Tuesday, June 24, 2008

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

Get it Now at Amazon.com for $6.99!

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 http://www.youdiditforme.com/.

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