Conservative Children's Books: Keeping Young Minds Open to New Ideas

Like so many parents, I have agonized over the changing political climate, the degradation of morals, and the loss of liberty that the nation has been experiencing for quite some time. I’ve watched as our children have become more violent, while our educational standards plummet. And I can’t seem to shake the creepy echoing in my head of children singing Obama praises to the tunes of “Jesus Loves Me” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

American kids are constantly bombarded by the ideologies of the left, from pop culture to the public school system. Take, for instance, The Story of Stuff, an anti-capitalism video shown in schools around the country. This video teaches students that it is the government’s job to take care of you and that the United States is essentially the Big Bad Wolf of the world.

Or take a look at some grade school literature like Heather Has Two Mommies, a story about Heather, a child of artificial insemination being raised by lesbian lovers. Not only is there no “daddy” in the story, but no male role model is present anywhere within the book. Of course, the daddy-is-not-necessary message ignores the overwhelming statistics that children who grow up in homes without a father are twice as likely to drop out of school, and multiple times more likely to commit suicide or end up in prison.

Another grade school book straight from the propaganda mill (this one is actually written by the director of Magic Propaganda Mill Books) is It’s Just a Plant: A Children’s Story of Marijuana. In this tale for our children, “Jackie” walks in on her parents smoking pot, only to have her mother take her to visit “Farmer Bob,” who tells her that marijuana is smoked by “doctors, teachers, artists, actors, even mayors and presidents,” and that it makes people “feel happy.” I’m still waiting for the release of a sequel to this book — maybe Jackie’s a Junkie and That’s Okay or Crystal Meth: Snorting a Little Battery Acid Never Hurt Anyone.

The point is one doesn’t have to look far to see the power special interest groups have over our youth, and it is apparent that conservatives are losing the battle for our children. As our nation becomes more radical, we have a responsibility to teach our children the other side — the right side.

Now, I’m not suggesting indoctrination, as perpetrated by the radical left; nor do I appreciate propaganda from any part of the political spectrum. We need to focus on patriotism, not politics.

After searching for some time for conservative children’s books that would speak to the heart of my four-year-old daughter, I began writing a series of books myself. The first in the series is Melontown Gets a New Mayor, a story of liberty, self-empowerment, and the problems created when we let the government get too big.

My intended goal in publishing the book is for it to act as a counterbalance to the public education propaganda. There is a growing need for more tools that parents can use at home to teach their young children traditional American values of small government and self-reliance — values that are ignored in the schools. Even the youngest readers are capable of learning about the ideas of free markets, American exceptionalism, and the power of hard work. But it is up to us to create the tools of teaching.

There is a lot of focus right now on restoring our country to the vision of our Founding Fathers. But taking back our country means more than taking back Congress and the presidency — it means taking back our children. It means a complete restructuring of the liberal foundation on which our educational system has been built and supporting those working for education reform. If we do not take back our children we will only be fighting this fight again and again.

The need for conservative children’s literature could not be timelier. As John Adams said, “It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them a habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel all their lives.”

“Children are the future” and “education is the answer” are not just catchphrases. We need to embrace them with the same vigor with which we oppose issues like government-run health care and increasing federal deficits. If we are successful in our opposition, it is through our children that we guarantee the changes we make today will matter tomorrow.