God Speaks to a King

God Speaks to a King: Bible Stories in Rhythm and Rhyme is written by Sheri Dunham Haan and illustrated by Dan Hochstatter. This small, hardback book does just as the title describes: using rhyming and rhythmic verse, it tells six different stories from Scripture in a catchy way children enjoy. A table of contents lists all the stories with their corresponding biblical references. Children will love hearing about Moses and the plagues of Egypt; Gideon; Elijah; Jesus calming the stormy sea; the resurrection of Jesus; and the conversion of Paul. Each page of text is coupled with a full-page watercolor drawing. The illustrations are colorful and cartoon-like.

What I Like: This small book flows well and is easy to read. I love that it covers stories typically skipped or overlooked. Gideon, Elijah and Paul are typically forgotten in favor of Daniel, Joseph and Noah, but this book tells their stories in a delightful way. Of course, I also appreciate the biblical references provided.

What I Dislike: The illustrations are very one-dimensional and too cartoon-y for my taste. They are colorful, but I would like something with a little more character. It is difficult to tell the difference between Jesus, Gideon and Paul -- they all look the same.

Overall Rating: Ho-hum.

Age Appeal: 2-6

Publisher Info: Baker Publishing Group, 1991; ISBN: 0801043573; Hardback; $7.95

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