I love books. Books are my friends. Books have been home to me in between countries and time zones and in seasons of loneliness and homesickness I can open a book to a familiar passage and it’s like coming home.

Yea, I’m one of those people who loves to re-read books. LOVES IT. Some passages are so beautiful they need to be savored more than once. They need to be a place you set up camp and keep coming back for inspiration and to savor the words and the phrases and the places that they build in our imaginations.

I’m a book pusher. Once I read a book I NEED you to read it and love it too.

I have whole lists of books I think you should read. Over here.

But as much as we love books at our house, we’re constantly needing to recycle them on to friends because there comes a point where the book shelves explode and books are piled next to the beds and I can’t find a space to walk through the boys’ room. So yea, some books they outgrow and those go to new homes so we can make space for new books!

Yes, more books!

And yes I know about eBooks and Kindles etc, but I’m old-fashioned and I love the feel and smell and crackle of book pages under my fingers.

So when it comes to bringing new books into our home, I’m on always on the lookout for ones that will illustrate the messages we’re trying to communicate to our kids. Without being cheesy, annoying or manipulative.

We’re big on adventure, creativity and courage. I mean, you already saw what my crew can do with mud. 

And you already know what my 9 year old taught me about following God into uncomfortable places.

So I’m always looking for stories of other brave kids interested in changing their little bit of the world.

I have boys who want to grow up to a tornado chaser, a game ranger, a chef, a preacher, or a trash truck driver depending on the day you ask them. So when I left these two books out on the counter, I was curious to see who would pick them up first.

Micah, my seven year old, was totally hooked as soon as he opened Drop by Drop.

The thing is, you can tell your kids about how important water is in far-away countries, or you can let them read the story themselves and identify with the characters.

I wanted to share this specific book with my kids as well as with you guys because as you know, this blog helped pay for a water point in South Africa that is often the only reliable water source for a community of hundreds of families. AND YOU GUYS MADE THAT POSSIBLE!

So I’m always looking for ways to keep my kids connected to the stories of kids across the globe. Moms, any book that helps your kiddo walk around in someone else’s story is worth making room for as far as I’m concerned.

Drop By Drop is the story of Sylvie and her family and it’s a keeper in our house. Because while her brother gets to go to school each day, Sylvie spends her hours fetching water from miles away.

And my boy, who could read along himself, was loud in expressing how unfair he thought that was.

But we kept reading.

And he loved the cart that Sylvie used to try and speed up her water collection so she could make it back in time before school was out. And I could seem his own disappointment for her when she still couldn’t fetch water and get to school in the same day.

The more we read the closer his nose got to the pages.

I could see my son step into the story and walk around in Sylvie’s shoes.

And when Sylvie’s village finally got a well drilled to provide instant, fresh water he was fascinated by the whole process. The digger, the drill, the underground water system.

He wanted to illustrate his own version of what it would look like. No prompting from me. I was just as surprised myself when he asked me to take a picture of what he’d drawn.

But the story got under his skin in all the best ways that good books do.

I love that. I love when our kids begin to see the world as bigger than just themselves. 

I especially love how the book starts out with a prayer for our kids – reminding them that they have gifts that they can use to help others. That’s powerful man. I don’t think we tell our kids enough how their age doesn’t disqualify them from doing big, brave, meaningful things for God’s Kingdom.

So, if you’re looking for some new books to introduce to your family, I highly recommend Drop by Drop. I love how you can also download free lessons for grades 2, 3, and 4 and each book also offers an optional Reflection Guide. Great conversation starters for talking with our kids about how no matter how young we are, we can each make an impact on God’s Kingdom.

Click here to order a copy of Drop by Drop (with Reflection Guide) and to download the free lessons.

Click here to check out other Two Feet of Love in Action illustrated stories that help children understand the importance of working for mercy and justice.

With thanks to Loyola Press for sponsoring this post and introducing my kids to these beautiful new books and life-changing examples of courageous kids.