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Wise Words: Family Stories that Bring Proverbs to Life
This short but wacky collection of eighteen fairy tales by Peter Leithart is perfect for bedtime reading, each tale invoking the imagery, plots, and themes of the book of Proverbs. Whether its the story of the fairies that live in walnuts or of the man who never got out of bed, these stories will make you laugh. Though you may be tempted to read deep theological meaning into each story, in reality they owe their origin to Peter Leithart telling his kids stories before bed. Perfect for the family.
152 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
77 people are currently reading
541 people want to read
About the author
Peter J. Leithart
130 books364 followersPeter Leithart received an A.B. in English and History from Hillsdale College in 1981, and a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in 1986 and 1987. In 1998 he received his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge in England. He has served in two pastorates: He was pastor of Reformed Heritage Presbyterian Church (now Trinity Presbyterian Church), Birmingham, Alabama from 1989 to 1995, and was founding pastor of Trinity Reformed Church, Moscow, Idaho, and served on the pastoral staff at Trinity from 2003-2013. From 1998 to 2013 he taught theology and literature at New St. Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho, where he continues to teach as an adjunct Senior Fellow. He now serves as President of Trinity House in Alabama, where is also resident Church Teacher at the local CREC church. He and his wife, Noel, have ten children and five grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
June 20, 2018
Leithart's "Wise Words" is a modern-day "Aesop's Fables" or Fairy Tales with an explicitly Christian foundation, using the Proverbs and biblical themes to instruct his his readers in Christian wisdom and ethics.
I read this out loud to my children between ages seven and eleven and they all relished each story--soaking up the stories, and remembering them better than I did. For the final tale is connected with one of the first, and my kids remembered it while I did not--even three months after beginning the book.
As an adult, and student of both Peter Leithart and James Jordan, I was absolutely fascinated by his use of biblical theology throughout the story. Those familiar with Leithart and Jordan's theology will see all sorts of connections to their theological works built into the stories. This alone made the book a supreme pleasure to read.
Highly, highly recommended!
I read this out loud to my children between ages seven and eleven and they all relished each story--soaking up the stories, and remembering them better than I did. For the final tale is connected with one of the first, and my kids remembered it while I did not--even three months after beginning the book.
As an adult, and student of both Peter Leithart and James Jordan, I was absolutely fascinated by his use of biblical theology throughout the story. Those familiar with Leithart and Jordan's theology will see all sorts of connections to their theological works built into the stories. This alone made the book a supreme pleasure to read.
Highly, highly recommended!
January 18, 2022
It was...okay. I think if it were up to me, it would have been a 2, but I can't deny that my kids (mostly) really loved these fairy-tale-like stories to illustrate the Proverbs.
What I didn't like about the book was that the ostensible point of the fable--to illustrate a proverb--often got lost. Often I think this is because the author was trying to be too clever. He would mix in allusions of other Bible stories or name his characters with biblical names that honestly, for me, confused the issues at hand: trying to do too much at once. ("Right, so this guy is named David, so he's going to do something David-like... oh. No? Okay...") Then, sometimes the descriptions were off, describing something good with a metaphor that both I and my kids found off-putting. Granted, in a fairy tale, things are often not what they seem, but his descriptions of good things gave me a sour taste often enough that it bears mentioning.
An example of both of these problems is my sorest spot of the book, the story of The Monster's House. We had to have a long talk after that one. It made them uncomfortable, and not in the challenging-to-their-faith way. They were horrified and disturbed by the idea of the God-figure literally turning people into bricks to build his house--and that being a good thing. I get that Leithart was trying to incorporate the idea from the New Testament that the church body is being built into God's temple. (Again, trying to do too much was the downfall. Sticking to the proverb would've been better.) So we had to have a long talk about what he was trying to say and how he failed in saying it (a brick has LESS freedom, LESS individuality, whereas someone united to Christ has more of both).
I want to end on a positive note, because the girls truly did enjoy this book. So I'll say that our favorite stories were the one about the walnut with the fairies inside and the one about the wise woman taming the lion. They would never let me stop before the stories were finished, so we read a whole story each day.
What I didn't like about the book was that the ostensible point of the fable--to illustrate a proverb--often got lost. Often I think this is because the author was trying to be too clever. He would mix in allusions of other Bible stories or name his characters with biblical names that honestly, for me, confused the issues at hand: trying to do too much at once. ("Right, so this guy is named David, so he's going to do something David-like... oh. No? Okay...") Then, sometimes the descriptions were off, describing something good with a metaphor that both I and my kids found off-putting. Granted, in a fairy tale, things are often not what they seem, but his descriptions of good things gave me a sour taste often enough that it bears mentioning.
An example of both of these problems is my sorest spot of the book, the story of The Monster's House. We had to have a long talk after that one. It made them uncomfortable, and not in the challenging-to-their-faith way. They were horrified and disturbed by the idea of the God-figure literally turning people into bricks to build his house--and that being a good thing. I get that Leithart was trying to incorporate the idea from the New Testament that the church body is being built into God's temple. (Again, trying to do too much was the downfall. Sticking to the proverb would've been better.) So we had to have a long talk about what he was trying to say and how he failed in saying it (a brick has LESS freedom, LESS individuality, whereas someone united to Christ has more of both).
I want to end on a positive note, because the girls truly did enjoy this book. So I'll say that our favorite stories were the one about the walnut with the fairies inside and the one about the wise woman taming the lion. They would never let me stop before the stories were finished, so we read a whole story each day.
September 11, 2023
Great book to read to the kids at bedtime. Each chapter is a unique short story and is only a few pages long, with good lessons based on Proverbs.
September 15, 2011
One of the best children's books out there.
Peter Leithart does a unique thing in this book. He relates Scriptural stories, proverbs or truths by telling simple fairy tales. Highly recommended for the reader to experience the narrative dimension of truth.
Peter Leithart does a unique thing in this book. He relates Scriptural stories, proverbs or truths by telling simple fairy tales. Highly recommended for the reader to experience the narrative dimension of truth.
November 22, 2010
Peter did a good job with this. Enjoyed it. A couple of them kind of wobbled, but most did just what stories should do -- make you want to know what happened next.
November 25, 2025
Great stories for kids—some were better than others, but there are some real gems in here.
January 26, 2021
Very good, fun stories. Highly recommend
April 5, 2023
Great allegorical tales to illustrate the Proverbs. Our kids absolutely loved them and kept asking for more. They were well written to be captivating!
A few critiques: some of the stories lost the main point of the Proverbs along the way. The author mixed several different Bible stories and concepts and it became a bit jumbled in places.
Age Content Warning: there is a lot of mention of beer, wine and "strong drink" as being a celebratory thing. While alcohol certainly is not prohibited in the Bible, there are many warnings against addiction, and if you're reading this with young kids as I did, it may be prudent to edit/adjust some of the language.
There was also a tale about a man trying to steal another man's wife. Again, for our five year old this was not something we wanted to necessarily introduce at that age, so I had to edit it.
A few critiques: some of the stories lost the main point of the Proverbs along the way. The author mixed several different Bible stories and concepts and it became a bit jumbled in places.
Age Content Warning: there is a lot of mention of beer, wine and "strong drink" as being a celebratory thing. While alcohol certainly is not prohibited in the Bible, there are many warnings against addiction, and if you're reading this with young kids as I did, it may be prudent to edit/adjust some of the language.
There was also a tale about a man trying to steal another man's wife. Again, for our five year old this was not something we wanted to necessarily introduce at that age, so I had to edit it.
February 7, 2025
Marvelous. Funny, too.
September 24, 2019
Excited to use these as bedtime stories soon!
December 24, 2020
Absolutely wonderful. Especially great for kids, but I thoroughly enjoy these stories!
May 10, 2020
I love the stories in this book! All of them are very enjoyable and provide lessons as well as examples of what is good and what is not.
February 28, 2025
these never really get old
January 14, 2016
This book is a collection of 18 stories. Each is an allegory for one or more events in the Bible. Each use descriptions that are similar in language to the Bible. Each has a Proverb which it cites as the moral of the story. The book is best when the parent interacts with the kid asking different questions and helps them to understand some of the simpler allegories.
I enjoyed most of the stories, but some attempted to "weave in" a few too many allegories within a single story. The moral of the story was sometimes only weakly taught, but in all cases there was a moral(s) a parent could teach their son/daughter. I very much enjoyed reading it to my 4yo son.
Interview with my 4yo son after reading it:
What did you think of this book? I liked it and I think my friends should read it.
What did you like about it? I just liked how what they taught us.
What are some of the things they taught us? That you shouldn't be mean.
What else? They also taught us that you should not kill innocent people. Just like Scottish Seas and Kill the Dragon, Get the Girl.
What else? That you shouldn't try to get someone to remarry them [while they're still married to someone else].
Which story was your favorite? My favorite story was "the Blind Stanger."
What did you like about that story? I just liked it when the stranger was knitting the clothes.
What did you learn in that story? That you should not kidnap little kids.
What does "allegory" mean? It means different things that happen the same.
What is an example of an allegory? With Ivy and then the prince killed the dragon. (This is in reference to a book we read a couple books a go called Kill the Dragon, Get the Girl.)
What was that an allegory for? For God killing the devil.
Anything else to say about "Wise Words"? Nope.
I enjoyed most of the stories, but some attempted to "weave in" a few too many allegories within a single story. The moral of the story was sometimes only weakly taught, but in all cases there was a moral(s) a parent could teach their son/daughter. I very much enjoyed reading it to my 4yo son.
Interview with my 4yo son after reading it:
What did you think of this book? I liked it and I think my friends should read it.
What did you like about it? I just liked how what they taught us.
What are some of the things they taught us? That you shouldn't be mean.
What else? They also taught us that you should not kill innocent people. Just like Scottish Seas and Kill the Dragon, Get the Girl.
What else? That you shouldn't try to get someone to remarry them [while they're still married to someone else].
Which story was your favorite? My favorite story was "the Blind Stanger."
What did you like about that story? I just liked it when the stranger was knitting the clothes.
What did you learn in that story? That you should not kidnap little kids.
What does "allegory" mean? It means different things that happen the same.
What is an example of an allegory? With Ivy and then the prince killed the dragon. (This is in reference to a book we read a couple books a go called Kill the Dragon, Get the Girl.)
What was that an allegory for? For God killing the devil.
Anything else to say about "Wise Words"? Nope.
January 6, 2016
2x through. I've read this book of Proverbs-based children's short stories before and loved it. In 2015, I read it to my 4 children (aged 4-11) and they all loved it as well. Each story is a triple-layered delight, illustrating a wisdom concept from the Proverbs, often by using the pieces or else the kernel of one of Jesus' parables, and all told in a Grimmesque fairy tale format. These are a delight for children and parents alike.
November 25, 2020
I've read it once and listened to it several times.
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Listened to again January 2013. I reset the finish date so I can count it for this year. Last year's book total was so pitiful...I'm determined to at least exceed it in quantity!
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Listened to again January 2013. I reset the finish date so I can count it for this year. Last year's book total was so pitiful...I'm determined to at least exceed it in quantity!
April 28, 2023
Several thoughts:
1. I had high expectations as a Leithart book. Overall, I was disappointed. It was just alright.
2. It seemed like Leithart got better at writing these as he went. The last few stories were the best.
3. I am intrigued by his methodology. He writes stories based on the Proverbs, but in the stories themselves you feel like you are hearing a collection of other Bible stories except not exactly. I would love to hear a quick explanation from Leithart on why he chose this method.
4. I doubt this is the book I will choose for family story time.
1. I had high expectations as a Leithart book. Overall, I was disappointed. It was just alright.
2. It seemed like Leithart got better at writing these as he went. The last few stories were the best.
3. I am intrigued by his methodology. He writes stories based on the Proverbs, but in the stories themselves you feel like you are hearing a collection of other Bible stories except not exactly. I would love to hear a quick explanation from Leithart on why he chose this method.
4. I doubt this is the book I will choose for family story time.
May 31, 2024
Neat read that I enjoyed going through with my kids in the morning that put in story form the book of Proverbs. I enjoyed it and will go back to again soonish. There was one story that was a little too detailed in terms of adultery so I’d encourage those who choose to read this ti their kids to preread the story ahead of time just to know what they are about.
January 20, 2020
This has been a favorite read-aloud for our kids as they enter the tween years. Short, yet powerful allegorical stories that build thoughtful children.
June 8, 2021
Read with the kids for evening stories. Solid fare.
May 27, 2016
This is a book of "family stories that bring the Proverbs to Life." The children loved it and the reason it took so long to finish it was because they kept wanting to go back and read one of the stories we had read previously instead of going on to a new one. :)
Alan and I liked the book for the most part, but some of the stories were better than others and a couple had some Calvinist undertones that we edited while reading aloud.
Alan and I liked the book for the most part, but some of the stories were better than others and a couple had some Calvinist undertones that we edited while reading aloud.
January 22, 2014
This book was a delight for our entire family to read. The stories build from the book of Proverbs and include quite a bit of biblical imagery throughout. It's great for family devotions and not only for children. I can't think of a better recommendation than that of my three-year old: "Daddy, these stories are really appetizing me."
August 11, 2018
I may like the idea of this book more than the actual book. But as someone who frequently tells stories to my own kids, I both appreciate what he is trying to do and am inspired to figure out how to do it myself.
June 15, 2009
Yet another book my dad read aloud when I was young. I still remember meeting Dr. Leithart afterwards and thinking, "Authors are real people."
January 11, 2013
Wonderful! Highly recommended as a read aloud (so you won't miss the goodness) :)
August 28, 2018
Kids really enjoyed, as did ole Dad
October 4, 2021
This was fun for my son. He really liked it. I thought it had it's merits, though some of the stories felt a far cry from their moral.
July 28, 2023
3.5 stars rounded down. This is a small book of Christian short stories for kids. Each one connects to a specific verse from the book of Proverbs. The stories are designed to bring those proverbs to life. All the stories have a fairy tale setting and atmosphere—castles, kings, peasants, magic, etc.
My boys and I worked our way through this book over the summer. It was good, but it wasn't amazing. Some of the stories were sad and show the terrible end of pursuing sin. Others had a classic happy ending. Not only did the stories attempt to illustrate a proverb, but they also pulled in imagery, stories, and words from other parts of scripture. It could be fun for kids to see how many references/allusions they can spot in each story.
The reason this didn't get 4 stars is because the stories were a little too didactic for my taste, and the writing was a little flat.
My boys and I worked our way through this book over the summer. It was good, but it wasn't amazing. Some of the stories were sad and show the terrible end of pursuing sin. Others had a classic happy ending. Not only did the stories attempt to illustrate a proverb, but they also pulled in imagery, stories, and words from other parts of scripture. It could be fun for kids to see how many references/allusions they can spot in each story.
The reason this didn't get 4 stars is because the stories were a little too didactic for my taste, and the writing was a little flat.
October 1, 2020
4.5 stars. My boys love me reading these Proverbs turned into stories to them at bedtime. They're a tad long at bedtime (because we're usually running late) and not 5 stars because a couple Proverbs seemed like odd choices for a kids book (adulterous woman type topics). Would recommend for older elementary as a result but loved how much they enjoyed listening and reflecting on some of them. Hope to find other similar books!
September 4, 2022
Unique. . sort of a crazy quilt of Biblical themes woven together into simple folk/fairy-style stories, loosely based on Proverbs. The cute squirrel on the cover belies the intensity of some of the content, which includes a few stories dealing with sexual temptation (age appropriately worded) - it is the Proverbs after all. If kids' attention is a quality test, it checks - the children were enthralled by every story. A fun change of pace for Sunday afternoon reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews