In this captivating guide for parents and teachers, Vigen Guroian searches for the best children's stories of all time—the key to developing a life of virtue in our children.


Guroian illuminates the different ways in which fairy tales and fantasy stories educate the moral imagination from the earliest childhood. Examining a wide range of books—from "Pinocchio," "The Little Mermaid," and "Charlotte's Web" to "Bambi," "The Princess and the Goblin," "The Velveteen Rabbit," "The Wind in the Willows," and "The Chronicles of Narnia"—he argues that such narratives capture a sense of morality through vivid depictions of the struggle between good and evil, in which characters must make difficult decisions between right and wrong, or in which heroes and villains wage a battle for the very fate of imaginary worlds. Character and virtues are convincingly represented in these stories; virtues shine through, and wickedness and betrayal are exposed. We are thus forced to confront the harsh reality about ourselves and the kind of person we want to be.
Throughout the book, the author highlights classic moral virtues such as courage, kindness, and honesty, especially as they are understood in Christianity, and at the same time, persuasively evokes the timeless charm of these works already known to many. The reader will certainly be inspired to read them again or to explore for the first time those that were previously unknown.