How Books Have Changed in the Past Century | The Good and the Beautiful

For years Jenny Phillips, the founder of The Good and the Beautiful, has deeply analyzed books and how they have changed over the past 100-150 years. In this video, Jenny gives her fascinating findings and explains how the changes in books are in turn changing our children. The kind of books that developed the noble character of people like Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Edison are not the kind of books you now see on the best-selling children’s book lists today. Are your children really gaining benefits from the books they are reading? All parents and teachers need to watch this video!
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(0:00) Introduction
(0:24) How Are Books Impacting Children Today?
(0:46) Comparing Bestselling Books of Today to Bestselling Books of 1877
(5:12) Why Does it Matter? How is it Affecting Children?
(6:06) Hurting Instead of Helping Academics
(6:31) Potential Benefits of Books
(7:40) The Treatment of Bad Behavior in Books Then and Now
(8:31) A Common Popular Series
(9:42) Return to Pure and Powerful Literature
(9:57) Jenny's Personal Witness and Experience
(10:25) One Final Comparison
(11:27) Bringing Back Good Literature
(11:57) The Good and the Beautiful Booklist
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[@beckyholmes1322]

Thank you Jenny from the bottom of my heart for taking a stand and for researching all of these books. I have longed for a book list like this for years. I am excited to read these with my children. I will be working to promote good literature and taking against the bad in my circle of influence.

[@hahern242]

Also thank you so much for all of the time and dedication to making these good and beautiful books available.

[@claudiawangfitness]

I am about to start homeschooling my oldest, and I am SO thankful to God I came across The Good and the Beautiful. :) I am a lover of books which will make it all the more enjoyable to implement these amazing tips into my approach to teaching all my kids. Thank you! God bless.

[@brandigeorge7545]

This video is so important and more people need to hear this message!

[@shawnmccowan]

I read Otto of the Silver Hand with my children several years ago. It is a beautiful book and teaches a wonderful lesson about character.

[@TheGoodandtheBeautiful]

We love that book!

[@jules_1980]

I totally agree with this video. I do think that, like Black Beauty, Ivan is a great read because of the moral messages about family, conservation and compassion. I think when read as part of a well-balanced library it can be valuable.

[@mindymcbride6044]

How I wish I'd found your booklist years ago! Thank you so much for this research. Why would 11 people would dislike this? I don't get it!

[@averildaniels7479]

Thank you so very much for finally verbalizing my very thought. I put it down to my age and where I was born. I cannot believe how much books have changed. Thank you, thank, thank you so much. I am most definitely a TG & TB minded minded person. Even my choice in movies are the same. I love wholesome thoughts. I have decided to homeschool starting next year because the schools have become so very bad. ( putting it mildly) thank you for your time and research invested in this wonderful product.

[@RS-wl1gx]

Love this! I would also love a Good and Beautiful video list!

[@annalizecotton4406]

Agreed.

[@teacherusako]

I really agree. If we know how books can change human consciousness, I think it is our adults who should recommend the right books to our children.

[@matthews.6372]

Good stuff. Love it. As new parents, this information is extremely valuable.

[@TheGoodandtheBeautiful]

Thanks Matthew! We agree! We hope the word spreads and more parents are able to make informed decisions about the content their children are reading!

[@rainonmyface]

I absolutely adore this video. I don’t necessarily think that poor sentences mean a book is not worth reading. The book you mention near the beginning, about the 10yo kid, is called “Wonder”, and I think it is an absolutely necessary read for kids around that age because of its message. You probably won’t find a book from 1877 about a child with disabilities like Wonder because the times were different (if there is one where the family doesn’t try to hide them away, I’d love to see it). I think it’s important to read a variety of different books to children, because even if writing has declined, good stories can still be told.

[@kathleenanthony489]

Wow! That was such a wonderful video. Thank You

[@ibrahimdawudu1369]

I wish I could like this video a million times. God Bless The Good and The Beautiful!.

[@veronicapalmer910]

Thank you for affirming my reason for homeschooling! I’ve shared this video with my whole family! Only good and beautiful for us. ❤️

[@TheGoodandtheBeautiful]

Thank you, Veronica! May you be blessed in all the wonderful work you are doing with your family.

[@jenniferjones6228]

Thank you Jenny! You and TGATB are such a blessing!

[@TheGoodandtheBeautiful]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@rl2117]

Classic Literature is the only thing worth reading!

[@heidi6544]

I love the Sonlight book suggestions and questions that go with it!

[@jacklyncarroll7367]

This is really valuable information. Thank you so much!!

[@TheGoodandtheBeautiful]

You're welcome, Jacklyn. We're so glad it was helpful!

[@anyaleto2532]

I love this! Thank you for doing what you are doing!

[@whitneyteuscher1308]

I am so careful about what my kids read because my son mimics and imitates everything! Thank you so much for helping our family!

[@musicappreciationpauseplay3853]

I fully agree with your assessment of the quality of language and content in many contemporary best-sellers for young people. While older books do contain other issues of gender inequality and racism, these are topics that can be discussed in a fruitful manner with young people to bring greater understanding of history and prejudice, and allowing even more learning from otherwise excellent materials. I would like to add another title to your list of books that should be avoided: The Tale of Desperaux. I was horrified to read it as an adult, and shudder to think of young people being exposed to such frightening material in the classroom, or by parents who thought they were following appropriate age recommendations for reading materials. In my opinion, frightening content should be cathartic - help the reader to overcome their fears - and not fear-inducing. Thank you for this excellent video.

[@aubreylh17]

❤ this information! I definitely changed up books in our house.

[@megangreene3955]

I would have thought those books in 2019 were for first and second graders ...not 5th and 6th graders. My third graders are reading Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, and Little House in the Big Woods.

[@themooncaller]

Not Christians but so value your books and purchase often.

[@tarar297]

We previously attempted to read Ivan, but within the 1st chapter heard him referring to humans as "relatives", so knew where the book theology resided.

[@Deanna102007]

The differences in sentence structure and writing quality are shocking!

[@lareina2630]

The book Finca that came as a free reader with the 5th grade curriculum the children are keeping secrets from their parents reminded me of Sulphur Springs and why we stopped watching.

[@ashleydefazio2186]

i saw our library had different versions of under the lilacs and black beauty. which version do you recommend?

[@TheGoodandtheBeautiful]

Hi Ashley! On The Good and the Beautiful Book List we recommend the original, unabridged versions of these books by the original author. Although not on our book list and not an official recommendation, the young readers edition of Black Beauty has been enjoyed by our team as well. We hope you love these selections and others on our Book List!

[@soapygirl83]

I find it interesting that you claimed that modern books do not give people empathy and help them understand perspectives of others. yet the two books that you cite both wonder and one and only Ivan are both books that promote empathy and kindness to others. Wonder takes you inside the life of a young boy who has a cranial facial deformity and how he navigates life. One and only Ivan asked you to empathize with a gorilla who is trapped in a small cage at a shopping plaza.

[@TheGoodandtheBeautiful]

Thank you for sharing your concern! If you watch the video again, you will see that those books were not given as examples of modern-day books that don’t show empathy. They were given to compare how the top-selling books today compare to those in the past in complexity of sentence structures, varied and rich vocabulary, and literary devices.

[@laurfred2742]

I love and appreciate this video. Thank you for sharing!

[@madisonlimb]

I am assuming you don't recommend Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn? 😬

[@threearrows2248]

Why not?

[@kileyholmes3980]

I find it interesting that both of those books were also in first person as well, I just find it odd

[@candacecabral6488]

I noticed that too. :(

[@dinakhattab6609]

Thank you, as a Muslim I really appreciate this. Prophet Muhammad had said that he was sent to perfect moral character.

[@dinakhattab6609]

Peace be upon him.

[@TheGoodandtheBeautiful]

Thank you for your kind words! Reading good books is a wonderful way to improve our, and our children's, character.

[@hahern242]

Which series about a mouse are you referencing? I'm genuinely curious so that I can be sure to avoid it.

[@MayflowerHomeschool]

I'd like to know too. We just started reading the Ralph Mouse series by Beverly Cleary and if it is that, I would like to know so we can stop reading it 😳

[@Books.N.Roses26]

I would like to know as well

[@Deanna102007]

I agree that I'm curious. Yet I appreciate the discretion used in not "naming names."

[@Sdewebb]

My personal guess is "If you give a mouse a cookie" series.

[@evalinemama]

I want to know too lol. It seems there are a lot of books about mice. I don't think it is If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. That's not a series, and there is none of the negative stuff in it that she mentioned.

[@jenniferzapata5698]

Was Edison a noble character?

[@diannat1233]

i think this is a somewhat unfair comparison of apples to oranges. Ivan is purposefully written to not read like Black Beauty. It’s still a great story with colorful mental images for a child to paint while they read. It is touching and shows both the good and bad in people. While I don’t disagree that the writing and vocabulary is an important aspect of reading, how many amazing stories could a child miss out on if a book was judged only on the first five sentences? How many times do we start to read a book and say, “It was hard to stick with for the first chapter or two, but I’m so glad I read it?” How much beneficial vitamin C would we lose if we ate only apples and disregarded oranges because we don’t eat their peels?

[@megl6148]

I am with you! Also, there is great middle grade literature produced today. As an adult reader who reads two novels a week, I know there is no reason not to enjoy both. I enjoy both rich contemporary fiction and easier read mysteries. I agree that different families have to be careful to avoid books that do not align with their values but a book being simply written is not a reason to avoid it. Also, there is great skill and beauty in being able to write simply about very complex ideas and feelings.

[@loveamerica5725]

I think you are sort of missing the point here. Ms. Jenny isn't saying dont read these books, she is saying they dont provide any academic value because the level of complexity is nonexistent. While you may think the message being taught in "Ivan" is of high virtue, the message being taught in many of the classics (black beauty, chronicles of narnia just to name a few) are just as virtuous if not more, and those books are much better academically than Ivan. So if your point is that kids should read compassionate books, why not just have the kid read the higher quality book in the first place? Why waste time on "Ivan" when you could be reading Pinocchio or Narnia? Just my 2 cents.