reviews and read them, sometimes you don't learn anything new but sometimes you can.
Then there are also really good websites plugged in from Focus on the Family will do book reviews. And Common Sense Media has a lot of book reviews where they will read books for content and they will list the positive elements, the negative elements. I think those are great resources for parents just kind of wanting to get an idea of what kind of content is in a book.
Laura Dugger: That is extremely helpful. And for a listener today that's wondering, where can I start if I have a child of any age, but they don't like to read?
Megan Kaeb: I think the best place to start is to read out loud together. Find a good book, maybe a book that you loved as a kid and want to revisit, or just get a recommendation from someone. [00:09:55] Check out my blog and find a book that looks good to you and sit down and read together.
Read a chapter out loud before bed. And you can even tell him, "Hey, you can stay up a little later if you will listen to me read this book to you." However, you want to sell it. I think that is the best way to start.
Another thing, a little trick that sometimes works is to read the first book of the series out loud, but not read the second. If the first book really grabs a hold of them, then that might be the motivation. Just they want to find out what happens with these characters. So they might pick up the second or third or fourth book on their own then.
Laura Dugger: Ooh, those are really creative ideas as well. Last time in our previous episode, you had even mentioned audiobooks and that it's okay if our children are coloring or doing something quietly while we're reading. I mean, I think of myself, I'm a podcast junkie, and I listen best when I'm folding laundry or doing dishes or engaged in some activity. [00:10:59] That can free us up that our children are still listening or still enjoying when we're reading aloud, like you mentioned, even if it doesn't appear that way.
Do you have any other creative ideas to get kids to listen or to enjoy reading more?
Megan Kaeb: Well, one idea, just to even get them to maybe branch out to different books that they might not necessarily try, one of my kids' fourth-grade teachers created a bingo board where like in each of the squares, she would list different genres of books. So she might have graphic novels, which are what my boys want to read all the time in one, but then to get a bingo, they might also have to read historical fiction, they might have to read poetry, they might have to read just a book of their choice.
So even as a parent you could kind of create your own bingo board and offer incentives for if they get a bingo, let them pick a prize or let them get a, I don't know... you could even pay them. I have paid my kids sometimes to read books that I feel like were really important. [00:12:07] I don't do it often, but every once in a while, hey, if it gets them to read a book, that is money well spent in my mind.
I would also say, like over the summer especially, but even... I don't know, with video games and computer games and screens having such a pull on my kids, my boys especially, a lot of times they will have to read a certain amount of minutes. Like I've even heard of people, "You have to read 30 minutes to earn 30 minutes of screen time." So there's a lot of different ways to motivate kids just even by using... I don't know, I guess it's bribery. I don't know, some things are worth bribing, maybe.
Laura Dugger: I think, real picture, parents all bribe.
Megan Kaeb: So, yeah. And when I'm reading aloud, like I said, if they want to do a puzzle, or even if... like I have one kid that just, he has to move more. And I know he's still listening even if he's walking around, as long as it's not too distracting for the other kids. I think the key is to just be flexible and to realize that even if it doesn't feel like they're picking it up, I think they pick up a lot more. [00:13:16] I don't know, just even if they're not maybe looking like they're paying attention, they really are still. So being flexible is important as a mom.
Laura Dugger: Oh, that's good for so many areas.
Let's take a quick break to hear a message from our sponsor.
Sponsor: Today I get to share another incredible brand with you, Pint Size Productions. If you have children, you already know board books are usually the first experience that little ones have with turning pages and entering the wonderful world of reading, without you as the parent worrying about them ripping or folding pages.
Reading with your child is so special, but imagine taking it to a whole new level if you were reading a board book with personal photos of people your children recognize and love. That's exactly what Pint Size Productions offers.
You can visit pintsizeproductions.com to customize your very own board book. There are plenty of different templates available, ranging from simply inserting a photo and a name, which only takes you a few minutes, or creating a 100% custom design with your own photos, artwork, and text. [00:14:24]
That's the route I took when I created a book for each of my daughters on their first birthday. They have cherished their books for years and they still love to crawl in my lap and read these personalized books together.
All of Pint Size Productions' board books are 100% made in the USA. For a limited time, when you visit pintsizeproductions.com and enter the code SAVVY at checkout, you will receive a 20% discount. I hope you enjoy these books as much as we have.
Laura Dugger: You have a large family and yet you've created these meaningful times to connect and to read. So can you just share with us what is your family schedule?
Megan Kaeb: Well, during the school year, obviously they're in school. My younger three get home around 2.30. And we have a rule at our house that no screens are allowed during the weekdays. So after school, they have to do homework, which a lot of times includes reading. [00:15:24] And so, yeah, I have some kids who are motivated to do that right after school, and some would rather do their reading right before bed.
So yeah, once they get home from school, then it's kind of a quiet time until the older kids get home. This stage in life, honestly, I feel like we're on the go so much more. Older kids need driven places for practices or picked up from practices or track meets or cross-country meets or whatever. Even carving out time to read is a little harder. But that's where audiobooks can also come in. We will listen to stories in our car as we're driving around. So there are definitely ways to continue to incorporate that. But this is a stage of life where I am a chauffeuring mom. I feel like I am the chauffeur and I'm driving my kids all over the place.
Laura Dugger: Well, I love that you've solved that problem with audiobooks and then talking about them with your kids. That's a great idea. Is there any scripture that is currently inspiring you in your work or even in your family life?
Megan Kaeb: Well, I feel like lately I've been spending a lot of time in the Psalms. And specifically I have been reading the Psalms of Ascent and just kind of studying those a little bit on my own. [00:16:35] So just thinking of a chapter that's meaningful, Psalm 1:21, which talks a lot about how God is our protector and how He watches over us, how He watches over our comings and goings, and how He will keep us from all harm.
But I think, too, with that, like, I don't necessarily think that He keeps us from all harm physically, but that He will kind of protect our hearts and minds. So I don't know, just... and that's a prayer over my kids, that the Lord is with them like this Psalm promises, and that He will protect them, but even more important than their physical bodies, my prayer is that He will protect their hearts and minds from being deceived, that it will keep the truth in the front of their minds and just keep them close to Him.
So yeah, Psalm 1:21, "I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." Those words have spoken a lot into my life over the last few months.
Laura Dugger: Oh, thank you for sharing that because you and I both share a love of books and would definitely say the Bible is our all-time favorite book, all-time bestseller as well. [00:17:53] And yet it's still helpful to hear how other stories can be incorporated into the family system.
So is there any other topic related to your blog or reading that you would love to share with listeners today?
Megan Kaeb: I just would encourage you to just have lots of good books around and to be reading them yourself. Even if you don't read them out loud to your kids, I would encourage you to read a lot of the books that your kids are reading too so that you have something to talk to them about.
And even some of the harder books or books that maybe have some inappropriate material as your kids get older, they just give you a chance to talk about some of those harder things with your older kids, which I think is really important. So yeah, I would encourage you to read books on your own, with your kids. I don't know. I love how books can make us feel that we are not alone and that they can just teach us and inspire us. [00:18:53] I don't know, there's so much good in getting our kids to be readers.
There's a quote by Dr. Richard Noble that says, "If you want to be a leader, you've got to be a reader." And I think that is very true. I think leaders who are well-read, that they have been exposed to a lot of different perspectives, gives them empathy for other people. I just think it's a true statement. I want my kids to be leaders, and I want them to be readers as well.
Laura Dugger: There's so much wisdom in what you just shared. And even breaking that down to a practical level, to go back, when you mentioned sometimes there is inappropriate messages or language or something in books, is there anything that you would particularly recommend parents to guard their children from in books? Let's talk specifically about maybe tweens and teens.
Megan Kaeb: I hate this, but I just feel like there are more sex scenes and stuff like that in some of these books for young adults. [00:19:58] I just think that that's hard. That's stuff that I don't want my kids reading yet. I mean, it's not healthy for me to read things like that as well. It's just more prevalent than what I wish it was.
And even violence too. I feel like though with violence, somehow... like I'm thinking of the books called The Hunger Games, which I really like those books, but there is violence in them, but yet it's portrayed in a way that is negative. So even from that, I feel like there are some learning experiences.
But I think when there is more sex and stuff like that in books, that stuff gets in your mind and it's harder to get out. So that kind of stuff, especially, I want to guard my kids against or at least be able to talk about with them about why it's important to guard.
So even if they do read something and I catch it later, if we can have a conversation about it and why it's important to guard against that and how that made them feel and just different things like that, you can still turn maybe that negative into something positive into a learning experience. I think that's the hard stuff. [00:21:08]
Laura Dugger: That's really wise and I love that you shared that. I think that's really smart to have protection in that area. Can you share again the name of your blog so that listeners can connect with you further?
Megan Kaeb: Sure. My blog is youngbooklove.com. You can search by age, by genre to find books that you think your kids might connect with. I try to just put the ones that I really loved on there or that I think other people would love too. There are so many good ones out there to choose from, but there's just so many books to choose from too. Going to the library can feel overwhelming. So I'm trying to help parents sift through and find the gold nugget books that will really connect with their kids and hopefully encourage them to keep reading.
Laura Dugger: Well, you've done a fantastic job and we all just appreciate so much the work that you've put in for us.
Megan Kaeb: Oh, I forgot to mention too I am on Instagram and so that would be a way to follow along as well. I try to be fairly active on that platform. It's just @youngbooklove. [00:22:18]
Laura Dugger: Hey, friends. I just wanted to give you a quick reminder that we're asking for ratings and reviews on whatever platform you use to listen to this podcast. If you would be willing, could you also hit subscribe to the podcast and share this with a friend? Thanks for listening. Now back to the show.
I have one question yet for you today because some people don't know that "savvy" in our name, the definition is practical knowledge or discernment. So will you leave us with the answer to one final question? Megan, what is your savvy sauce?
Megan Kaeb: Sure. Well, last time I talked about how naps and quiet time for kids are super important. And just to kind of add on to that a little, when my kids are having their quiet time during the day, I've kind of made it a rule for myself that I can't use this time to just get more done around the house or whatever, that I need to use this time to recharge my own batteries. [00:23:17] For me, this usually means reading a book, but for others, it could be a lot of different things.
When I have those breaks, I feel no guilt to pick up a book and just to read for a little bit. I feel like I am a better mom, then when that quiet time is over and they come back down. If I've had time to do something that kind of recharges me, then I'm a better mom for them for the rest of the day.
So I would say don't feel guilty to sit down and read a book or do something that refuels you and fills you up because that is super important. We don't always have to be about getting the next thing done. We need to take some time for ourselves too.
Laura Dugger: Wow, that is very well said, and definitely a challenge that I want to take on starting today. Thank you again for coming back. Two great episodes with you, Megan. And I hope that everybody gets to check out your blog. It is such a blessing to so many people. [00:24:19] So keep up your good work, and thanks again for joining us today.
Megan Kaeb: You bet, Laura. This was really fun. Thanks for having me.
Laura Dugger: One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term "gospel" before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news. Every single one of us were born sinners and God is perfect and holy, so He cannot be in the presence of sin. Therefore, we're separated from Him.
This means there's absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So for you and for me, it means we deserve death and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved. We need a savior. But God loved us so much, He made a way for His only Son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute.
This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with Him. That is good news. [00:25:19] Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.
We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us. Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
So would you pray with me now? Heavenly, Father, thank You for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to You. Will You clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare You as Lord of their life? We trust You to work and change their lives now for eternity. In Jesus name, we pray, amen. [00:26:18]
If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring Him for me, so me for Him, you get the opportunity to live your life for Him.
At this podcast, we are called Savvy for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So you're ready to get started?
First, tell someone. Say it out loud. Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision my parents took me to Barnes and Noble to get the Quest NIV Bible and I love it. Start by reading the book of John.
Get connected locally, which basically means just tell someone who is part of the church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.
We want to celebrate with you too. So feel free to leave a comment for us if you made a decision for Christ. We also have show notes included where you can read Scripture that describes this process. [00:27:18]
Finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.
If you've already received this good news, I pray that you have someone else to share it with today. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.
