What Happens When I Talk to God?

Bestselling author Stormie Omartian brings 'The Power of Praying' series to kids’ level in What Happens When I Talk to God? The book, subtitled “The Power of Prayer for Boys and Girls,” uses a conversational tone, one kid to another, to answer several questions about prayer.

• What is prayer?
• When can I pray?
• Where can I pray?
• What should I say?
• Do I have to pray out loud?
• Does God hear me?
• Why does He want me to pray?
• Can I pray alone? With other people?
• What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name?
• Can I pray even when I’m angry or hurt?
• What if I do something wrong?
  
• Can God help me or the people I pray for?
• Does God answer prayers?

Each page ends with “I say …” and offers a short, sample prayer.

The artwork by Shari Warren is tender and colorful. Each illustration is a full page accompanied by a full page of text, but the creative design does not stop with the illustrations. The text features two fonts, one simple standard font and one that is curly and boldfaced.

What I Like: The author tackles so many questions about prayer and does it in a way kids can easily grasp. The book is filled with great information! I also like the illustrations. They very sweetly depict a variety of kids and families.

What I Dislike: There are no Bible references anywhere in the book, not even in the back for parents. Also, this is long and wordy for younger kids. My 4-1/2 year old loses interest before we reach the halfway point.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: 4-8, but I would recommend ages 6-10.

Publisher Info: Harvest House Publishers, 2007; ISBN: 0736916768; Hardback; $15.99

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Special Info: You may also be interested in The Power of a Praying Parent, also available in Spanish. Visit the author's website for additional titles in this series.

Bible Stories for Tiny Tots

Many parents feel they need to wait until their children are "just a little older" before they start introducing Bible stories and concepts to them, but truly, it is never to early to begin reading your child stories from the Bible! If you're unsure where to begin with your child, start by reading our special post on our favorite "first" children's Bibles. But among those favorite firsts I am now adding Bible Stories for Tiny Tots.

In this colorful, sturdy board book (sized appropriately for small hands - it's about 7 x 5 inches), you'll find some of the most cherished and readily accessible stories from the Old and New Testament. There's the story of creation, Noah, Joseph and his colorful coat, Moses, Samson, David and Goliath, Jonah, Daniel and the lions, Jesus' birth, Jesus as a young boy in the temple, Zachaeus, Jesus with the children, Jesus feeding 5,000, Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, and Peter spreading the Good News.

Every story is simply crafted and designed to appeal to small children. Each takes up one page of text, with a vivid illustration on the opposite side of the page. For the more mature stories, just the basics are given. For example, in the story of Joseph, the text reads:

:Joseph had many brothers. Jacob was Joseph's daddy. He loved Joseph very much. So he had special clothes made for him. The colors were red and blue and green and purple...lots and lots of colors! God also gave you a daddy and a mommy. They love you are care for you."

The text goes on to ask the child if they have siblings, and prompts them to tell their parents how much they love them. Not all the stories are quite this simple, but they are all good introductions to the Bible.

Each page also contains a short prayer. In the story of Joseph, for example, the prayer is: "Thank you, Lord, for Mommy and Daddy. Amen." Every story also notes the section of the Bible it was taken from.

What I Like: This book contains every element it should for very young children. The colors are bright and bold; the text is ultra-simple and does a good job of relating the story in some way to children's lives; there are easy to remember prayers; and each story offers parents a quick way to check back with the Bible.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: According to the publisher, 3 - 6, but this greatly depends on the child. My nearly-3 year old finds this book a little babyish. I suggest introducing it to infants.

Publishing Info: Kregel, 2001; ISBN: 0825472121; board book, $8.99

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The Moses Basket

The Moses Basket, written by Jenny Koralek and illustrated by Pauline Baynes, relates the story of how baby Moses was saved by the Egyptian Pharaoh’s daughter.

The Pharaoh declared that all Hebrew babies be put to death. To save Moses’ life, his mother, with the help of her daughter Mariam, hide him in a basket and float him down the river. They time it so the Pharaoh’s daughter will find the basket when she comes to the river to bathe. When she sees baby Moses sleeping in the basket, she realizes he is the child of a Hebrew slave, but she doesn’t take the baby to her father so he can be slain. Instead, as the story goes, she ends up paying Moses’ mother to feed him and care for him for a few years before he goes to live in the Pharaoh’s palace!

The story references the Scriptures, citing passages from the book of Exodus at the beginning of the book.

The illustrations are what you would expect for a story set in Egypt during Biblical times. They are what I would call classical illustrations for a story of this nature, done in muted tones with the well-known Egyptian persona and motifs throughout.

What I Like: The story is told with a lot of conversation between the characters. It brings the story to life; I like that.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: The publisher suggests an age level of baby-preschool. I don’t think this book is suitable for babies. Preschoolers would probably enjoy it, as would children in the elementary grades, so I would say the age range is from 3-8.

Publisher Info: Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers: 2003; 0802852513; Hardcover: $16.00.

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Special Info: Read our reviews of other books written by Jenny Koralek and illustrated by Pauline Baynes.

You Did it For Me

You Did it For Me: Friendship and Kindness is the debut children's book by Robert Hug. In very simple terms, the book encourages children to be selfless and compassionate, showing Jesus' love to those in need.

Set in a school, the story shows several students with different problems. One forgot her lunch; others need help with homework or just a friend. In each case, one boy comes to the rescue and helps those in need. At the end, the boy who helped all the others is sick. The children who were touched by his kindness return to offer friendship to him when he needs it.

The book closes with Jesus' words: "Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Kristen Polson serves as illustrator. Her line drawings are kid-friendly and feature diverse characters.

What I Like: This is a great message told with simple language and clear meaning. The length of the book is perfect. I love the inclusion of Scripture at the end. Also, the price is great. Usually self-published books are more expensive because of printing costs. Not so with this one; it's perfectly priced.

What I Dislike: While Scripture is quoted, no reference is given. I'm a big advocate of including references to encourage further study and sending readers back to the Bible. The illustrations are kind of drab and lack detail. Finally, measuring just 6x6", this book easily gets lost in a stack of children's books, typically bigger and hardback. This, however, is a small issue (no pun intended).

Overall Rating: Good!

Age Appeal: The suggested age range is 9-12, but I would say 5-9 is more accurate.

Publisher Info: Tate Publishing, 2008; ISBN: 1604621699; Paperback; $6.99

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Special Info: This book includes an audio book download, free when you visit the website and enter the code provided at the back of the book. Learn more about this book and its author at www.youdiditforme.com.

God Bless America

A wonderful way to teach our young ones to pray for our beloved country would be to introduce them to "God Bless America" by Irving Berlin. In the book God Bless America, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, this beloved song will come alive for young ones.

A Daddy bear takes his son and daughter on a road trip. They erect a flag at their house, and then go to different places in our nation as they learn to appreciate it.

The text of this book is the song written by Mr. Berlin, so it can either be sung or read as a prayer. I did both with my daughter!

The illustrations are simple and appealing to children. This board book is sturdy and will endure through many readings.

What I Like: I especially like the simplicity of this book. The illustrations are so cute, and are very fitting with the song. At the back of the book is the sheet music to the song.

What I Dislike: Hmmmm ... I can't think of anything!

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: 5 and under

Publishing Info: HarperCollins, 2003; ISBN: 0060098643; boardbook, $6.99.

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Pudge Ate a Prophet

If you're looking for a little different take on the biblical story of Jonah and the big fish, Pudge Ate a Prophet by Dan and Damon Taylor is for you. The story is told through the eyes of the "big fish" (aptly named Pudge) who is "really big for his age." Most of the time other fish are pretty nice to Pudge, but sometimes they tease him about his size. One day a fish offers to play house with Pudge, then tells him he's the house. The other fish laugh, but Pudge does not. Instead, he decides to run away. That's how he meets Jonah.

Jonah, we learn, is a prophet - someone who speaks for God. But Jonah is running away, too. He doesn't want to do what God says. So God sends a big storm that upsets the ship Jonah is on. Knowing Jonah is to blame, the captain throws Jonah overboard. As he sinks lower and lower into the sea, Jonah thinks this is the end. That's when Pudge swallows Jonah.

God speaks to Pudge, saying he's going to use him for an important mission. Pudge is to keep Jonah in his belly for three days, as he swims to a place called Nineveh. Then Pudge should spit Jonah out onto dry land.

"As Pudge swam toward Nineveh, he finally understood why God had made him so large. 'I'm on an important mission for God!' This made Pudge feel good. 'God knows I'm a good swimmer, and He made me big enough to hold a prophet!' This made Pudge feel very good."

Pudge does as God asks, and spits Jonah out when he reaches Nineveh. Pudge is proud to have helped the people of Nineveh - and he's proud he's big enough to handle God's mission.

What I Like: I love this retelling. It's different, being told from the fish's point of view, and the author's clearly know how to appeal to children. There is humor, but also great truth, throughout. The message is clear without being preachy; we know God made Pudge exactly the way he is, and God made him that way for a very special reason.

What I Dislike: I wish the illustrations in this book were a little stronger. Author and illustrator Damon Taylor has added some fun humor to the illustrations (like a parchment sign that God hangs from a fishing hook, telling Pudge what to do with Jonah, and another that thanks Pudge and says he was a big help), and while I know many kids love cartoon-like illustrations, these sometimes fall flat. For example, on the page explaining how the captain came to throw Jonah overboard, we see mostly a bland ocean, and only a small ship with tiny people on it. I wish the images were more compelling; this book deserves that!

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: According to the publisher, 4 - 8, but my two year old likes it, too.

Publishing Info: Kregel, 2004; ISBN: 082543868; hardback, $10.99

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Happy Birthday to Me

Happy Birthday to Me by David and Tessie DeVore celebrates both cultural diversity and the amazing blessing of a child's life.

The story begins with young David (about five years old) excited because today is his birthday. He finds his Latino mother (Mami) in the kitchen cooking up special birthday food, then steps outside to help his Caucasian father (Papi), hang the pinata. "I never had a pinata when I was a boy," Papi says. Then Mami brings out the food: Arroz, friholes negros, tostones, and flan...her favorite foods when she was a child in Puerto Rico. And there's also Papi's favorite foods from when he was a boy: Hamburgers, fries, and green beans.

Papi's parents (Grandpa and Grandma) and Mami's parents (Abuelo and Abuela) soon knock on the door, followed by David's aunts, uncles, and cousins on his father's side and his tios and tias on his mother's side. They bob for apples and smash the pinata. Abuela laughs and says, "We never bobbed for apples in Cuba," while Grandma says, "We never had pinatas in South Carolina when I was growing up." "What a blessing that David has both of our families' cultures top enjoy," Abuela concludes.

David receives a variety of presents, including books in both English and Spanish, an American football and a Spanish "futbol" (soccer ball). The family sings "Happy Birthday" and David blows out his candles. Then Grandpa and Auelo pray, thanking God repeatedly for David, and for blessing him with two rich cultures. "We ask that You continue to bless David and use him to show others how diverse and wonderful the world is," they pray. Finally, David thanks God for a wonderful birthday - and a wonderful family.

What I Like: I love that this book covers the topic of birthdays with such a strong emphasis on the fact that they are about thanking God for the birthday boy (or girl). David's family is not only diverse, but they are loving and warm, and willing to share their different traditions. Happy Birthday to Me is especially ideal for those with Latino and Caucasians friends and family, or for those who live in a culturally diverse area...or those who want to learn more about the Latino culture.

What I Dislike: The illustrations by Heather Graham are only so-so. The colors are pale, and sometimes the images are dull. But the biggest fault in Happy Birthday to Me is that parents who know little or no Spanish will have a tough time reading the book aloud. Having grown up in an area with a large Latino population, I know a wee bit of Spanish, but not nearly enough to get me through this book without butchering the language. Happy Birthday to Me would appeal to a much broader audience if the authors included a pronunciation guide.

Overall Rating: Good.

Age Appeal: 4- 8.

Publishing Info: Strang Communications, 2004; ISBN: 1591852072; hardback, $9.99

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