Sunday, February 6, 2011

The Creation Story for Children


I’ve read lots of children’s books about the Creation story, but none quite like this one. The Creation Story for Children, written by Helen Haidle, tells the story of Creation, with passages from the Bible, and so much more.

The first part of the book starts with a Bible passage, such as Genesis 1:1-2. That is followed, on the same page, with an explanation of what happened in the Bible and how it relates to us, and a question (or questions) about the text. As in: “Try to imagine what it must have been like before God made the world. Nothing else existed, except God. WHO is God? The Almighty, All-knowing and All-powerful One who made everything we know and see. In the beginning, this God - the giver of all life – now began to work in the darkness.” Each text section is accompanied by outstanding, eye-catching illustrations. The book continues in this manner throughout the Bible’s story, from Genesis 1:1 through Genesis 2:3.

Then, there’s a section telling about some of God’s wonderful animal creations, such as the mouth-brooder fish, the hummingbird, and the hedgehog. An illustration of each featured creature is followed by a paragraph or two of description.

The last part of the book is about how God relates to children. This section gives assurances with a related Bible verse, all taken from Psalm 139. A couple of examples are “God Thinks of Me” referenced by Psalm 139:17-18 and “God Is with Me,” from Psalm 139:5, 9, 10.

The illustrations by David Haidle and Cheri Bladholm are vivid and vibrant and alive and exciting and just plain wonderful. The text is beautifully written and the illustrations complement the writing beautifully.

What I Like: Everything, especially the illustrations.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: The publisher doesn’t give an age group for the book, but Amazon says it’s for ages 4-8. I think this book appeals to a much larger audience than that, more like 4-12. The younger ones would certainly enjoy the illustrations, even if they don’t understand all of the text. The older ones will understand the text as well as the illustrations.

Publisher Info: Master Books, 2009; ISBN: 9780890515655; Hardcover, $14.99.

Buy now at ChristianBook $11.99!

Or buy at Amazon.com $11.249.

Special Info: Read our reviews of other books illustrated by Cheri Bladholm.




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