Come Into My Heart, Lord Jesus

Do you have a child you want to lead to Christ? A child you hope will pray the sinner's prayer? Then Stormie Omartian's Come Into My Heart, Lord Jesus may be just the book for you. Full of bright, cheerful, kid-friendly illustrations by Shari Warren, the premise behind this book is very simple: God loves us - all the time. We can make God happy by talking with him. But there is one particular prayer that makes God the most happy: when you "ask Jesus to come into your heart."

The text then explains how Jesus is our savior, saving us from

"bad things and bad people. But most important of all, He saves you from ever having to be separated from God. When you receive Jesus, it means that someday you will go to heaven and live with God. Jesus said that the only way to get to heaven is by receiving Him into our hearts first. We can't find the way without Jesus."

Omartian then explains that Heaven is a desirable place, where nobody gets sick or sad. She also talks about how Jesus helps us while we're still here on earth.

"You can't see the air, but you know it is there because you are breathing it. You can't see Jesus, but you know He is there because He has promised to be with you forever, and He never breaks His promise. Just as the air is always there keeping you alive, Jesus  is always there giving you life, too."

She then suggests that when the child is ready, he or she can say the sinner's prayer printed on the last page of the book. There is a place on that page to write the child's name and the date, as a sort of remembrance.

What I Like: Warren's illustrations keep young children interested in this book, showing images of children playing, eating, sleeping, praying to a smiling Jesus, and more.

What I Dislike: I think Omartain could have done a better job explaining things to children. For example, what on earth does it mean to ask Jesus into our hearts? Children tend to be literal, so I think you can expect them to wonder things like, "Will that hurt when Jesus comes into my heart? How does Jesus make himself small enough to live there?" and so on. The Bible never talks about asking Jesus into our hearts, which makes this a doubly questionable way to explain salvation to kids. (For more on the history of the sinner's prayer and asking Jesus into our hearts, click here.) However, this flaw could actually encourage parents to discuss these and related issues with their children - which is a good thing.

Overall Rating: Good.

Age Appeal: The publisher doesn't specify, but I'd say 5 - 9 or so.

Publishing Info: Harvest House, 2014; ISBN:  978-0736950688; hardback, 32 pgs., $10.79

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Why God Made Armpits

If you’re looking for either a Biblical or a scientific explanation as to why we have armpits or what their function is, you won’t find it in this book, Why God Made Armpits, written by Evan Doyle. What you will find is a story of a young boy who wants to know what the place under his arm are called and why he has it.

The explanation given is very simple: Mom says, “I think He made it simply to tickle.” Dad joins in, and they say, “To make you squiggle. To make you wiggle. I think it’s there to make you giggle!”

They go on to suggest that God likes to laugh and he knew we humans would, too. So he gave us armpits so we could share our laughter with each other.

The pages of the book are filled top-to-bottom with gloriously colorful and expressive illustrations by Natosha Arrowood.

What I Like: I love the illustrations. Without them, this book would just putter along.

I also like the idea of armpits being just for tickling, although that’s not a real explanation for them.

And, the author includes a short prayer of praise at the end of the book for kids.

What I Dislike: For one thing, the text is written in rhyme. Even though the rhyme works well for the part I shared above, the rhyme is weak in the rest of the text.

Also, the book is very short, with only twelve pages total. I think the book would have worked better in a board book format, rather than a full-sized picture book.

Overall Rating: Good.

Age Appeal: 4-8.

Publisher Info: Wordpress, 2013; ISBN: 9780989139502; Paperback, $9.95.

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The Bible's Big Story: Salvation History for Kids

The Bible's Big Story: Salvation History for Kids by James M. Hamilton Jr. brings the word "timeline" to mind! It is a great book sharing a brief but concise timeline of God's history of salvation as it is laid out in the Bible.

Each page shows one piece of the timeline, starting with Creation and ending with Christ's return.

The rhyming poem which works its way through the book shares a foundational piece of God's salvation timeline on each page. This poem could easily be memorized by children and their parents.

Along with the two lines of the poem, each page also has an accompanying verse which gives a biblical background to the moment on the timeline. For older kids or parents who want to take this book a little further with their children, there is a "see also" notation at the bottom of the page with several related Scripture references.

What I Like: I like the fact that I can use this book with both of my children (2 and 5) and adjust what I read to make it age appropriate for each. I especially like that in a couple of years I can pull this book out again and take it further as we look into the "see also" passages.

I also think the illustrations by Tessa Janes are well done and fit the style of the book. Just by looking at the picture on each page, you can see which account is being highlighted. I personally like the simplicity of the pictures.

What I Dislike: I like everything about this book.

Overall Rating: Excellent
 
Age Appeal: 5-12 years old

Publisher Info: Christian Focus Publications, 2013; ISBN:978-1-78191-162-4 ; paperback, 24 pgs., $4.99

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