What Happens When We Die?

What Happens When We Die, written by Carolyn Nystrom and illustrated by Eira Reeves, is the story of a little girl who unexpectedly witnesses a bird's death. The girl's mother comforts her and explains they must bury the bird. This only upsets her daughter more. With comforting arms and a patient heart, Mother explains death to her daughter. She answers many questions, such as:

"How long does being dead last?"
"How could I go to heaven if my body is in the ground?"
"Does it hurt to die?"
"Will my mom still be my mom in heaven?"

There are other questions as well. Mother does a wonderful job providing answers for her daughter. She tells how God does not want us to be dead forever. She explains this is why God sent His Son, Jesus. Mother goes on to explain the differences between our physical bodies and our souls.

The little girl keeps a feather from the bird, not as a reminder of its death, but as a reminder of life after death.

What I Like: I was pleasantly surprised. I had not expected this 29 page book to be as informative as it is. There are a few Bible verses used during Mother's explanations.

What I Dislike: Nothing. This is a wonderful book.

Overall Rating: Excellent!

Age Appeal: 5 and older.

Publishing Info: Moody Publishing 1992; Hardcover; ISBN:0802478557

Buy it now at Christianbook $1.99

I Can Be Strong When I Put on The Armor of God

I Can Be Strong When I Put on The Armor of God is part of the My Favorite Verses series by Dandi Daley Mackall. This book features Ephesians 6:10-18 from the New Living Translation.

Through rhyming verse the book follows a boy as his family moves to a new home. This part of the story is told not in the words, but by the accompanying illustrations. As the boy encounters each new trial and emotion, he remembers to use different pieces of God's armor: "belt of truth", "breastplate of righteousness", "peace-loving shoes", "shield of faith", "helmet of God", and "a sword". The Scripture passage is quoted in part at the bottom of several pages and in full at the end of the book.

Jenny B. Harris does a wonderful job as illustrator. She fills the pages with bold colors and expressive characters. The style is 2-D, looking almost like paper-piecing. Several ethnicities are represented.

What I Like: It's so bright and colorful! The emphasis on Scripture is fantastic. The tempo of rhyme makes it easy to read. The book is a nice compliment to the rest of the series.

What I Dislike: While each piece of armor is given a page or two, not all of them are explained. The author gives a sample situation where that piece could be used, but doesn't always describe what it is or how to access it. This makes the text more cryptic than it needs to be.

Overall Rating: Good.

Age Appeal: 3-7

Publisher Info: Standard Publishing, 2006; ISBN: 0784718202; Hardback; $9.99

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $7.99!

Additional Info: See our reviews for other books in this series. You may also be interested in Will: God's Mighty Warrior , another book on Ephesians 6 which received a "Top Pick" rating here at CCBR.

A Child's Bible

A Child's Bible by Sally Ann Wright and Honor Ayres is a sweet choice for older toddlers and preschoolers. The book retells 57 sections of the Bible, beginning with the story of creation; moving on to Adam and Eve; following Noah and Abraham and Jacob and Joseph; telling about Miriam; the plagues of Egypt; David and Goliath; Naaman; Daniel in the lion's den; Jonah and the big fish; Jesus' birth; many stories of Jesus and his parables; Jesus' death on the cross; Jesus' resurrection; and a bit about the apostles.

The stories tend to flow together nicely. For example, after the authors have described the Fall, the next chapter (on Noah's ark) begins: "God's beautiful world was spoiled." The language isn't the most creative I've seen, but it's simple and straight forward. The ten commandments, for example:

"Don't talk to any other gods instead of me.
Don't pray to statues, pictures of the earth, sky or sea, instead of me.
Think about how you us my name.
Do not swear or use my name carelessly.
Remember the day of rest I give you and keep it special.
Love you mother and father and listen to what they say.
Do not plot to kill anyone.
Be faithful to your husband or wife.
Do not steal.
Do not tell lies about other people.
Don't look greedily at things that belong to other people."

Psalm 23:

"Imagine you are a lamb, playing in a big field.
God is like the loving shepherd who looks after you.
God makes sure you have everything you need.
He finds green fields where you can rest.
He leads you to quiet streams where you can drink.
He guides you along safe paths..."

and so on.

And The Lord's Prayer:

"Our Father in heaven,
holy is your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us when we do bad things,
just as we should forgive those who are unkind to us..."

and so on.

Notes about where each story or prayer can be found in the Bible are given at the very end of the book.

What I Like: The wording of this children's Bible is close to a modern paraphrase (like The Message). It is simple, but doesn't stray too far from adult versions of the Bible. (Except to leave out details that may be too mature for young children.) The illustrations are gentle and sweet, done in a watercolor-type style. Most stories are told in one or two pages, which makes them easy for young children to digest.

What I Dislike: Nothing, really. But this is not the most exciting children's Bible I've seen for this age group.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: According to the publisher, 3 and up, but I think preschoolers will enjoy this more than toddlers.

Publishing Info: Standard, 2005; ISBN: 0784717761; hard back, $19.99.

Buy Now at Christianbook.com for $14.99.

Thank You, God!

Thank You, God!, written by Kathleen Long Bostrom and illustrated by Elena Kucharik, is another book in the Little Blessings series. This delightful book is filled with what I would call mini prayers. The book is written in rhyme and each verse ends in the word “Amen.” There are nine verses, or mini prayers, in all. The first one goes like this:

God made dark
and God made light.
God made day
and God made night.
Thank you, God,
for all that’s bright!
Thank you, God, Amen.

As in the other books in the series, the illustrations are cute, colorful and child-like, covering each double-paged spread. Complimentary borders line one page of each double-paged spread. For instance, the page that reads: God made creatures – some with paws, has a border with paw prints on it.

What I Like: Everything.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: Baby to preschool.

Publisher Info: Tyndale, 2002; ISBN: 0842453712; board book, $6.99.

Buy now at Amazon $6.99.

Special Info: As mentioned, this book is part of a series. Other books in the series include: I’m Jack; Is God Always with Me?; One Year Book of Devotions for Preschoolers; What about Heaven?; and Why Is There a Cross? Read our reviews of these books.

Visit the author’s website.