Children’s books that inspire awe and wonder
It’s winter where we live and all the trees are bare. The branches make pretty shapes against the sky and it’s easy to see the cardinals and sparrows landing and taking off. This is often the time of year when I’m most focused on beauty and cultivating it at home—candles in the dark mornings, conversations about meaning for the new year, our sensitivity to the power of nature and the changing of seasons.
It’s a good time to do a deep dive into Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, a character strength focused on noticing and appreciating beauty around us. A strength of transcendence, along with gratitude, hope, humor and spirituality, this strength fosters connection to the larger universe and makes meaning in life.
Kids who are high in appreciation of beauty and excellence simply appreciate beauty, virtue and skill often in their daily lives. They may appreciate natural beauty, like the softness of a lake, a lit-up night sky or a lovely new coat. They may also appreciate the excellence of a talent or skill like an artist’s beautiful writing, an actor’s performance in a play or the fancy footwork of an athlete. Another form of beauty is moral beauty, such as when a friend at school sticks up for someone being bullied or does something kind when no one is looking. Beauty and excellence can be found in many forms and, when we appreciate it, we appreciate life fully rather than take it for granted.
This character strength is also important because it can produce awe and wonder. Experiencing awe is associated with living a healthy and meaningful life, may increase one’s sense of meaning and desire to be a better person, and boost other character strengths like gratitude, spirituality and humility (more info here). Research also shows that experiencing awe is correlated with reduced stress and may result in lower levels of inflammatory cytokines (more here).
The authors of The Power of Character Strengths, share this as the motto of this strength: “I recognize, emotionally experience, and appreciate the beauty around me and the skill of others.”
While snow and winter quiet may wake us up to the natural beauty around us, there are also many beautiful books that invite wonder, awe and an appreciation of the beauty around us. I’ve broken them out in a few categories below.
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Books that wake us up to the beauty of nature and the natural world
When the Sky Glows
My kids and I loved When the Sky Glows by Nell Cross Beckerman and David Litchfield. The illustrations are so beautiful and the facts are both accessible and intriguing, and inspire a sense of wonder about our natural world.
Books about talented and inspiring people who inspire an appreciation of skill and talent
Books that inspire appreciation for moral beauty and make us want to be better people
Books for discovering beauty in everyday life
Explore more books related to Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence and other transcendent strengths through these book guides: gratitude, hope, humor and spirituality and appreciation of beauty and excellence.
