Names of our Father

Names of our Father by Yvonne Riley explores 12 Hebrew names of God by paralleling them with The Lord's Prayer. Following a set template, four pages are devoted to each name. The first page lists the name, it's phonetic pronunciation and a number of descriptive words or synonyms. A verse featuring this name of God is given at the bottom of the page, and a picture (part photograph, part illustration) faces from the opposite page. The next two pages use prose to explain why this name is significant to us. At the top of these two pages, the author quotes a line from The Lord's Prayer on one side and paraphrases that same line on the other side.

At the beginning of the book, readers will find a note to parents and a table of contents. The table of contents lists all the featured names paralleled with The Lord's Prayer and "Our Prayer," the author's paraphrase. The following Hebrew names of God are included:

• Abba
• Elohim
• Kaddesh
• Nissi
• Adonai
• Shalom
• El Shaddai
• Rophe
• Rohi
• Jireh
• Shammah
• Jehovah

The author's husband, David Riley, served as illustrator. He combined photographs of various children with heavily outlined illustrations to depict lifestyles from all around the world. A friendly jaguar appears on several pages.

What I Like:I love the concept! I like that this book teaches children (and parents!) the significance of the many names of God. I like that it uses the real language along with explanations. I like that it parallels all this with a prayer, thereby teaching us to use God's many names when we pray. While the illustrations aren't my favorite, my kids really like them.

What I Dislike: The format can be a bit confusing for reading aloud. The Lord's Prayer and the paraphrase appear to be headings, but text often continues from the previous page. This leads to a jilted reading.

Overall Rating: The book itself is not extraordinary, but because of the uniqueness of content and the rarity of books like this, I'm giving it a rating of Very Good.

Age Appeal: 4-8

Publisher Info: Moody Publishers, 2005; ISBN: 0802429467; Hardback; $9.99

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Special Info: This book is part of the Trinity Trilogy. The other two books are Jesus: A to Z and Gift of the Spirit (not in print).