I See the Creatures God Made

Laura Ann Miller's I See the Creatures God Made is a very simple, sturdy board book offering basic biblical truth to infants and toddlers.

Each two page spread of this book features a color photo of an animal (a sheep, butterfly, dog, cat, duck, and goldfish), along with an assertion that God made that creature. The last pages of the book reads: "God made every creature, and God made me!" and offers a spot for you to slip your child's photo inside the book, photo frame style. Each two page spread also features a Bible verse. Some verses are clearly related to the topic at hand, others less so.

What I Like: The illustrations will delight young children; babies and toddlers love photos animals - and of themselves. I also love that this book exposes young children to Bible quotes. It's never to early to start reading God's word to your child!

What I Dislike: Nothing...although it would have been great to show illustrations of more animals.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: Infant - toddler.

Publishing Info: Standard, 2007; ISBN: 0784720959; board book, $5.99.

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Special Info:Click here to read our reviews for other books by this author, including others in this series of board books.

The Potter's Perfect Piece

The Potter's Perfect Piece is a wonderful story about life. Written by Kenneth Metzger, this book follows a piece of clay as it is shaped by the potter. At first, the clay is upset that he has been taken from his comfortable shelf. But then, as the old man begins to massage him and soften him, the clay starts to feel more relaxed. That is, until the spinning starts. Then the pinching and molding and finally the fire. The little piece of clay believes his life is over. He can't take much more and so surrenders completely. The potter carefully paints his new creation before presenting it to the King as a gift for his birthday.

When the clay passes a mirror, he now sees himself as a beautiful teacup. He can hardly believe his eyes. "I guess all of that trouble was worth it after all. Look how much I've changed."

The King is thrilled with the gift. He lovingly whispers to the little teacup: "I am truly sorry you had to suffer so much, my friend. You see, it was the only way to change you. Oh my beautiful one-of-a-kind ... you were never intended to be just an ordinary piece of clay."

The author includes a "Discussion Page" at the back of the book to explain the symbolism in the story: the clay represents us; the old man represents life; the King represents God. The author also gives the Gospel message and Scripture on a "Final Thoughts" page.

The illustrations by Denise Armstrong are a mix of old world style and modern whimsy. They're delightful.

What I Like: The story is great. Too often we think, if God loves us, life should be good and easy and comfortable. This book offers a nice reminder of why we encounter troubles. My kids clearly identified with the clay. They were so worried for him when they saw the fire coming! The author does a great job personifying this character. The dialog is cute, definitely drawing kids into the story.

What I Dislike: The metaphor gets confused in a couple spots and the focus isn't terribly clear at the beginning of the book. Also, I think $20 is too much to pay for a children's book.

Overall Rating: Upper side of Good.

Age Appeal: Amazon says 9-12, but I would say 4-8

Publisher Info: WinePress Publishers, 2007; ISBN: 1579218768; Hardback; $19.99

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I See the Me God Made

I See the Me God Made is a beautiful board book for babies and toddlers, focusing on the fact that God made every part of us.

The color photographs in this book are vivid and engaging, showing toddlers and babies of a variety of ethnicities. The text by Laura Ann Miller is simple, beginning: "I see the me God made. God made my eyes..." and ears, nose, mouth, hands, and feet. Each two page spread also includes a Bible verse that's somehow related to the theme of that section. The final page of the book declares "God made all of me!" and quotes Psalm 139:14 ("I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.") and offers a spot to slip your child's photo into the book itself.

What I Like: This simple but beautiful book is ideal for very young children. Babies and toddlers love to look at other babies and toddlers, and the idea that God made every part of them is easy for small ones to grasp. I also love that this book exposes very young children to Bible quotes. And, of course, all kids love seeing their own photo in a book.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: Infant - toddler.

Publishing Info: Standard, 2007; ISBN: 0784720932; board book, $5.99.

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The Child's Story Bible

The Child's Story Bible by Catherine F. Vos, was originally published in 1935. It is a classic work that will bring back childhood memories for many. The special thing about this Bible is that the stories are accurately told in beautiful rendered language that a child can understand. The gospel is clearly established. I would highly recommend this book for family devotions because your children will be spellbound! I've used it many times as a tool for teaching Sunday School.

This story Bible is split into the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament includes the following divisions: Creation, Wandering, Laws, Settlement, Kings, Prophets, and Exile.


The New Testament includes: Saviour, and The Early Church.

What I Like: This is a Bible story book that can be trusted. I like it that Catherine Vos doesn't gloss over the parts of the Bible that others may deem difficult for children.

What I Dislike: I like everything!

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 4-12

Publisher Info: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000;ISBN: 0802850111; Hardcover, $27.50.

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Special Info: Parents may want to be aware that Jesus is pictured in the illustrations.