Children’s books

The Weekly Wrap: April 27-May 3

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The Weekly Wrap: April 27-May 3

Children’s Book Week

May 5-11 is Children’s Book Week. Yesterday, Publisher’s Weekly posted “2025 Children’s Book Week Presents Full Roster of Event Ideas.” This caught my attention because because I’ve been thinking of children’s books of late. Our church has a playground that we have a grant to upgrade. It is quite popular with the children of our food pantry patrons. One of our upgrades is to install a Little Free Library and I’ve been asked to help with getting books for it.

And I realized I know little of what is popular, or even better what is good literature for children aside from the “classics” we read to our son over thirty years ago. While I read a number of books these days, few are children’s books, or the popular books among adult readers. So for this, I will be relying on a mom who does know something about this, and maybe whatever I can learn from our local librarian or other Little Free Library curators.

Maybe this is forcing me to put my money where my mouth is. I believe passionately in encouraging children to read and in efforts to cultivate the joy of reading among children. I was a child reader and I guess the habit stuck!

This article in The Guardian surprised me: “Most parents don’t enjoy reading to their children, survey suggests.” The surprise came in the light of how much I enjoyed family reading times. It was both great stories and family closeness that made these times special. I miss them, quite honestly. It seems many parents now view reading as a skill to acquire rather than an experience to be shared. What concerns me is that without the joy, I suspect few children will become avid readers.

So I applaud Children’s Book Week. And maybe it’s time to stop applauding and roll up my sleeves.

Five Articles Worth Reading

The name Logan Pearsall Smith probably doesn’t mean much to most of us. He was an essayist and critic, born in America and Harvard-trained before going on to Oxford, living out his life in London. In “Logan Pearsall Smith,” Aaron James observes, “To the extent that his writings are about anything at all, they are about the art of writing itself: the technique of crafting beautiful prose, the painstaking process of developing a beautiful style, ‘the indefatigable pursuit of an unattainable Perfection.’ “

Part of the challenge of “crafting beautiful prose” in English is the character of the language, which one learns if you are a conversation partner with a foreign national learning the language. Dennis Duncan reviews two books on “The Centuries-Long Struggle to Make English Words Behave.”

What do we do when a classic work, one well-written, is also racist? Such is the case with Mark Twain’s Huck Finn. Many of us were gratified by the recognition Percival Everett’s James received as a kind of “reply” to Huck Finn. But do we then discard Twain’s work? Naomi Kanakia grapples with this question in “Is Huck Finn still a classic?”

There seems to be an endless fascination with books on anything related to the sinking of the Titanic. If your appetite for these has not been sated, Atlas Obscura has a reading list of books I’ve not seen before in “Titanic’s Legacy: Our Favorite Reads.”

Finally, one of the delights of warmer weather in the northern hemisphere is the chance to take our books outside. In “Six Books You’ll Want to Read Outdoors” Bekah Waalkes defends outdoor reading and offers six recommendations. She includes Mary Oliver’s Devotions which I heartily recommend!

Quote of the Week

Having retired in the last year, I thoroughly embrace this sentiment of Annie Dillard:

“I worked so hard all my life, and all I want to do now is read.”

On April 30, Annie Dillard turned 80. I’d say she has earned some reading time.

Miscellaneous Musings

Sometimes, book titles intrigue me. How to Love a Forest by Ethan Tapper (Broadleaf) arrived in my mailbox this week. He contends we love forests, not by doing nothing, but by tending them, including cutting some trees.

I just finished reading a book on Markus Barth. He was the son of theologian Karl Barth. However the book convinced me he is deserving more of my attention as a biblical scholar. Years ago, I shelved a copy of his Justification but don’t believe I ever read it. Maybe its time.

I love the Maigret novels of Georges Simenon. It is great news to hear Picador is reissuing over 100 of them. I also love Michael Innes’ Appleby stories. Time for a reissue?

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Luci Shaw, An Incremental Life

Tuesday: Luke Timothy Johnson, Imitating Christ

Wednesday: Mark R. Lindsay, Markus Barth

Thursday: David A. deSilva, Judea under Greek and Roman Rule

Friday: Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for April 27 – May 3, 2025!

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page

The Weekly Wrap: January 26-February 1

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Book Groups

Many of us who enjoy reading love to discuss what we are reading with others. I’ve been a part of one book group or another for nearly thirty years. And I have to say that the books I’ve discussed in groups have been the ones that have stayed with me.

I’m thinking of this because the book group of which I’m a part just finished our latest book. Now, the idea of getting together to talk about books seems inherently nerdy. Our group probably takes that to another level. We dig into theological texts, usually a chapter at a time, a week at a time, working through a book. Our latest was N.T. Wright’s The Challenge of Acts. And if that sounds nerdy, our next book is Judea under Greek and Roman Rule by David deSilva, which looks at critical background behind the Gospels and Acts.

What makes it work is we are reading what we want to read. And while our choices might seem strange, I think the principle is important, whether the group is into romantasy, historical or literary fiction, or non-fiction. We also talked about something else important. We look for books that don’t just inform us but give us something to discuss or even disagree with. They engage us, stretch our horizons, make us think and re-think.

I’d enjoy hearing from others who have been part of book groups that you thought were good. What made them work?

Five Articles Worth Reading

Her latest book, Onyx Storm, broke first week sales records, selling 2.7 million copies. In “Rebecca Yarros’s ‘Onyx Storm’ Is the Fastest-Selling Adult Novel in 20 Years,” Alexandra Alter explores her phenomenal emergence as the leading romantasy author.

There is a renewed fascination with analog–vinyl records, VHS and audio cassettes, film, hand-drawn game maps, letters–you name it. In “The Stranger Things Effect Comes for the Novel,” Mark Athitakis explores this phenomenon as it manifests in recent fiction.

Agnes Callard considers the shift she has seen in children’s literature to characters that are “weird” in some way in “Where the Wild Things Aren’t.” She explores why this is important to children and what this signifies.

Have you wondered why we refer to characters in a text as uppercase or lower text? Mental Floss answers this question in “The Surprisingly Literal Reason We Call Letters ‘Uppercase’ and ‘Lowercase’.”

Finally, I probably don’t have to do much to convince this crowd of what a good thing libraries are. But we may need to advocate for that in some communities that don’t see the value. James Folta summarizes a new study by the New York Public Library that confirms “It’s official: Research has found that libraries make everything better.“

Quote of the Week

“To read is to surrender oneself to an endless displacement of curiosity and desire from one sentence to another”

David Lodge, who was born January 28, 1935 was an English author, critic, and professor. This statement caught me up short, making me reflect on what may be one of the reasons for my undying love of reading. David Lodge died on January 1, 2025.

Miscellaneous Musings

I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about the announcement by the publisher of Simon and Schuster that they will no longer require authors to solicit “blurbs” for their books. Sometimes the practice seems excessive, when I have to wade through page after page of these endorsements. But I also have to admit, that with an unfamiliar author, who endorses them tells me about their audience and serves as a clue as to whether I’ll like it. What do you think?

I’m about 200 pages into Haruki Murakami’s The City and Its Uncertain Walls and it feels a bit like walking through a labyrinth, with a surprise around each corner, and no clue what lies at the center. It plays on questions of what is real, what is substance and shadow. I’ll let you know what I thgink of it when I figure that out! But I’m enthralled.

I’ve loved the idea of Bookshop.org as an online platform that supports indie bookstores. To date, they have generated nearly $36 million for over 1900 stores. This week, they expanded their capacity by offering a way to purchase e-books and support your favorite local indie. you can read more about it here.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: The Month in Reviews: January 2025 (21 reviews)

Tuesday: Samuel Parkison, To Gaze Upon God

Wednesday: Stuart M. Kaminsky, Lieberman’s Choice

Thursday: Timothy P. Carney, Family Unfriendly

Friday: Amy Peeler, Hebrews

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for January 26-February 1, 2025!

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

The Weekly Wrap: January 5-11

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Ways of Reading

I’ve posted a couple articles recently (and one more here) about deep reading. One is a review with that title. The other is my 2025 Reading Challenge post, which includes challenges to encourage deep reading. But a comment on the review forced me to be honest. It concerned the quantitative challenges that are about pages and numbers of books read. And the reader asked if I was one of the “old-fashioned” who enjoyed readings and gave them the attention they deserved.

I had to be honest and answer “sometimes.” The truth is, I read a lot of books (237 last year according to Goodreads). It’s not a competition, but rather this retirement avocation of reviewing. I have a stack of books from publishers awaiting reading and reviewing. I generally post at least four reviews a week and typically have five books (plus a book club book) going at a time.

Part of how i do that is that i read different books differently. For example, I am reading a long, somewhat polemical tome which I read quickly to follow the argument (which to be honest didn’t need 900 pages!). Meanwhile, I am savoring a graphic biography of the composer Arvo Pärt, enjoying how the illustrations capture something of the essence of his composing philosophy. On the other hand, a Margery Allingham mystery is a pleasant evening diversion, although her labyrinthine plots do require attention. And an argument for how technology will help us “win’ the climate war is a straightforward matter of following a clearly stated argument. It’s a fast read.

What I don’t want to do is read a deep work of theology or philosophy as I would a murder mystery. Nor can I read poetry as I would a straightforward non-fiction essay or argument. This is what makes reading such a rich part of one’s life. Books offer us both meat and mind candy. We just don’t want to mistake one for the other nor only focus on an exclusive diet of either.

The commentor made one observation that I thought was so good that I will share it: “For me, reading is about enjoying a book and taking the time needed to honour the author and really get into it.” I totally agree!

Five Articles Worth Reading

Speaking of deep reading, I came across this article from William Deresiewicz from last May: “Deep Reading Will Save Your Soul.” He describes how students and faculty, frustrated with the state of reading in higher ed, are fashioning their own programs to deeply engage important works.

I thought this was an amazing rendering of two poems using a “Greek chorus” and instrumental accompaniment, appearing in Open Culture, titled “Laurie Anderson’s Mind-Blowing Performance of C. P. Cavafy’s Poems “Waiting for the Barbarians” & “Ithaca.” “Waiting for the Barbarians” is chilling.

Ought we read escapist lit? In “Trying and Failing to Figure Out “Escapism” in Books,” Molly Templeton says part of the question is what we mean by escapist and part is why we are reading. Sometimes, she suggests, we need a respite to give us perspective when reality is wearying.

There are a number of books on fathers and their maturing children. In “Two Different Ways of Understanding Fatherhood,” Lily Meyer reviews two recent books exploring the transition of men into fatherhood.

From fathers to children. Board books are, for many children, their first encounter with books. In “Jon Klassen on the Art of the Board Book,” the author-illustrator describes the experience of creating books for little ones who can’t read.

Quote of the Week

“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.”

Astrophysicist and writer Stephen Hawking embodied his words. He was born January 8, 1942.

Miscellaneous Musings

I finished Tom Lake this week. I told you I sometimes found her endings disappointing. She nailed this one. Look for my review next week.

I’ve done enough editing work that the editor’s voice plays in my head when I read some books. I’m thinking of a book I’ve mentioned that could easily have shed half of its 900 pages. I suspect the editor found that too daunting, and having contracted for the book, published it more or less in its form. Another book by an author with a very fertile and big picture mind tried to incorporate everything he thought into his work, barely hanging onto his thesis. Less is more is a hard lesson for authors and preachers to learn.

I mentioned the Arvo Pärt graphic biography I am reading. My son bought it for Christmas, along with four CDs of choral works by Pärt. I’m listening to some of it as I write. Arresting music that reflects his faith and immerses me in his distinctive compositional style. The book helps me understand the life journey leading to the creation of such music. What thoughtfully paired gifts!

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Rainie Howard, The Love Habit

Tuesday: Ann Patchett, Tom Lake

Wednesday: Nadya Williams, Mothers, Children, and the Body Politic

Thursday: Gabrielle Zevin, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Friday: Neil J. Whitehouse, The Gospel of Jesus Green

Well, that’s The Weekly Wrap for January 5-11, 2025!

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

The Weekly Wrap: December 15-21

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The Buzz

I call it “the buzz” for lack of a better term. It’s when I hear about an author I’m unfamiliar with, not once, but two or more times, sometimes in the same day. That happened today with an author named John Mark Comer, who writes on spiritual formation with a current book called Practicing the Way and a ministry organization by the same name.

Actually, I thought Comer was new to me until I read about him and discovered I had reviewed one of his earlier books, Garden City. What makes it more embarrassing is that i reviewed the book last year! In my defense, I review a lot of books!

But I digress. The buzz is a tip-off to pay attention to an author. That doesn’t mean rushing out to get his or her latest book. But when I hear about someone from very disparate sources, I start asking why this person’s writing is influential. I look at book descriptions and reviews. And if that piques my interest and I think they are offering a fresh perspective on something, I may bite.

I suppose the buzz may be chalked up to coincidence. Sometimes, though, I take it as a prompting to pick up a book by the author. This happened when I heard about Tom Holland’s Dominion from about a dozen people. But it’s thick, and I think I need a book buddy to join me in reading it. Anyone interested?

Five Articles Worth Reading

I think one of the attractions of reading children’s books as an adult is the lessons that speak to us perhaps even more powerfully than to children. In “10 Life Lessons for Grown-Ups From Children’s Classics,” Pamela Paul reminds us of some of these lessons.

Russell Harper is one of the revisors of The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), the bible of writers. in “What Can a Book from 1749 Teach Us About Chicago Style?” he considers Henry Field’s Tom Jones in its originally published form and how it conforms to and departs from The Chicago Manual of Style. It wasw fascinating to see the conventions that have endured.

Zabihollah Mansouri. Not a household name for us, but most Iranians have read something he translated. “In Search of Zabihollah Mansouri” is a fascinating profile of a translator who often “improved” on authors’ works when he thought them too dull for readers.

If you’ve never discovered the delight of reading a novel by Anthony Trollope, “The Way We Don’t Live Now” is a good introduction to why this reader, at least finds Trollope worth reading.

As you may have noticed, I’ve been reading more poetry. This one brought back memories of my grandmother, who passed in 1965: Fossil Record for My Grandmother: A poem for Sunday, by Dara Yen Elerath. One difference between me and the poet. My grandmother’s Bible is a treasured possession.

Quote of the Week

Hortense Calisher was an American novelist and second female president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She was born December 20, 1911. She observed:

“It took most people a lifetime to join the human race.”

I’m still thinking about that!

Miscellaneous Musings

One of the things that hasn’t gotten old after over a decade of reviewing is when I write to a publisher for the first time and request a review copy of a book and they say “yes.”

I’ve been losing myself this week in Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures. It’s written for children in the middle grade but I’ve been thoroughly engrossed. There is a hidden world within our world that a young boy enters, a girl with a destiny she has to decide whether to embrace, and a threat to life in the hidden world and our wider world. A wonderful story of love and heroism–things good, true, and beautiful.

For three years, I lived a block from Anthony Wayne Trail in Toledo, Ohio. I’m reading a biography about the Revolutionary War General often known as “Mad” Anthony Wayne. He was the general responsible for defeating an alliance of indigenous tribes in 1795, supported by the British, who lived in the Ohio country, who were unwilling to give up land previously allocated under treaty. The European settlement of every city I’ve lived in in Ohio was made possible by that defeat and the Treaty of Greenville of 1795 when the indigenous tribal confederacy ceded the Ohio lands. Ohio became a state in 1803. But reminders of that indigenous presence are still all around me in the names of rivers, towns, and counties: Mahoning, Maumee, Scioto, Cuyahoga, Olentangy, Sandusky, and Delaware just to name a few.

Next Week’s Reviews

Here’s the lineup for next week:

Monday: Jill Hicks-Keeton, Good Book

Tuesday: Georges Simenon, Maigret and the Wine Merchant

Wednesday: Richard Panek, Pillars of Creation

Thursday: Matthew Levering, Why I am Roman Catholic

Friday: Benjamin T. Quinn & Dennis T. Greeson, The Way of Christ in Culture

Well, that’s The Weekly Wrap for December 15-21, 2024!

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Review: Down the Valley

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Cover image of "Down the Valley" by Edith M. Humphrey

Down the Valley, Edith M. Humphrey. Cascade Books (ISBN: 9781666772067), 2024.

Summary: Further adventures beyond the gate of the white fence where the children at “Gramgon’s” house and an older friend meet the saints after whom they are named.

In Beyond the White Fence, we are introduced to “Gramgon” and the extended family who come to visit her capacious Pittsburgh home. In that story, the children explored beyond the white fence, bordering Gramgon’s property, encountering fauns, who led them on adventures to other times where they met the saints after whom they were named, and then were escorted back by a peacock, a kind of guide and protector. On one adventure, they pick up a peacock feather, which they conceal under a rock by the gate, and take on future adventures, considering it a connection that will ensure them getting home.

Well, in this story, there are more children who have not yet encountered their saints (and lots more saints to be encountered). And there is an older neighbor boy who has been drawn to this family, but who wonders whether he is too old to meet a saint, even were he to believe. His name, fittingly is Thomas (nicknamed TJ), and he feels himself always late to the party.

Three of the boys, James, Kevin, and Isaiah are especially close, and try to keep their secrets from the girls. They call themselves “the Three Musketeers” and in the course of the book, each has an encounter with the saint for whom he is named. James, interestingly meets the Apostle James as he was finishing his letter and enlists James to carry a copy to the Apostle Paul–an interesting idea. Both James and Paul were in Jerusalem and the boys witness Paul’s close run escape from those seeking his life. Later, on his own, Isaiah encounters Isaiah the prophet just after his temple vision of God. Later Kevin meets the Irish saint, who dwells in caves and has a special bond with the animals.

Perhaps the centerpiece story belongs to young Allie, one of the younger cousins. She had been recently adopted and didn’t quite fit with the older girls, and wondered what was so interesting to her boy cousins down in the valley beyond the gate. Then she sees the bucks in the meadow and follows, but fails to take the feather. She awakens in a temple of Apollo, just when a servant, George is brought from prison and challenged to recant his faith in Christ and worship Apollo. George stands firm before Diocletian and even rebukes the demon inhabiting the statue of Apollo. Then the Empress Alexandra asks George’s God to save her and publicly repudiates her husband Diocletian’s gods. declaring “the true God is Christ.” Allie witnesses the courageous faith of George and Alexandra not only here but in the dungeon where they await execution. Allie was swept up with those arrested. Meanwhile, Naomi, Rachie, and Kevin realize Allie is missing and hadn’t taken the feather. The bucks are waiting, and we wonder how they will rescue Allie and get back.

The last adventure belongs to TJ, who with the Three Musketeers ends up in Kerala with the Apostle Thomas who he discovers has also been late to a few parties and also has struggled to believe.. The encounter, along with the embodied faith of Gramgon’s family is working on his heart and mind.

Interludes between adventures offer time not only for food and the family circle, awaiting the news of a birth. It affords time with Gramgon’s books, who like Edith Humphrey, is a seminary professor. They research the saints, and this along with the encounters, serves to tell the stories of each saint.

There was, at least for me, no discernible plot, unless it be TJ’s journey to faith. Gramgon’s valley provides the framing device for this series of encounters between the children and their saints. What we have is a great collection of adventure stories by which the children and readers learn both about the saints, and the God and Savior they trusted. And for grade school children (and maybe the parents reading aloud) this is perfect.

I’m left wondering if there are more adventures at Gramgon’s in the offing. There are more cousins, and certainly more saints. I for one will be on the lookout, even if I lack a peacock feather!

____________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

My review of Beyond the White Fence may be accessed at: https://bobonbooks.com/2021/12/03/review-beyond-the-white-fence/

Review: Saint Valentine the Kindhearted

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Saint Valentine the Kindhearted, Ned Bustard (text and illustrations). Downers Grove: IVP Kids, 2024.

Summary: A retelling in verse and woodcut illustrations of the story of Saint Valentine, centered on not only his kindheartedness, but that there is more to love than romance.

Roses are red, violets are blue,
sugar is sweet, and so are you.
This is the poem many share
to show how much they love and care.
Flowers and candy sent our way
ev'ry year on Valentine's Day.
But why the cards that say, "Be mine"?
That's all from dear Saint Valentine!

      --Ned Bustard

Ned Bustard opens this latest book in his series of children’s books with IVP Kids with this rhyme, familiar to all of us who went through Valentine’s Day card exchanges in primary grades and the giving of flowers and candy (and perhaps a romantic dinner!) with that special someone. With that day coming up in a couple weeks (also Ash Wednesday in 2024, an interesting juxtaposition!), this book for children and grownups explores the life of this saint. Bustard follows the format of the other two books in this series, Saint Nicholas, the Giftgiver and Saint Patrick, the Forgiver, alternating his hand-carved woodcuts on the lefthand page with verse on the righthand page.

Bustard reminds us in an afterword that relatively little is known of Saint Valentine apart from his ministry of preaching, healing, and caring for the poor when Christians resisted the pressure to worship the gods of the Roman empire. The story centers around one the legends about Valentine. Haled before a judge for marrying Roman soldiers, supposedly weakening their resolve to fight, he is challenged to show the judge that Christ is true by healing the judge’s blind daughter. Valentine prays for her and she is healed. In response, the judge destroys his household statues of his gods, and is baptized along with forty others of his household.

Image from publisher’s webpage for Saint Valentine the Kindhearted.

We also learn the story of “valentines.” Valentine was later summoned before the emperor where he boldly testified to Christ. Thrown into prison, he wrote short notes of encouragement and affection to all his friends, tying each with twine, signing them “from your Valentine.” Apparently one of these was written on the day of his martyrdom, February 14, to the girl whose sight he restored (his execution and martyrdom is only alluded to here as when “his time came to an end” with the girl receiving notes from him).

Each of the books focuses on one quality, in this case the kindheartedness of Valentine. The book also expands our notion of the love we celebrate beyond romantic love. Bustard depicts the natural love of family, parents for children, the love of friends, and pure, unconditional love. If you note closely on the cover and in the text, there are four different colors of hearts, representing these four loves.

There is so much within 32 pages, not only about kindness and love but the unflinching courage of this saint in testifying to the saving work of the risen Lord Jesus, refusing to bow the knee to the Roman gods, for which he died.

For those who regard Valentine’s Day as sappy or simply a celebration of romantic (and in our culture, highly sexualized) love, this story invites us to recapture the deeper story of the saint after whom it is named, the depth and breadth of love expressed in his story, and his courageous martyrdom, his death for the One he loved. In this year when February 14 is both Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday, reading this book enriches and makes sense of how we can give ourselves in love while always being ready to die for what we love. Read and share this book with those you love!

____________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Reviews of previous books in this series

Saint Nicholas the Giftgiver

Saint Patrick the Forgiver

Review: God, Right Here

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God, Right Here: Meeting God in the Changing Seasons, Kara Lawler, illustrated by Jennie Poh. Downers Grove: IVP Kids, 2023.

Summary: A walk through the changing seasons and a reminder that the unchanging God is always present, always near and may be seen wherever we look in his creation.

During the pandemic, it seemed that all of our worlds shrank to our homes and neighborhoods. And many of us discovered that we didn’t have to go any further to be reminded that amid all the hardships and tragedy of the pandemic, beauty remained, and if we had eyes to see, the handiwork and wonders of the Creator’s world. The beauty of dogwood blooms, the lush lawns and budding trees, glorious sunsets, tree frogs in summer, the glorious fall colors and the crispness of the air, the quiet of walking amid the falling snow.

Kara Lawler describes a similar experience in the birth of this book for families to share. Even around her own home, she says “we found comfort in God all around–holy everywhere. We practiced the art of observing nature as a spiritual discipline–and it offered us solace and peace even in the midst of uncertainty around us.” She takes us through the seasons of the years, reminding us of “God right here. God right there. God’s handiwork is everywhere” and “God is ever near.”

Through simple text and Jennie Poh’s vibrant illustrations, we see the brilliant flowering of spring, from April showers to May flowers. We feel the hot summer sun, the delights of the beach and discoveries of seashells, sand, and water to cool us off, while listening to the laughter of the gulls. She evokes memories of red, orange, and yellow leaves of fall, piled just so that we can jump in! She reminds us of harvests–hay in bales, apples to make cider, pumpkins to make pie–God’s bounties. Then comes winter, catching snowflakes on our tongues as we make snow angels, seeing God decorate with icicles, and listening to the quiet. Short days, long nights, snug under blankets, gazing at decorated trees, reminded of the God who came near, who is ever near. The book concludes with a beautiful scene on a country lane saying, “Through spring, summer, fall, and winter, we watch, and wait, and wonder. The earth is so full of God’s glory.”

The book reminds me of so many wonders of childhood–and to be honest, beauty and goodness pointing to God’s handiwork that I treasure to this day. The book is inclusive, with children of color as well as a child in a wheel chair. My only quibble is that all the illustrations are set in rural landscapes. Must we escape the city to get close to nature–and close to God? Can we not catch glimpses of God and sense God’s nearness in our urban landscapes, the ones in which many of us were confined in the pandemic? Perhaps a sequel!

This looks like a wonderful book to read together with detailed illustrations with so much to notice. And all of this comes with a message we all need–that in the wonders of creation, we are reminded that whatever our situation in life–God is near!

________________________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.

Review: The King of Easter

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The King of Easter (A FatCat Book), Nathasha Kennedy (Art), Todd R. Hains (Text). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2023.

Summary: The story of Easter, focusing on the risen Jesus who seeks and saves the lost.

The latest children’s book in Lexham’s FatCat Books explores the significance of Easter, focusing on the risen Lord Jesus who searches for lost people to bring his life, forgiveness, and salvation. On the first spread, we see Jesus and FatCat at an empty table with the declaration:

Jesus is the King of Easter!   
He finds who is lost.      
Who is lost, he saves

On each succeeding spread we see one or more New Testament characters beginning with Mary, the mother of Jesus, John the Baptist, Matthew, the children, Zacchaeus, Lazarus, Mary Magdalene, the thief and the centurion at the cross, Peter, and Saul. After identifying them, the text asks:

did the King of Easter find and save him/her/them?
                                                                                Yes!

As each is found and saved by Jesus, they join the entourage of those following Jesus. The narrative concludes with “you” and the joyous news that the King of Easter finds and saves us, with all of us gathered at that once empty table, with Jesus–and FatCat!

Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb (image from publisher’s website)

Once again Natasha Kennedy provides the lush artwork and Todd R. Hains the text in this beautifully illustrated book designed for families to talk together about what Easter really means. I do have one small observation about the artwork. Jesus, while darkly complected, which is culturally accurate, also seems unnaturally skinny with a long, thin face (and a halo), unlike most of the other male characters. We don’t know what Jesus looked like but I wouldn’t mind a portrayal of a hearty, robust construction worker or carpenter–a workingman.

Each of the books in this series is written and designed for family worship with the conviction that “families are little churches.” The last pages of the book include pictures of each of the people in the story and where they appear in the biblical text, guided prayer for use in family devotions, and a “To Parents” section summarizing the message of the story.

The focus of the story is Jesus’s saving work, his initiative to seek and to save the lost. The response of those who follow (everyone in the story) is assumed. Unlike many presentations of the gospel, this centers entirely on the gracious and powerful work of Jesus to save. For children, it strikes me that this tremendously assuring–there is no question of them wondering if they have been good enough or believed enough. He has found and saved everyone in the story–including you!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.

Review: Saint Patrick the Forgiver

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Saint Patrick the Forgiver, Retold and Illustrated by Ned Bustard. Downers Grove: IVP Kids, 2023.

Summary: A re-telling of the story of Saint Patrick, who returned to the Irish who had enslaved him, having forgiven them and preaching forgiveness through the work of Christ.

For many, Saint Patrick’s Day is a day of wearing green, of shamrocks, and drinking green beer. Chicago even dies its river green. It’s a day of partying, and drunkenness. And in it, the story of Saint Patrick, missionary to Ireland is lost. Ned Bustard, author of Saint Nicholas the Giftgiver does for Patrick what he did earlier with Saint Nicholas. He retells the story of Patrick, with eight lines of verse on the right page accompanied by one of his woodcut illustrations on the left in a read aloud book that children and parents alike will enjoy.

We learn of a young boy in Britain, of wild heart though raised in the church, carried off to slavery in Ireland. Laboring as a shepherd, God’s Spirit gives grace and faith tp believe and eventually sends him a vision that a ship is ready to take him home, and after a two hundred mile walk, he finds it is so. He is joyfully reunited with his parents and would have remained so were it not for another vision of an Irish man carrying a letter saying, “Come walk again among us.” And so we come to the central crisis of Patrick’s life, his unforgiving heart for the people who had enslaved him. And then:

In grace God did remind me
that forgiveness is a gift.
The holy brothers taught me true
and my heart began to shift.
To the Irish I returned
with a Bible and a bell.
Because God had forgiven me
then I could forgive as well.

He recounts the favor he encountered as the High King’s son believes and gives him a barn to start a church. We learn how he used the shamrock to illustrate the Trinity. He also recounts the stories told of him driving snakes into the sea and baptizing the “naughty giant.” He summarizes his life as one of telling his Irish flock of Christ’s forgiveness, setting up schools and churches throughout the land, such that the old pagan ways have died out. These are the closing pages of the book, inspired perhaps by St. Patrick’s hymn, “Strength of Heaven”:

From publisher’s webpage for the book.

The simple rhyme scheme makes this an enjoyable read aloud book, enhanced by the richly detailed full color woodcuts. Printed on high quality paper and hardbound, I can see this becoming one of the books a family treasures sharing together. The story, centered around forgiveness, celebrates the real Saint Patrick, whose obedience from a transformed heart leads to a transformed country, and if How the Irish Saved Civilization is accurate, preserved learning and faith in Europe.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.

Review: All Will Be Well

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All Will Be Well, Lacy Linn Borgo, Illustrated by Rebecca Evans. Downers Grove: IVP Kids, 2022.

Summary: Julian’s Mima is very sick and Julian is worried, sad, and angry and wondering if God hears or cares.

Julian’s Mima was sick and Julian was worried.

“God, please make Mima better,” she whispered.

All Will Be Well.

Anyone who has experienced the serious illness and imminent death of a beloved grandparent will resonate with this story. For many children, their first encounter with death is the loss of a beloved grandparent.

Julian longs so much to hear God’s assurance. Is God in the fiery autumn leaves, the whirling winds of autumn? What Julian does know is that the hazelnuts falling on her head are her Mima’s favorite. They are everywhere and she brings them home from school to share with Mima.

They talk about her day and Julian unloads not only her hazelnuts but her fear, her sadness, and the feeling she has that she’s going to explode. Mima just holds her hand and tells her she loves her. Then, at Julian’s request, she tells her the story of the saint, Julian of Norwich, after whom Julia is named. She reminds Julian of a message from God to Julian:

“If something as small as a hazelnut is loved by God, then we are loved by God too.”

The next day, she gives Julian a hazelnut to carry with the reminder “And God loves you.” And this helps her through her school day.

They talk the next evening about Julian’s concern about Mima dying. Mima asks a searching question: “Does God still love us when we die?” She assures her in the words of Julian of Norwich that because of God’s love for them both “All will be well, all will be well, everything will be well.”

The next day Mima dies and the remainder of the story follows Julian as she struggles to come to terms with this loss until she remembers the hazelnuts and the words Mima shared from Julian of Norwich.

The story brought back memories of my own last conversation with my grandmother, dying of cancer. She was in pain and it hurt to see her that way. She spoke of looking forward to being with Jesus, who she had taught me to love. And her words have stayed with me all of my life and become my own.

This book is like that, written with the sensitivity that allows a child to express the strong mix of feelings they have when a loved one is ill. The relationship with Mima is a model, where she listens and loves and then asks a gentle but important question, reminds her of truth, and shares a token to help bring that to mind.

The colors of autumn, which suffuse this work, both reflect someone in the late autumn of life, but also the splendor of God’s presence in color and wind and hazelnuts!

A note from the author offers suggestions for further practices that may help a child as they read the book together. The publisher’s website also offers a reflection activity that may be shared.

This is a wonderfully sensitive and rich work to help a child (and an adult) through some of the hardest realities of life, when we are most tempted to question God’s love. It makes space for all the feelings and doubts and fears one may experience. Using the life of Julian of Norwich, it invites us to trust that in life or death, “all will be well.”

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.