A friend is coming over to play, and an excited young host prays to God to help her not be a “grumble bear”. Sherri Trudgian’s book >Psalm 133: “It’s Good to Share!” realistically shows a youngster struggling to overcome her feelings of possessiveness and share her playthings with a friend. While the heroine is eager to have fun, she has to remember to spilt cookies, give up a favorite toy, and calm down. The story has kid-friendly watercolor illustrations that help bring the characters to life.
What I Like: I love the wild pony tails the illustrator paints on the girl. I like the actions and the phrase one character uses to help her make good choices: “Take a breath. Now let it go. Who-o-o.” And “I will not be a grumble bear!” The young girl also prays, a gesture kids need to see. I especially appreciate finding a quote of the NLT version of Psalm 133 at the end of the book. In addition, the author offers her thoughts on harmony.
What I Dislike: I enjoy rhyming books with a strong beat and natural speech patterns. For me, this book’s meter doesn’t always pan out, and some of the phrases seem to be awkwardly worded. Plus, we never learn the names of the two characters—they are just a girl and a boy. Names would help give them a sense of identity.
Overall Rating: Good
Age Appeal: No age is given by the publisher. I think it works for the 4-8 year range.
Publisher Info: Little Sprout Publishing House, 2010; ISBN: 978-0-9779194-4-4 ; Paperback, 32 PGS., $8.00.
This book is not available at Christianbook.com.
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