Wednesday, May 9, 2007

One Year Book of Devotions for Preschoolers

Utilizing the One Year Bible by Tyndale, Devotions for Preschoolers is a great introduction to daily quiet times with God. The Little Blessings collection features four children: Kaitlyn, Zoe, Parker and Jack. This book is no exception. The book is organized by dates and includes 366 (one extra for leap year) one-page devotions designed specifically for preschoolers. Each offers a short story about one or all of the main characters followed by a Bible verse (or two) and a prayer. All the stories are highly applicable to children in the target age group. The prayer is told in rhyming verse, usually just two or three lines.

Crystal Bowman, the author of this book and numerous others, is a former preschool teacher. She is also a writer and speaker for MOPS International. The illustrator, Elena Kucharik, has over 100 children's books to her credit including the entire Little Blessings collection. She was also the lead artist for the Care Bears.

What I Like: The format is great! It's short and sweet, perfect for kids this age. The stories are of high interest to preschoolers. They talk about what they want to talk about: playing dress up, painting, sharing, animals, books, toys, friends, family... then tie those topics into elements of faith. The Scripture applications are age-appropriate. I love the illustrations! They are so tender and very colorful.

What I Dislike: I found nothing wrong with the book, but did feel a void in content. I would like to see an introduction for parents explaining the importance of daily devotions and how to use this book.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: 3-6, though I would go as low as two-years of age.

Publisher Info: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004; ISBN: 0842389407; Hardback; $14.99

Buy it Now at Amazon for $10.19

Additional Info: This book promotes diversity by portraying two Caucasian children; one African-American and one Asian-American as the four main characters.

I'm Jack! is another Little Blessings book CCBR has reviewed.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Just wanted to give my approval and recommendation for this devotional book for little ones. I have a 6yob, a just-turned-5yog, a 2yog and a 1yob. We read the daily devotion every morning after breakfast, while still sitting at the table. They *love* it!!

The devotions we do in the evening are usually geared towards the eldest children. I wanted to make sure my little ones were also hearing God's Word at their level - and praise the Lord, we received this book as a gift! All my children love it, even the oldest boy.

At lunch, we pull the book back out and go over the verse again for that day (usually with made-up motions). It's just one more way I can really be INTENTIONAL with the spiritual training of my children.

Now I'm gonna go check out the rest of your blog....

In Him~
Lori