Five of My Favorite Parenting Books

There are lots of great parenting books out there, but today I’m narrowing it down to five of my current favorite parenting books. Read on to see which ones I’ve been loving!

There are a million different parenting books on the market today. Some (probably a lot) aren’t worth your time, but there are definitely some treasures out there too. While we shouldn’t base our parenting solely on what someone else says in a book, there is a lot of benefit to learning from other people.

Today I’m sharing five of my favorite parenting books. These are all books that I’ve read and that I appreciate enough to want to go back and re-visit at some point if I haven’t yet.

A quick note: By highlighting these five books I am not saying that I agree with every single thing that each author states. However, I’ve found a lot of value in each book and feel very comfortable recommending all of them. Four of the five are written from a Christian perspective.

Five of My Favorite Parenting Books

1. Parenting by Paul David Tripp

This book, appropriately and simply titled “Parenting”, is the first book that comes to mind when I think of favorite parenting books. This one is gold you guys!

Parenting is less a how-to manual (do this, don’t do this) as it is an inward look at ourselves as parents and some important principles that play a major roll in how we parent.

An often repeated line in the book is that “we are more like our children than unalike” and it has come back to my mind often when I’m tempted to be frustrated with my kids for acting the same way I act.

There are so many good reminders in this book and I honestly think it would be worth reading every year or so. You can read my longer review here.

2. Awaking Wonder by Sally Clarkson

I love books by Sally Clarkson so I was really excited when I had a chance to read her newest book Awaking Wonder.

Sally home-schooled her four children and in this book she shares a lot of encouragement and very practical wisdom on the topic of, you guessed it, “awaking wonder” and cultivating a love of learning in your children.

I loved the chapters at the beginning about mentoring your children and the importance of just loving them well, as well as the later chapters that were full of inspiration, encouragement, and practical suggestions. I definitely recommend Awaking Wonder for any parent – homeschooling or not – who wants to positively influence their children (and isn’t that all of us?)

3. The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson

This book was on my to-read list for quite some time before I finally read it earlier this year and I’m glad I finally did!

The Whole Brain Child is unique on my list as it’s looking at parenting from a different perspective: the scientific perspective of a child’s brain development.

It was really fascinating to me to read about how a child’s brain works and develops and I think it’s something that’s really important for every parent to learn. The authors share some really helpful and practical strategies for working with your child and it’s definitely a book that I plan to refer back to in the future.

4. Heartfelt Discipline by Clay Clarkson

Heartfelt Discipline is written by Sally Clarkson’s husband Clay. While I don’t enjoy Clay’s writing style as much as Sally’s, I did appreciate his thoughtful and thorough discussion of parenting from a Biblical perspective.

I’m not sure if Clay would necessarily give his parenting style a particular label, but I would say that he definitely writes from a gentle parenting perspective. Some of my Christian friends may not agree with his beliefs regarding physical discipline, but I would challenge you to read with an open mind as I think you’ll find that his conclusions are very scripturally based.

5. Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson

Give Them Grace was one of the first parenting books I bought back when we became parents. It’s been several years now since I’ve read it so I had to flip back through it for a quick refresher.

What I really appreciated about this book was how it made me evaluate the true goal behind my parenting: is my goal to glorify God by teaching my children to love Jesus, or is it really just to produce “good” kids who make me look good? 

It made me ask myself if I give grace to my kids like God has given grace to me. (It sure is easier to receive grace than it is to give it, isn’t it?!)

I do remember that parts of this book were a tad repetitive and some of the example conversations seemed unrealistic, but it’s definitely still a book that I would recommend. You can read my more thorough review here.

So, those are my five current favorite parenting books. Now I’d love to hear yours! What are some parenting books that you’ve found helpful? Please share in the comments!