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If the speed limit is 70 mph, is driving 71 mph technically speeding? Yes – but adults understand nuance. Children often do not. How do they move from rigidity to discernment without losing their moral compass?

Stories help.

Children crave order and clear expectations. This is why classrooms function best when structure is established early and consistently. When I was teaching I always made sure that day 1, within the first 90 seconds of each student coming to the doorway, they were provided with:

• A personal greeting (modeling conduct)
• A specific seat assignment (modeling order)
• An assignment to work on (order) along with behavior expectations while working (conduct)

Literature can help offer a similar framework of conduct and order. Through stories, children learn how the world ought to work – and what happens when it does not.

As Kilpatrick, Wolfe, and Wolfe observe, “Stories acquaint us with the ideals by which people in our society hope to live, and they give examples of people trying to live by those standards” (28). Stories help inform us about the ideals a society hopes to live by and shows characters striving – successfully or not- to live up to them. Not all characters model virtue perfectly, and that is a strength. Stories that include failure and natural consequences often teach more effectively than those portraying flawless heroes, particularly when there are natural consequences shown for the actions.

Short of the Bible and William Shakespeare, the most read author of all time is believed to be Agatha Christie. This may seem surprising, until you recognize the desire we have for conduct and order. Mystery stories, when well told, are filled with elements of conduct (right or wrong) along with order (which has been disrupted by the murder and must be put back to order by the solving of the crime). Murder mysteries (or just good mysteries in general) provide us with meaning (life is valuable), order (the facts arranged to solve the crime), and conduct (there exists right and wrong).

With both characters and stories that draw us in, and distance to relate to our own experiences, literature can affirm meaning, moral order, and the distinction between right and wrong. Conduct and order, grounded in Scripture but demonstrated in well-selected literature, help children navigate a world that often feels chaotic.

Inspired by the three elements but at a loss on how to select books? Read the final post in this mini-series which helps outline questions to ask when selecting literature. Or, if you missed out on joining us earlier in the series, you can read more by continuing below:

• Introduction
• Element 1: Capturing the Heart
• Element 2: Personal Experience
• Element 3: Conduct and Order (you are here!)
• Questions to Ask When Selecting Books (coming soon)
• Also, for a review of books for children (focusing on books often not reviewed), visit our book reviews!��(coming soon)

A note from the author: Much of the content of this mini-series was generated based upon thoughts provided by Books that Build Character by William Kilpatrick, Gregory Wolfe, and Suzanne Wolfe (1994). Much has been re-oriented around the format and opinions of the author of this post, but it is important that credit for initiating the concepts be provided to the original source.