There are SO many books that mention patience! However, the majority of the ones we read were examples of what patience is NOT. This can be a great way to learn about patience, but we also tried to include books that do show animals or children waiting patiently (without complaining) for something.
One of my kids made the observation that you can still have patience and ask questions while you wait. I had to think about this for a moment then realized that even Abraham asked God questions while he waited on God to fulfill his promise! The boys loved pointing out which characters did not use patience and instead complained while waiting or decided to not wait at all!
“Llama Llama Red Pajama” was our favorite patience book for ages 3 and under! And all of the boys asked for “I’ll Wait Mr. Panda” multiple times, but it seems especially a good fit for ages 4-6. My oldest prefers nonfiction so he was totally amazed by “The Oldest Student-How Mary Walker Learned to Read.” It is truly inspiring! “Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake” was a TOP HIT and while we can not say that she actually learned about patience, it is hilarious and made us laugh out loud! Not listed on our official CB&J booklist but great reads for older children are “A Chair for My Mother” and “Owl Moon.”
Lastly, we also talk a lot about stars during our month of patience as we reference God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 15 about making his offspring as numerous as the stars. Eric Carle’s Draw Me A Star and Oliver Jeffers How to Catch a Star are our favorite for this topic!
Mr. Marc was our next door neighbor and often played songs on his guitar as the boys ran around in the backyard. As part of the Speer Family, he grew up singing gospel music and continues using his gifts to record hymns for CB&J today! These hymns are a timeless way to remind children about the character of Jesus, and we are grateful to be able to share these with you.
Can’t wait to dive into these books with my boys!