Thursday, October 25, 2007

Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers: The Trinity


There simply are no better books for teaching children the fundamentals of Christianity than those in Joey Allen's Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers series. The Trinity is no exception.
Tackling the Trinity in a book for young children must be a great challenge; as the author admits in his note to parents, "Every illustration of the Trinity falls short of adequately describing God...Therefore, this book does not compare God to an egg or the sun or any created thing, but rather credits children with the ability to accept true statements about God by faith. Children have a huge capacity for faith (Matthew 128:3)."
Allen does a terrific job, through a cute little girl named Angel. With two ponytails atop her head, her single tooth, and her round little tummy, Angel first explains that God is holy...and just what that really means. Then she says:

"There is only one God, but God is three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are different from each other, but each one is God. This is called the Trinity. The Trinity cannot be completely explained because God is not like anything in the world. God is greater than we can ever imagine."
Angel then explains how sin separates us from God, but also says God found a solution to that problem by providing Jesus. She explains how Jesus' death and resurrection give us eternal life. Then she introduces the Holy Spirit, who helps change us once we accept Jesus into our hearts. "The Holy Spirit," Angel says, "teaches you how to pray and understand the Bible. He helps you love and serve other people. When you believe in Jesus, you will become a child of God. God will be your Father, and He will never let you go!"
The last page of the book includes a copy of the Constantinopolitan (or Nicene) Creed, which offers a summary of what Christians have believed about the Trinity since ancient times.
What I Like: Everything. Allen takes a difficult subject and boils it down into simple facts of faith that small children can grasp. Even the small size of these books (about 5.25 x 5.25 inches) show they were thoughtfully designed for kids. And parents will appreciate that each page includes Bible verses to back up the author's assertions.
What I Dislike: Nothing.
Overall Rating: Excellent.
Age Appeal: 4 - 8
Publishing Info: New Leaf Press, 2005; ISBN: 089221614X; hard back, $5.99.
Buy Now at Christianbook.com for $4.99, or buyall four books in the series for just $17.99!
Special Info: Read all our reviews for all the Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers books. Also, check out Joey Allen's website for more about his art and ministry.


1 comment:

Tanya said...

I agree. ALL of the books in this series are phenomenal. It is rare to find chidren's books that accurately teach doctrinal foundations. These books do it on a kid-friendly level without sacrificing an ounce of truth. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!