7 Children's Books We Always Take On Tour

Perhaps one of the things we love doing the most with our kids is reading books. It’s a moment of connection during the day where we get to go on an adventure with our kids— whether we’re on the hunt for a Gruffalo, or sitting in a great green room, it’s fun to watch their imaginations and creativity expand before our eyes.

Additionally, books are easy to bring on the road with us and we never leave on tour without a bin full to the brim. So we thought we’d share some of our families’ favourite reads and if there are books you think we should be adding to our list, let us know in the comments below!

We’re huge Oliver Jeffers fans in the band (which probably doesn’t come as a surprise seeing as he’s a Northern Irish fella!) Even if you don’t recognise his name, you likely know some of his books. Here are a few of our favourites of his:

1) Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers — beautifully illustrated, this book talks about how and why it’s important to take care of our earth and each other. Like everything Jeffers writes, it is full of whimsy and quirky humour, but is also a good conversation starter for kids learning about how big, beautiful and diverse our world is. (Suitable for ages 3-7)

2) The Day the Crayons Quit (and the sequel The Day the Crayons Came Home) by Oliver Jeffers— this book has won all sorts of awards, and with good reason! It’s the hilarious and unexpected story of a box of crayons gone rogue. The blue crayon is worn out and over worked, pink wants more page-time, green is embarrassed that his paper has been torn off and beige is tired of playing second fiddle to brown…. it’s a good story. We highly recommend this one! (Ages 3-7)

3) Stuck, by Oliver Jeffers— this one has been read ragged and was our go-to book for many years. Full of laughs, it’s the story of a boy who gets his kite stuck in a tree and the many ways his tries to get it down… with an unexpected ending! But you’ll just have to read about that for yourself! (Ages 3-7)

4) The Quiet Book, by Deborah Underwood— for slightly younger kids, this board book has been beloved by our families! It describes the nuances of quiet moments making it entertaining for parents AND kids. It’s also beautifully illustrated. Bonus recommendation! The Christmas Quiet Book is a lovely read around the holidays as well, atmospheric and full of Christmas spirit. (Ages 1-3)

5) The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Lloyd-Jones is a best-seller for so many reasons and we’re pretty sure most of you already own this, but if you don’t we cannot recommend it highly enough. Sally is an expert storyteller and the way she explains the loving heart of God through the Bible is so profound. Already have this one and need another family devotional recommendation? Thoughts To Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd-Jones is also phenomenal, and might be good for a slightly older kid who is in the early stages of looking for more spiritual formation. (Ages 3-6)

6) How Great Is Our God: 100 Indescribable Devotions About God and Science, by Louie Giglio is a wonder-inspiring look at the world our God created and devotional thoughts for kids. Our son Arthur loves this book, and comes away learning something new every time. (Ages 6-10)

7) Home, by Carson Ellis — this book holds a special place in our hearts because in it’s descriptions of types of homes that exist all over the world, they include a tour bus, which makes our families feel like we aren’t quite so random after all! Another book with beautiful illustrations, we all love this book dearly.

It’s all of this reading together as a family that inspired us to write our OWN children’s book last year. We wrote My Lighthouse (ages 3-7) the story about a boy named Fynn who lives in a lighthouse but wishes he lived in a “normal” house like everyone else. Eventually he understands the importance of his home, but you’ll have to read it to find out.

We also have a board book for our younger kids (ages 1-3) made up of illustrations from our music video for King of Me. You can sing along to the book with your toddlers and read together about how our God is the King of this entire world we live in.

There are many other books we have grown to love over the years, tons of classics like Good Night Moon, and We’re Going On a Bear Hunt and many more, but we thought we’d try to and share some of the lesser known ones that have become like extra family members in our homes. Is there a book you think we should know about? Let us know in the comments below!