God is With Me Through the Night

God is With Me Through the Night by Julie Cantrell is a companion book to God is With Me Through the Day. In fact, it's an extremely similar book, except it discusses nighttime fears instead of daytime fears.

The book outlines a child's typical evening: he plays with his family, snuggles with his parents, and gets tucked into bed with a kiss from mama. But then, in the dark of his bedroom, he begins to feel frightened. He hears "weird noises" and sees "strange shadows." But "Mama tells me God is with me, even in the dark." God kept Daniel safe from the lions, and he keeps children safe, too.

"I roar like a tiger, 'I am safe!' And then all the scary thoughts go away. I fall asleep and find my happy dreams."

In God's hands, the child feels brave, and loved, and safe. The book ends by quoting Isaiah 41:10 ("Do not fear, for I am with you.")

Throughout, the book is illustrated by nature photographs that are beautiful and cute. For example, when bravery is mentioned, we see a bear cub standing on its hind legs and stretching its paws. When happiness is mentioned, we see an ostrich that looks like its smiling. When stretching after a good night's sleep is mentioned, we see a giraffe stretching its hind legs. The photos are fascinating for young kids.

What I Like: One of the problems with picture books about fear is that it's difficult to make them universal enough they don't put ideas about previously unknown fears into a child's head. In this case, if your child doesn't already imagine scary shadows and sounds in the dark, this is not a book you want to read them. On the other hand, if your child is afraid of the dark, this is a great title to have in your home library. Cantrell does a nice job of taking children step by step through the process of thinking themselves out of a fear of the dark.

What I Dislike: I strongly wish the author mentioned prayer as a remedy for fear.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: According to the publisher, 4 to 8, but given the simple text and gorgeous photographs, many toddlers will love this book, too.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2009; ISBN: 0310715636; hardback; $9.99

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You Are Thumbuddy

You Are Thumbuddy, by Mark Arens and illustrated by Kelly Frankenberg, will guarantee smiles with each reading. Thumbprints are unique and one of a kind, and this book shows children that they are "thumbuddy" in the same way.

The book comes with an accompanying CD, which features 16 songs that relate to the book. The neat thing about the CD, is that the tunes are old favorites and easy to sing along with.

Peppered with pertinent Scripture verses, this is a book about feeling special:

"Thumbuddy is lovable, special, huggable, beautiful, gentle, incredible, a miracle ... YOU ARE THUMBUDDY," the book begins.

This book encourages a child to live an amazing life, be true to oneself, and to leave a special imprint on the world.

What I Like: The cheerful illustrations and the wonderful Scriptures on each page spread will immediately catch a child's eye. In the back of the book, there is a message to adults, explaining the whole concept behind "Thumbuddy." I was also glad to see that the author pressed home to children that God is the one helping us to do our best and do good things. The book is full of feel good affirmations, but accompanied by solid Scripture.

What I Dislike: Overall, I don't see too much to dislike about this book. I think it does depict life a little unrealistically, but that doesn't detract from the charms of the book.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: Preschool through early elementary, according to the publisher.

Publisher Info: ThumbPeople Inc, 2008; ISBN: 0980160677; Hardback, $17.95.

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Special Info: There is a whole website dedicated to the Thumbpeople and corresponding books and products.

We've reviewed another book about Thumbpeople! Read our reviews.

At Jerusalem's Gate: Poems of Easter

At Jerusalem’s Gate: Poems of Easter is a truly unusual retelling of the story of Easter. The author, Nikki Grimes, begins with Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey and ending with the time shortly after Jesus’ resurrection. Each part of the story is told in verse, some rhyming and some not, with the point of view of a different character or a different scene for each poem. The author includes an introduction to each poem, telling how and why she chose that particular character to tell his/her part of the story.

She uses such well-known characters as Judas, Caiaphas (head of the religious counsel), Pilate, Simon (who carried Jesus’ cross), Peter (who denied knowing Christ), the criminals who were crucified with Jesus, Malchus (a servant of Caiaphas), Mary the mother of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, Mary Magdalene, and witnesses who saw Jesus after his resurrection. She even has two poems about inanimate objects, the tree whose wood was used for the cross and the sun that refused to shine when Jesus took his last breath. She includes scenes from the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Crucifixion.

The text is thought-provoking in both its set-up and its language. The author says it best when she writes, “Much of the Biblical story of Easter makes us squirm, so we rush ahead to the good stuff: the resurrection, the ascension, and the celebration that followed. However, the celebrations is hollow unless we pause to consider the price Jesus paid to win the world invitations to the party, and that price included suffering on the way to the cross.”

There is a page at the end of the book that gives Biblical references for all the poems.

David Frampton's wood-cut illustrations remind me of stained glass, providing images that “illuminate” the text.

What I Like: Everything.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: The publisher suggests grades 5-8 as the targeted audience for this book. I think this age group would enjoy the book on their own, but I think younger children, maybe grades 3-4, would enjoy it as well, if shared with parents and/or older siblings.

Publisher Info: Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers, 2005; ISBN: 0802851835: Hardcover: $20.00.

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Special Info: Visit the author’s website.

Easter is almost here!

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Someday Heaven

Someday Heaven, written by Larry Libby, answers children's most popular questions about Heaven. Each two-page spread features a large illustration, a question and an answer, sometimes given through short stories. Most quote Scripture and offer Biblical references to support the answers given.

The questions tackled in this book include:

• Where is Heaven?
• How do I get to Heaven?
• How long does it take to get to Heaven?
• Who lives in Heaven?
• How long will I be in Heaven?
• Will it always be light in Heaven?
• Will anyone meet me when I get to Heaven?
• Will there be other children in Heaven?
• Will I be an angel when I get to Heaven?
• Will I need money in Heaven?
• Will I ever be sad in Heaven?
• Will my grandpa still be old in Heaven?
• Will my pets go to Heaven?
• How can I know for sure that I'm going to Heaven?

Wayne McLoughlin served as illustrator. His paintings feature life-like characters and deep contrasts.

What I Like: It answers almost every question kids have about Heaven! My favorite part: the author continually brings the focus back to the important facts. The Bible tells us so little about something so big; it would be easy to get lost in speculation. This book keeps the big issues as the big issues and doesn't get distracted by unknown details. Scripture and references are provided throughout the book.

What I Dislike: Some of the illustrations are a little boring. Great quality, but not interesting enough to keep kids listening through the longer pieces of text.

Age Appeal: 4-8

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2001; ISBN: 0310701058; Hardback; $12.99

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God is With Me Through the Day

Using beautiful and fun nature photographs, Julie Cantrell's God is With Me Through the Day is a simple and satisfying picture book.

The text of this volume walks children through a typical day: The child wakes up, stretches, grabs a kiss from mama, and runs outside. Then:

"I start to feel alone. I try to be brave. But sometimes I cry. I feel very small in the great big world."

Then the child remembers God is always with us - just as he was with David when he fought lions, just as he was with Jonah in the big fish. So the child shouts "God loves me!" and "I am safe!" And things don't seem so scary any more. We are never alone.

The book ends by quoting Psalm 56:3 ("When I am afraid, I will trust in you.") This is a great message, but it's the addition of the illustrations that makes this book really special. Throughout are photographs of animals, in fitting "poses" to go with the text. For example, we see a baby monkey clinging to his mother, a raccoon who is looking heavenward, and a penguin mother "kissing" her child.

What I Like: The author's approach to fear is suitable for nearly all children; it focuses on the universal feeling of being alone and afraid. Then the author reminds children they are in God's loving hands and that shouting to the world that they are safe can actually help.

What I Dislike: I strongly wish the author mentioned prayer as a remedy for fear. Also, she writes "God kept Jonah safe inside the whale," when in fact the Bible calls the creature a "great fish," not a whale.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: According to the publisher, 4 to 8, but given the simple text and gorgeous photographs, many toddlers will love this book, too.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2009; ISBN: 0310715628; hardback; $9.99

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