You Can't Come In

You Can’t Come In, is a story about the message of salvation.

When Zack moves to a new place, he misses his old friends but he soon makes a new one, Adam, who invites Zack to go to church. Zack and his family haven’t been to church much, so he’s a bit hesitant. He asks Adam what they do at his church. Adam says they do all kinds of stuff; one of them is putting on skits. The skit that is planned for the upcoming Sunday is one about salvation.

Zack asks Adam what salvation is. Adam explains the process of asking for forgiveness and having your sins washed away. Zack is a bit confused, so he says, “I don’t get it. Why is it so important for God to forgive us for our sins?”

Adam replies, “There’s no sin in heaven where God lives – it’s a perfect place. And if I have sin in my life, then I can’t live there with him. He won’t let me in.”

Later, when Zack goes home covered in mud, his mom won’t let him into the house. She makes him clean up first. She says, “You can’t come in until you’ve cleaned up.” Zack makes the correlation between being covered with mud and not being able to go into his house and being filled with sin and not being able to enter heaven.

When Zack shares his insights with his mother, she talks to his dad and the family makes plans to attend church together on Sunday.

The text is taken from the Children’s Bible Hour radio script broadcast. There is a page at the end of the book laying out process of salvation, complete with Bible verses.

The detailed watercolor illustrations by Robert Sauber enhance the text by providing a visual guide to the story.

What I Like: Everything.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: No age group is given for this book but I would say 5-9 would be appropriate.

Publisher Info: CBH Ministries, 2009; ISBN: 9780982512012; Paperback, $10.00.

Buy now at Amazon.com $10.00.

Special Info: The book comes with a read-along CD. Read our reviews of other books illustrated by Robert Sauber. Visit the illustrator’s website.

Race with Midnight

Race with Midnight, is adapted from the Children's Bible Hour broadcast, written by Agnes Livezey. In this evangelistic story, Becky goes to visit her cousin, Sarah, on her ranch in Montana. Becky is excited about taking the train with her dad, and she can't wait to learn to ride horses with Sarah. As Becky is leaving, her mom reminds her Sarah and her parents haven't accepted Jesus as their Savior yet. She suggests Becky look for opportunities to share her faith with Sarah.

As Becky learns to ride Midnight, she points out the beauty of God's creation to Sarah, and explains how to become a Christian. Sarah is interested, but it isn't until Becky and Sarah lose Midnight and get lost that she realizes she needs God in her life. As the girls trust Sarah's horse, Pal, to find the way home, Becky compares Sara's trust in Pal to her own trust in God. When they reach home safely, Sarah tells her parents she has decided to trust in Jesus. Becky is delighted, because, "She loved everyone around the table so much. She wanted them all to feel a love far greater than she could ever give-the love of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."

The book includes a page at the back explaining how to admit your sin; believe in Jesus; and choose to trust Jesus for forgiveness. It also comes with an audio CD, in which the story is read aloud by "Uncle Charlie"and set to subtle background music.

Robert Sauber's colorful, realistic watercolors give a beautiful picture of mountains, landscapes, wildflowers, and sky found on a Montana ranch.

What I Like: I like the clarity of the gospel message, and the way Becky works it into everyday conversation. We can all recognize the beauty of creation, and this is a non-threatening way to introduce the topic of God. I also like seeing Becky pray and ask God for an opportunity to share her faith with Sarah and her parents.

The watercolors truly are spectacular and transport you to a Montana ranch in summer. The sky alone is breathtaking, and the horses are strong and well-proportioned. The girls look friendly and inviting, and Sauber does a good job matching their facial expressions to the situations they are in.

What I Dislike: I felt like Becky's mom placed quite a burden on her to share the gospel with her cousin's family. She says, "You know, they haven't trusted Jesus as their Savior yet, but maybe you can tell them about Jesus." I realize the book is short and couldn't go into detail about the two families, but I wondered whether Becky's mom had ever shared her faith with them, and why she felt Becky should be the one to tell them. Becky's mom did say she would be praying for all of them, but I still felt like Becky had a huge responsibility.

It seems a little odd to have an older gentleman reading the story on CD when so much of the book is dialogue between Becky and Sarah.

Overall Rating: Very Good

Age Appeal: unlisted, but I would say 6-12

Publisher Info: CBH Ministries, 2009; ISBN: 978-0-9825120-0-5; Paperback, $10.00

Buy it at Amazon.com for $10.00.