All Things Bright and Beautiful

Bruce Whatley (Illustrator). HarperCollins 2001, Hardcover, 32 pages, $10.51

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Bruce Whatley’s paintings bring new life to the beautiful old hymn by Cecil Frances Alexander, originally written to help children understand the opening of the Apostle’s Creed.  The illustrations follow a girl on a country ramble, experiencing the created things described in the hymn, then returning home to tell her family about it.  This makes for a joyous read and is an excellent supplement to a child’s Christian training.  The musical score is provided in the endnotes.

Most of All, Jesus Loves You!

Debby Anderson (Illustrator). Crossway Books 2004, Hardcover, 24 pages, $7.16

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This fun toddler book recounts a simple family ritual in which a parent reminds their young child of all the people in their life who love them, ending with “Most of all, Jesus loves you!”  It is well written with pleasant repetition, with a solid message that young children will easily understand.  It could make a good complement to Guess How Much I Love You, which expands on a similar theme without taking the final step between parental love and God’s love.

Its cheery illustrations are adequate to demonstrate the book’s message, but are fairly unimpressive.  This could be a classic if it were gorgeously illustrated.

Noah’s Ark (Caldecott Honor Book)

Jerry Pinkney. Chronicle Books 2002, Hardcover, 40 pages, $8.73

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is a faithful interpretation of the biblical story, rendered in breathtaking watercolor paintings which earned this book a Caldecott Honor in 2003.  If I were forced to choose one version of the story, I would probably choose Peter Spier’s, but Pinkney provides an original, memorable perspective, allowing the youngest readers to experience the dramatic grandeur of this story.  I especially appreciate a striking images of whales, sharks and fish swimming through the submerged human cities.

The text does take a few artistic liberties — there is greater emphasis on humanity’s failure to steward the planet than our failure to live a life pleasing to God — but this is a rather minor matter, and the great strength of this book is its masterful artwork.  An outstanding addition to any child’s library.

The Prince’s Poison Cup

Justin Gerard (Illustrator). Reformation Trust Publishing 2008, Hardcover, 35 pages, $11.26

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

R.C. Sproul is a leading Reformed teacher and theologian.  He is the founder of Ligonier Academy, editor of the Tabletalk devotional and host of the radio program Renewing Your Mind.  He is also the author of several excellent Gospel-centered children’s books which are distinguished from others of their genre both by their theological depth and artistic excellence.

The Prince’s Poison Cup is a well-developed, transparent allegory for Jesus’ ransom of humanity from their sin.  When a young child asks her grandfather why medicine tastes so bad, he takes the opportunity to tell a story about a king who built a garden for his people, with a fountain of pure water in the middle.  Against his command, the people drank from the fountain and it turned to poison.  This resulted in their hearts being turned against their King, while earning his wrath.  Only by sending his Prince to drink the poison and die from it could the poison be turned back into water, the people’s hearts be changed, and the King’s anger be satisfied.

Many of the story elements are drawn from Jesus’ statements about Himself.  In John 4:10 and John 7:37 He invites people to come to Him and drink.  In Matthew 26:39 He compares his suffering to a cup which has been assigned for him to drink.  This in turn is drawn from a common biblical analogy (see for example Isaiah 51:17, Jeremiah 25:15, and Revelation 16:19) comparing God’s wrath to a full cup assigned for the wicked to drink.

This story dramatically enacts the story of Jesus’ rescue of sinners through His voluntary death on our behalf.  It is an excellent way to introduce and reenact His sacrifice for us in a way that will engage young children’s imaginations.  It comes with a study guide to help readers draw explicit connections between the story and the full Gospel.  Unlike much Christian Bible literature, it is well written and the illustrations are artistically excellent.  I highly recommend this book for children’s devotionals or simply as a good read-aloud.

Other reviews of this book: The Children’s Hour Books

Celebrate Animals

Heidi Bratton. Circle Press 2009, Board book, 16 pages, $7.49

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Celebrate Animals rounds out Heidi Bratton’s Celebrate series by helping children rejoice in God’s creation of animals by recounting how Noah and his family cared for animals of different kinds (Genesis 6-8).  Among the pictures are families interacting with deer, a boy holding a giant frog, and a parent and child’s hands petting a hedgehog together.  The book concludes with a prayer placing young children in a context of a secure family: “Thank you God, for a family to take care of ME when I am wild or tame… bold or shy… soft or pokey… and thank you for animals to share our lives!”

The black-and-white candid photographs invite the reader into the scene, and young children will enjoy vicariously interacting with these most interesting animals.  An excellent choice.

Celebrate Family

Heidi Bratton. Circle Press 2009, Board book, 16 pages, $7.69

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Celebrate Family is a joyful presentation of the many blessings God gives through our families.  Each page, illustrated with an evocative picture, presents part of a two-word acrostic for the book title: C is for Celebrate, E is for Enjoy each other, and so on.  For the child reader, the book focuses on remembering the blessings of family and cultivating joyful gratitude.  For the Christian parent, the scripture on the back cover (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) is a reminder that God has called us to train children within our families to obey and worship Him.  A joy-filled read, which complements the rest of the Celebrate series.

Celebrate Me & You

Heidi Bratton. Circle Press 2009, Board book, 16 pages, $5.74

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Celebrate Me & You, part of Heidi Bratton’s Celebrate series, illustrates Paul’s comparison in 1 Corinthians 12:14-27 of the Christian church to a human body.  The parts of the body are named, their functions are described, and they are wonderfully illustrated with candid black-and-white pictures of young children.  Then comes a transition from body parts which work together, to individuals helping each other and working together like one body.  This analogy is particularly appropriate for young children, who think in very concrete terms.

The photographs are joyfully evocative, and I especially appreciated the moment captured on the page which says “I will use my strength to help you.”  This photo features a young boy, who appears to have Down Syndrome, playing with a hose while being assisted by another child.  The choice of this image is an expressive statement of Christian love and respect for human life which goes against our culture’s hostility toward those who are considered genetically imperfect.

This book, like the rest of the series, is an excellent choice for early biblical instruction.  It is appealing to toddlers and a joy to read aloud.

Celebrate Feelings

Heidi Bratton. Circle Press 2009, Board book, 16 pages, $7.70

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Heidi Bratton is a homeschooling mother of six children ranging in age from 2 to 20.  She is a prolific writer of inspirational articles in Catholic Exchange, Touchstone Magazine, and elsewhere.  She is also an award-winning photographer and the author of multiple children’s books.  Her new Celebrate series is her third series of board books.

It takes a gifted author to communicate complex concepts for both adults and children, and Bratton’s rich experience as a mother and writer shines. Her text is comfortingly repetitive, developing simple concepts from Scripture so they are crystal clear.  The photos which illustrate the text are remarkable.  They are black and white, perfect for babies and toddlers whose color-perception is still developing.  Rather than using extraordinary, airbrushed subjects for her photos, she focuses on ordinary individuals, captured in extraordinary moments.  The result is an inviting, appealing experience both for read-aloud and toddler “read”-alone play.

Celebrate Feelings is based on Jesus’ invitation in Mark 10:13-16 for children to come to Him.  In it, Bratton presents photographs of young children experiencing various moods:  silly, sad, scared, prayerful, playful,mad, merry, grumpy, and greedy.  The gentle accompanying text reiterates with each image that Jesus wants to be with the child no matter how they feel.

Noah’s Ark (Picture Yearling Book)

Peter Spier. Dragonfly Books 1992, Paperback, 48 pages, $3.00

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Everyone should have at least one Noah’s Ark story, and Peter Spier’s version is one of the best available.  It is especially well suited to children, with its wordless format and careful attention to visual detail.  Sweeping illustrations fill up each page with well-developed vignettes, evoking the horror, danger and hope of the original story.

The story is simple, yet this book is complex enough for both pre-readers and readers.  Having discussed it with an adult, pre-readers will be able enjoy it on their own for an extended time, since the pictures convey at least as much information as the words.

Christmas in the Barn

Diane Goode (Illustrator). HarperCollins 2007, Paperback, 32 pages, $3.49

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This book is a kind of combination of a traditional Nativity retelling and the popular board book Big Red Barn.  Brown interweaves familiar phrases from Big Red Barn with the biblical story, as well as phrases from traditional Christmas carols, in her characteristically pleasant, soothing rhythm.  The illustrations (both the modern version illustrated by Diane Goode and the original by Barbara Cooney) depict a modern couple having a baby in an American-style barn — an innovation some parents may love and others may object to.  The text doesn’t flow as well as Brown’s other books, but it’s a pretty good one-time read.