With short stories that are fun, yet not filled with adventures to keep kids awake, Bedtime Stories for Little Angels has ten tales that will enchant children. Included in the book are:
"The Balancing Trick"
"Sophie Slips Up"
"Accidents Happen"
"Patchwork Princess"
What I Like: All of the stories center around an easily identifiable value. For instance, in the story "Watch and Wait," Poppy learns about patience. In "Tasha's Gift," the topic is sharing toys. I can't think of many better ways to put my children to bed at night than thinking about a value they need to learn.
The illustrations by Ms. Kolanovic are soft and cute. They won't excite your little one to make bedtime more difficult, either.
What I Dislike: All of the main characters in the stories are girls. While this doesn't detract from the stories, I would like it if some of the stories had little boys as the main characters. There are boy characters, however, in the form of brothers and fathers.
Values are discussed, but the Bible and God aren't mentioned at all. I would have appreciated more discussions about God, or at least mention of Him. The publisher does state that the stories are loose interpretations of Jesus' parables. If you're familiar with the parables, you can see the correlation. For instance, the story "Hugly Comes Home" seems to be based on the parable of the woman with the lost coin.
Overall Rating: Very Good.
Age Appeal: 4 - 8
Publisher Info: Lion Children's, 2009; ISBN: 978-0-7459-6114-9; Hardback, 45 PGS. $12.99
Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $9.99
OR Buy it at Amazon.com for $11.04.
Special Info: This book was put out by a British publisher, so instead of "mom," it's "mum," and a flashlight is referred to as a "torch."
3 comments:
I haven't read this book, but I'd add my dislike - "little angels" in the title. When little ones are just learning about angels, I think it's important to emphasize the distinction between angels and people. There is a common misconception that people become angels when they die. And "angel" is used to denote, for example, a well-behaved child. For little learners, I'd like to reserve the term "angel" for awe-inspiring spiritual beings, in whose presence we are so overwhelmed that the first words they say are "fear not."
"Bedtime Stories for Little Ones" isn't as catchy a title, but I think it would be more appropriate.
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Happy Holidays!
@Anonymous,
While I hadn't thought of it when writing this review, when you point it out, I happen to agree. I also know that many days, my two-year-old could hardly be described as a "little angel"! ;)
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