Meet the Leapers

Meet the Leapers by Jennifer Gordon is the story of a frog family who live in the Soon Forgotten Pond. One day and angel visits the Daddy Frog and tells him to get his family to the largest lily pad in the pond in order to save them from the great storm God is sending.  Daddy Frog is told to encourage the other creatures to change their ways before the great storm comes. Sadly, no one listens to him. However, because the frog family obeys God, they are safe.

What I Like: I always look for how illustrations match up with the actual text of a book. Having a non reader, I know that he will connect with a book based on the pictures he sees. Scott R. Strub did a fantastic job connecting the text to the illustrations. Not only do they complement the story on each page, but the text is tastefully applied to the page. It is never put in an area that will make it difficult to read.

What I Dislike: I thought the attempt at making this story an adaptation of the account of Noah's Ark was a bit of a stretch.

Overall Rating: Very good

Age Appeal: 4-8-year-olds

Publisher Info: Jennifer Gordon, 2013; ISBN: 978-1-62890-413-0; paperback, 22 pgs., $8.95

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Jesus

Jesus by Anselm Gron is a simple retelling of the biblical account of Jesus for children by a German monk. The simplicity of the accounts and the simplicity of the illustrations give this book a truly endearing quality.

Beginning with the announcement of the angel to Mary, the account of Jesus as retold in this book highlights specific aspects of his life and ministry such as the Boy Jesus at the Temple, Jesus calling his disciples, the feeding of the five thousand, the parable of the Prodigal Son, the blessing of the children bringing the dead girl back to life, meeting Zacchaeus, the Last Supper, His arrest and death, and finally His resurrection.

Each account is told as simply as possible without an excess of words and without the authors opinion finding its way into the account.

What I Like: As I sat with my children to read this book, I was thrilled that I could give them an overview of the life of Christ. The accounts were told in such a way it left room for my six year old to ask questions I could answer for her. Yet there was not so much room for questions that she was left wondering too many questions. This book definitely leaves room for discussion between the parent and child.

The illustrations in the book were fantastically done. The cover illustration is an example of the artwork in the entire book. The illustrations fill up each two-page spread, yet the pages do not appear busy by any means. The main aspect of each account is depicted in the illustration as simply as possible.

What I Dislike: I did not care for how the last two accounts (Jesus' death and resurrection) were handled. Concerning His death, we are told that Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, and as a result Jesus was led off to be crucified. The true reason for His death was never mentioned or explained- I had to do that on my own.

As for the resurrection, the illustration depicts the inside of the tomb with two angels inside announcing to the two women that Jesus had risen. The account goes further to explain that Jesus appeared to the disciples later that evening, but Jesus is never depicted in an illustration as being risen. The book seems to abruptly end after this account. I think if there had been one final illustration of a risen Jesus, the book would have felt complete to me.

Overall Rating: Good

Age Appeal: 5-10-year-olds

Publisher Info: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2014; ISBN: 978-0-8028-5438-4 ; hardcover, 26 pgs., $16.00


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The Sheep That No One Could Find

The Sheep That No One Could Find by Anthony DeStefano is a charming recreation of the biblical parable of the Good Shepherd and the lost sheep.

The story follows the little lamb as he makes one wrong choice to leave the Shepherd and the consequences that follow.

The book is written as a lyrical poem, but is quite easy for children to understand and take to heart. As I read the lines, "But one of the sheep decided one day the words of the Shepherd were hard to obey. Instead he decided to do things his way," my six year old looked at me and thoughtfully said, "This book sounds like it is for me."

I realize that the Bible does not actually tell us what happened to the little lamb as he wandered away from the Shepherd. The parable is designed to show us the love that Jesus has for each and everyone of us individually. This book, however, does a fantastic job of showing children that when we choose to disobey or runaway from our authority, we will find ourselves in situations that could lead to sorrow, injury, and danger.


What I Like: Illustrations are so important in books designed for little eyes. Smaller children cannot read, so to keep them engaged, these books need great illustrations. Illustrator Richard Cowdrey, a New York Times Bestselling Artist, does a fantastic job filling the pages with color and pictures to bring the story to life for little (and big) eyes. My two and a half year old stayed engaged with the story the entire time because he was so mesmerized by the illustrations and talked about them throughout my reading of the story.

What I Dislike: I loved this book.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: 2-8-year-olds

Publisher Info: Harvest House Publishers, 2014; ISBN: 978-0-7369-5611-6 ; hardcover, 32 pgs., $14.99


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13 Very Cool Stories and Why Jesus Told Them

13 Very Cool Stories and Why Jesus Told Them provides an outstanding resource for small groups of children. Part of Standard Publishing's "Small Group Solutions for Kids" series, 13 Very Cool Stories and Why Jesus Told Them are ideal for children's ministry and private teaching of the parables at home. 

What I Like: This book is a useful tool for parents and teachers in that it helps them present the parables of Jesus in an easy, understandable way. For teachers, preparation is easy, and the lessons offer flexibility in teaching methods. Not only will children have fun learning about the parables of Christ, but they will also retain what they learn through a variety of accompanying fun activities.  No teacher training is required to use this book. The book can be used in a Sunday school class, in a special service for children, or as a one-on-one devotional.

What I Dislike:  While I have not personally used this book in children's ministry, I would say that one of its drawbacks is the fact that the teacher or parent will have to provide the supplies to demonstrate each lesson.  While this is not necessarily a problem, the teacher will need to gather the supplies ahead of time and make sure he or she has extras on hand for those children who show up unexpectedly.
 
Overall Rating: Very good

Age Appeal: 7-12

Publisher Info: Standard Publishing, 2009; ISBN: 978-0784721230; Paperback, 112 pgs., $9.99.

Buy it at Amazon for $8.99.

Jesus Teaches Us Not to Worry

Our lives are filled with worry. In Jesus Teaches Us Not to Worry by Julie Stiegemeyer, Jesus' words from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6) come alive in rhyme to teach kids to depend on God when they're concerned.

The story is a basic retelling of a small portion of Jesus' famous sermon, starting with how the crowd gathered to listen to Him. After a brief overview of things covered in Matthew 5, Jesus tells the people not to worry, that God will give you all you need.

"'Do not worry,' Jesus said,
'about what you will eat.
God will give you all you need--
water, bread, and meat.'"

At the end, a modern-day family is shown reading a Bible Storybook together. The reader is urged to listen to God and remember how He cares for us.

What I Like: As with other books I've read in the Arch Book series, the stories from the Bible are told with little exaggeration and in a manner appropriate for their audience.

I love the fact that the author indicates that Jesus talked about more than just the topic of worry--it's an open invitation to read the rest of the Sermon on the Mount with your child.

The last page is a note to parents--and it's filled with great information on the story itself, as well as suggestions on how to talk to your kids if they're concerned about something.

What I Dislike: There's not much I dislike, but occasionally, the rhyming rhythm was tricky to read (even silently). This has been noted as a flaw by our other reviewers for other Arch Books, as well.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 5 - 9

Publisher Info: Concordia Publishing House, 2011; ISBN: 978-0-7586-2581-6; Paperback, 15 PGS., $2.49

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Special Info: The face of Jesus is shown throughout the story. We've also reviewed other books by Julie Stiegemeyer, which you can find here. Additionally, reviews of other books in the Arch Book series may be found here.

Two-Minute Parables

One of my all time favorite children's books is the now out of print Stories Jesus Told - parables told in a kid-captivating way. But only a handful of Jesus' parables are included in this book, so I've had my eyes open for another parable book worth adding to our family library. With Two-Minute Parables by Elena Pasquali, I've found that book.

Each parable in this book is about 4 illustrated pages, and while it's targeted to young children, it isn't dumbed down. Pasquali includes the parable of the sower and seeds, the merchant and the pearl, the building of a tower, the servant who owed money, the rich farmer, the friend who comes at midnight, the ten bridesmaids, the great feast, the prodigal son, and the vineyard workers. Sometimes the author introduces the parable by putting it into context; for example, in the story of the servant who owed money, she begins the chapter will Peter asking how many times he should forgive someone.

What I Like: Jesus' parables are so rich, it seems a shame more children's books do not retell them; I'm thankful for Pasquali's contribution in this area. Each parable is well told and my 6 year old loves this book. Best of all, it's lead to several deeply spiritual conversations between my kindergartener and myself.

What I Dislike: The illustrations by Nicola Smee are on the dull side; they aren't bad, mind you. I just wish they had more of a "wow" factor. In addition, I have two "wishes" (not really dislikes): I wish the book included scripture references, so I could easily look up a parable in the Bible. Also, the text doesn't explain the parables any more than Jesus did - which is good. But it would have been useful if suggested questions were included at the end of each chapter. Hopefully, parents will engage their children in conversations about the parables' deeper meanings without this prompting.

Overall Rating: Because the illustrations don't reach the potential of the text, I give this book a rating of "Very Good."

Age Appeal: I'd say preschool through grade school.

Publishing Info: Lion; 2012; ISBN: 978-0745962016; hardback, 48 pgs., $12.99.

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Special Info: To read our other reviews of books by Elena Pasquali, click here.

God Comes to Us Like a Caterpillar

Jesus' parables are great stories--but how do they apply to me? To my life? This can be a question kids ask--maybe not out loud, but when they hear the pastor drone on about the parable of the mustard seed for the third time in a year, it can seem dry and even unimportant. However, in Kent Chadwick's God Comes to Us Like a Caterpillar, Jesus' parables are retold in a way that will interest your grade-schooler and pre-teen.

For instance, the parable of the lost drachma from Luke 15:8-10 is retold in this manner:

Jesus said, "If a girl has ten dollars yet loses one in her room, won't she turn on all her lights and clean her whole room and hunt for it until she finds it? And when she finds it she'll call to her brothers and sisters and mother and father and say, 'Hey, isn't it great? I found the dollar I lost!'"

Seventy-eight unique parables from the Gospels are re-told in interesting ways throughout God Comes to Us Like a Caterpillar.

What I Like: The book is very well organized, and you can tell the author took great pains to try to be as true to the original parables while spinning them into modern language. Several of the stories are funny, all are thought-provoking.

All of the stories list the part or parts of scripture the original story came from so you and your kids can go back and see exactly what Jesus said. I really appreciated this since there were several stories I didn't remember.

Each story ends with a short question or two to get the reader thinking about how the parable applies in his or her life. This is why I believe this could be a good family book or even devotion, as long as your kids are old enough.

What I Dislike: There's nothing about this book I dislike.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 9 - 12

Publisher Info: Wisdom Press, 2010; ISBN: 978-1452889221; Paperback, 118 pgs. $10.00

Buy it at Amazon.com for $10.00.
Also available for the Kindle for $5.00.

Bible Animals

Kids love animals. And small kids love hand-sized books. The Candle Library takes advantage of a small child's love of both animals and tiny books by offering Bible Animals - a boxed collection of 6 biblical stories featuring animals. Each book measures about 3.7 x 3.7 inches.

The Big Fish's Supper tells part of the tale of Jonah; a big fish hears a big fuss in the middle of a storm. The captain of a ship tells the sailors to throw Jonah overboard. The fish swallows him and Jonah says, "I'm running away from God." Later the fish spats Jonah out on the beach and Jonah says, "Goodbye, Big Fish! I have a message from God - and now I have to deliver it!"

In Little Sheep Gets Lost, a shepherd looses one sheep and goes on the hunt for it. "I'm so happy," the shepherd says at the end of the book. "I found my lost sheep!"

The Pig Who Shared features a boy who cares for the pig but can't buy food for himself. The pig feels sorry for him and offers him some muck. The boy eats it, but tells the pig that at home he always had plenty to eat. "I've been very stupid! I will go back to my father." He does, and the boy's father is happy to see him.

In Elephant Keeps Safe, Noah tells the elephant that God wants him to build a huge boat because a flood is coming. The elephant helps by carrying wood. Lots of animals, including the elephant, get on board once the boat is finished. The book ends: "God shut the door. Inside everyone was warm and dry. Elephant was safe from the flood!"

In Lion Misses Breakfast, a hungry lion sees Daniel thrown into his pit. Daniel prays for help from God and an angel closes the lion's mouth. The next morning, Daniel leaves the pit and there's "no breakfast for Lion today!"

In Donkey Helps a Stranger, a donkey who's been on a long trip and is tired doesn't really want to stop to help a stranger, but he does, anyway. Donkey helps carry the man back into town where the injured man can be cared for. "Thank you for helping me," the stranger tells Donkey.

What I Like: My 2 year old loves these books. He likes the size, to be sure, but he's also attracted to these short tales (each briefly told in 8 pages) with attractive illustrations. The collection is a nice introduction to a number of famous stories from the Bible - a real bonus when you have a child who's not yet interested in children's Bible storybooks.

What I Dislike: None of the stories is what I'd call complete. For example, we never know why Jonah is running from God, nor what his message is. However, each book does offer a biblical reference so parents can easily look up the story and offer more information for their children. As long as parents look at these books as an introduction to these famous stories, I think they will be satisfied.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: According to Amazon, 4 to 8, but I'd say baby to preschool.

Publishing Info: Candle Books, 2011; ISBN: 978-1859858868; 6 boardbooks in a cardboard storage box, 48 total pgs., $7.99.

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Special Info: The books in this boxed set are all condensed versions of other, previously published board books. Donkey Helps a Stranger, for example, is a condensed version of Donkey to the Rescue. (Click here to read our review of this book.)

Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten

Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten is a one book in the Princess Parables Series, which is written by Jeanna Young and Jacqueline Johnson. The series focuses on five princesses: Grace, Joy, Faith, Charity, and Hope. This story is about Princess Grace, and is based on Matthew 18:12-14, which is the parable of the lost sheep. The illustrations by Omar Aranda are vibrant and eye catching.

Princess Grace discovers five kittens inside the stairwell closet and is attracted to one curious gray kitten. She begs her father to let her keep all of them, and he agrees, as long as she promises to make sure they don't get into any trouble. She names the curious kitten Poppy.

The princesses enjoy playing with their kittens every day, but one day, Princess Grace realizes with dismay that Poppy is missing. After looking everywhere imaginable in and outside of the castle, Grace confesses to her father that Poppy is gone. The king sends his best horses and trusted riders to assist the princesses in their search:

"You are each important to me, even when you get into trouble. Search everywhere for our lost kitten. Bring her back safely to the castle. Go now, with my blessing."

The princesses' search takes them into the scary Black Woods, but even then they don't give up. Princess Grace was filled with joy when she found her beloved Poppy hiding under a hollow log.

The story ends with a letter from Princess Grace to the reader of the story, which ties her fictional story to the parable of the lost sheep.

What I Like: The letter at the end from Princess Grace was my favorite part of the story. It really made the lessons of the story clear, and tied it into the Biblical parable.

What I Dislike: Although my girls loved the story and the bright illustrations, the story seemed a little contrived to me. My daughters definitely didn't mind!

Overall Rating: Very Good

Age Appeal: 4-8

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2011; ISBN:0310716403 ; Hardcover, 32 PGS., $12.99.

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Get the Kindle edition for $9.99.

Additional Info: We've reviewed another book in this series!

Bedtime Stories for Little Angels

Can a kid ever have enough bedtime stories? Probably not. And Bedtime Stories for Little Angels by Sarah J. Dodd and illustrated by Dubravka Kolanovic is a good addition to any child's library.

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

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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."

How I Pray for My Friends

Are you looking for a practical way to teach your child to make prayer a lifestyle rather than just something they do before bed at night? If so, How I Pray For My Friends, by Erik (with a little help from Jeannie St. John Taylor) is a great choice.

This fun and colorful book is full of down-to-earth advice on prayer and a surprising spiritual depth that even the youngest of children will easily understand.

Erik, the main character, walks the reader through a typical day at school, praying for his friends as they face everyday situations such as skinning a knee, losing a toy, or fighting with a friend.

Erik talks about praying with his eyes open or closed, out loud or in his heart, moment by moment throughout the day. He also talks about asking God for guidance when he doesn't know what to pray.

The illustrations by Jeannie St. John Taylor are large and bright. The book has a strong cover and binding that will hold up for a long time.

At the end of the book, a letter to parents is included, which provides parents with creative with ideas on how to read together, talk it over, take action and have fun!  

What I Like: I LOVE the way Erik not only prays for his friends, but becomes the answer to his own prayers by doing something to help. In one instance he prays for a friend who is lonely and then goes over to her and asks her if she would like to play. In another situation, Erik prays for his friend who forgot to bring a lunch to school and then offers to share his lunch with him.

I also LOVE that Erik asks God for guidance as he prays. He says, "Sometimes I don't know what to pray, so I ask Jesus to help me. When I do that, ideas about what to say just pop into my head, and I am pretty sure that it is Jesus talking to me." This is a great expression of Romans 8:26: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."  

What I Dislike: The character's eyes, which are very large and have dark circles around them, dominate the illustrations and seemed a little scary to me, although my daughter didn't seem to mind.  

Overall Rating: Very Good  

Age Appeal: The book specifies age 4-8, but my daughter (age 1) enjoyed it very much.  

Publisher Info: Kregel Kidzone, 2006; ISBN: 0-8254-3711-3 ; Hardcover $9.99  
 
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Living in Bible Times

Living in Bible Times employs colorful, detailed, architectural-style drawings to teach children about life during various biblical eras. Tim Dowley, who has a PhD in church history from the University of Manchester, begins by describing the Egyptian pyramids, (before the time of Moses), and goes on to describe the Israelite Tabernacle described in Exodus. We also learn what New Testament houses and ships would have looked like, as well as Herod's Temple, and the Theatre and Stadium in Ephesus.

The book uses short paragraphs next to pictures, paintings and drawings, in a style reminiscent of National Geographic magazines. These are interesting, but the most engaging aspect of the book is its remarkable, full-page, ink sketches on the right hand of every page. These pages are really sleeves containing more detailed, color pictures with labels. The color pictures appear as you pull the page out of the sleeve. It looks like magic, and my children and I had a hard time figuring out how the sleeves work.

The information in the text is interesting, appropriately captioned, and includes definitions (for example, when they mention cherubim, they use parentheses to explain they are "angel-like creatures"), and biblical references. There are several modern-day photographs included to give context to the ancient area described.

What I Like: The ink sketches that give way to color drawings are definitely my favorite part of this book. They include lots of fun detail, and shed new light on familiar Bible stories. I was particularly interested in the "Houses of Bible Times." I can picture many stories about Jesus better after reading about the roof structure and where families would have had their meals. My children also loved the "magical" drawings, but we had to take turns pulling the pages out of the sleeves!

I also liked the way Dowley included Scripture references within the text. Readers would need to look up the verses on their own, but Dowley cites many stories specifically.

The book is bright and each page includes four or five small pictures or photographs. These pictures are captioned, and kept my children interested.

What I Dislike: The only complaint I have is the book is a bit long and wordy. It takes a long time to read through all the information, even though there are only six pages of text. (The book is 9"x 11.")

Overall Rating: Very Good

Age Appeal: 9-12

Publisher Info: Candle Books, 2008; ISBN: 978-1-85985-664-2; Hardcover, $14.99

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Donkey to the Rescue

Tim Dowley's Donkey to the Rescue is a simple retelling of the story of the good Samaritan, told from the prospective of the Samaritan's donkey.

Donkey is feeling grumpy. It always seems like it's hot and he has to carry such heavy loads. The last thing he wants to go is go on a long journey, yet that's what his master asks him to do. So up a mountain Donkey climbs with his master on his back. "Perhaps there are robbers," thought Donkey and felt even grumpier.

Just then, Donkey spies a man on the ground. He's been beaten and robbed. Donkey's master wants to stop, but Donkey isn't so sure. He's still feeling grumpy. Finally, he obeys and carries the beaten man to safety. "'Poor man,' thought Donkey. 'Perhaps I shouldn't be so grumpy.'" When the beaten man thanks Donkey, the author writes: "Next time Donkey wouldn't be so grumpy."

The last page of the book explains Jesus told the story of a man and his donkey who helped a man who'd been robbed. "He said we should help anyone who needs us - not just our friends."

What I Like: The idea behind this book - a retelling from the Donkey's perspective - is a good one. The main parts of Jesus' parable are all covered and the illustrations by Steve Smallman are expressive and appealing.

What I Dislike: My only complaint about this book is the emphasis on how grumpy Donkey feels. This gives the impression Jesus' story was about overcoming our grumpiness, when in fact the story is about helping anyone who needs us. The last page of the book does make this more clear, but the book would be stronger if the story itself - not just the author's moral at the end - emphasized this.

Overall Rating: Good.

Age Appeal: According to the publisher, baby to preschool, but I'd say toddlers and preschoolers.

Publishing Info: Candle Books, 2005; ISBN: 978-0825473005; board book, $5.99

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Special Info: Read our reviews of other books by Tim Dowley.

The Life of Jesus For The Very Young

The Life of Jesus For the Very Young, by Isobel Tallach, touches on many notable events in Jesus' life. It begins with the journey of Mary and Joseph and concludes as the Risen Christ is carried into Heaven in front of His disciples.

The author tells us the name Jesus means someone who saves. The book points out, "His father was not Joseph. His father was God." This is not always clear in books about Jesus. I also love this wording: "Joseph made a home for Mary and Jesus..."

The book tells us about Jesus as a boy in the temple and describes several of his miracles; including the healing of Jairus' daughter, feeding the 5000, and calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. The parables of building a house on a rock, the Samaritan, and the Prodigal Son are included.

The crucifixion is described briefly and it does say, "His blood poured down." The author gives an explanation for why He was crucified: "Jesus came into the world to die, not for himself, but for those who had done wrong."

The colorful pencil sketches occur with every page and the ethnicity of the characters is true to the region.

What I Like: The words are written in a conversational style, as if you were speaking directly to your preschooler or young grade schooler. The organization of the book and the writing style are unique.

What I Dislike: There are no page numbers, chapters, or a table of contents in the book. This makes it difficult to find a natural stopping point in reading. You'll need a bookmark!

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: Ages 3 to 6.

Publisher Info: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1998; ISBN: 978-0851513454; Paperback $3.74.

Buy it at Amazon.com for $3.74.

Cecil and Friends: The Good Samaritan

Andrew McDonough's retelling of The Good Samaritan is simple and straightforward, but lacks the fun, witty element found in Cecil the Lost Sheep. While McDonough's other stories add imaginative details and new twists to classic, biblical tales, The Good Samaritan only shows creativity in illustrations. The Pharisee is renamed "a Bible expert" and looks like a modern-day businessman, but the story is written as a basic paraphrase of Jesus' parable.

In the familiar story, a man is traveling between Jerusalem and Jericho when he is robbed and beaten. The robbers look like giants who are missing teeth. One of them even has a green face. After the beating, the traveler is shown from the chest up, with no shirt, face down, with his eyes closed. Then, a priest and a temple worker pass by without stopping to help the man. Finally, a Samaritan comes by, bandages the man's wounds and takes him to an inn, where he pays for his continuing care.

At the end, Jesus asks the Bible expert who the true neighbor is, and he answers, "The one who showed pity." Jesus tells him to "go and do the same."

What I Like: I like the images of Jesus. He seems friendly and animated. It is a fun juxtaposition to have Jesus in a blue robe and heavy beard talking to a professional with glasses in a dark suit.

What I Dislike: While no one will fault McDonough for straying from the biblical account, the story isn't nearly as engaging as his other works. McDonough also misses an opportunity to explain the traditional enmity between Samaritans and Jews, or show us why it is remarkable the Samaritan helped the traveler. Although he gives some background to their feud on "Cecil's Page," a note to adults at the end of the book, still fails to follow up his opening questions. "Cecil's Page" suggests discussing who it is easy or hard to be kind to, before reading the story, but after the story he simply asks us to talk about the Golden Rule. He never makes the connection between Jesus' parable and being kind to people who are different than us.

McDonough has already shown he is a talented author, but I wish he would have made the message of this story more accessible to young children and not been afraid to include creative details.

Overall Rating: Fair--writing, Good--illustrations

Age Appeal: 4-7

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2009; ISBN: 978-0-310-71945-8; Paperback, $4.99

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View other CCBR reviews of the Cecil and Friends series here.