Sunday, December 16, 2012

Psalms for Kids: Psalm 8

Psalm 8 is one of joy and praise: O Lord, our Lord, you majestic name fills the earth! Author Sherri Trudgian takes this beloved Psalm and sweetly retells it in her own words: Our God is awesome! His works are terrific. Look all around you—now let’s get specific…

Following the blueprint of the original Psalm, Trudgian highlights the planets and various animals, praising God’s handiwork throughout all creation in her book Psalms for Kidz: Psalm 8. Each page contains one or two quatrains of rhyming text and bright, kid-friendly watercolor artwork done by Melanie Moreland Krass. In addition, the inside cover contains a note to parents from the author and there is a page devoted to the original Psalm. The book concludes on the back cover with comments from both author and illustrator about planning stages in the book and ultimate product.

What I Like: I appreciate the inclusion of the original Psalm. I enjoyed comparing and contrasting it to the poem Trudgian created. The message is upbeat and has a repeating chorus young children will enjoy. The paintings, done by Krass, are whimsical and packed with curled, stripy, or zigzagging lines…and a nice accompaniment to the text.

What I Dislike: The rhyming meter is occasionally awkward. For example: God put sheep in flocks,/ Placed the cattle in herds,/ Fish in the ocean—/Filled the sky up with birds. Also, for the sake of the rhyme, the story contained empty “filler” words, making the story longer than it needed to be.

Overall Rating: Good. I enjoyed it, and I think young readers will too. It would also be a fun addition to a church library.

Age Appeal: None listed, but I suggest Preschool through first grade.

Publisher Info: Little Sprout Publishing House, 2011; ASIN: B00737WF9M ; Paperback, 32 pgs., $7.99

This book is NOT available at Christianbook.com.
Buy it at Amazon.com for $7.99.

Special info: Check out CCBR reviews of other books by Trudgian.

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