Loaves and Fishes

Loaves and Fishes, written by Juliet David, is a simple re-telling of the Biblical story of the five loaves and two fishes used to feed a multitude of people.

When Jesus goes to the hills to rest, crowds of people follow him. They want to be near him, so Jesus preaches to them and tells them stories. At the end of the day, they are tired and hungry. Jesus asks if anyone has any food with them. One little boy says he has five loaves and two fishes that Jesus can have. Jesus takes the food, breaks it and serves it to the people. There is enough food for everyone, plus twelve baskets of leftovers. The last line of the text reads, “This is a really great miracle!”

The author cites these Bible verses as reference for the story: Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:1-14.

The illustrations by Hannah Wood are bright, expressive and child-friendly.

What I Like: I like Bible stories that are written for even the youngest children. Our children are never too young to start teaching them about God and the Bible.

What I Dislike: The story is short and simple, but because it is a board book, and the publisher says it is intended for “very young children” (no actual age given), a few words in the text seemed a bit beyond the normal age for a board book, such as “shall” and “afterwards”. I realize “very young children” need stories read to them, but they also need stories written in language they can understand.

Overall Rating: Good.

Age Appeal: The publisher doesn’t give an age group for the book but says it is intended for “very young children”.

Publisher Info: Candle Books, 2011; ISBN: 9781859858820; Board Book, $4.99

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Special Info: This book is part of the publisher’s Tiny Reader series of board books.