Dear God, It's Me!

In Dear God, It's Me!, a little elephant learns to call on God throughout his day. Based on Psalm 145:18(a) ("The LORD is near to all who call on him"), authors Lynn Hodges and Sue Buchanan illustrate how God is near every day through our prayers. Playful sketches by John Bendall-Brunello follow the little elephant through his day, from the moment his feet get out of bed, to the moment he crawls back in as day gives way to night.

What I Like: The story is really simple, but teaches core truths about trusting God, praying, and making His will yours. I like how the authors don't guarantee that life will be easy, but remind us we can call on God in times of trouble, and that He cares what's going on in our lives.

The elephants were really cute, and my kids loved seeing what they were doing during the day.

What I Dislike: When I read the book without benefit of the musical CD, the rhythm felt off and I found it difficult to get the pace right. Once I listened to the CD a few times, I found it easier. For instance, here's an example from what turns out to be the chorus:

"Dear God, I am calling... please listen... it's me!
You know all about my day from a to z!

You know when I'm frightened, sad or alone.
Please stay close beside me. Make my heart your own."

Reading this aloud without benefit of hearing the CD really tripped me up on my first pass through this book, and even after hearing the accompanying song, I find it hard to simply read the book without singing it.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: 4 and up

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2005; ISBN: 978-0-310-70645-8; Hardback, 32 pgs., $15.99

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We've reviewed other books by Lynn Hodges and Sue Buchanan here.

The Christian Alphabet Book: Teaching Children about Jesus, Prayer and the Bible

The Christian Alphabet Book: Teaching Children about Jesus, Prayer, and the Bible, written and illustrated by Tracy Sands, presents a whole new take on both the alphabet and the Bible.

The author uses each letter of the alphabet to illustrate a word from the Bible. Each word relates to a Bible sentence that either uses the actual word or is related to that word. For instance, the letter “A” is for “always”. The word “always” appears in this Bible verse: “And behold, I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20)

The author says, “This book is designed to help all teachers of children… With this book you delve deeper into the inspiring letters of the Christian Alphabet, providing children a fun, instructive way to grow in their Christian faith. Each letter is educational and has spiritual significance. In these 26 unique letters, you will find close to 100 ancient and modern images used in the past 2000 years to express Christianity.”

Each letter is a two-page spread. On the left-hand page you will find a basic lesson (highlighted in red ink) and a fun activity for that letter. Each alphabet lesson ends with a prayer.

On the right-hand page you will see the letter, a Bible verse associated with the letter (as mentioned above), and an activity called “Seek and you shall find.” The activity is designed to “encourage children to find the different Christian symbols within each letter.”

Each of the symbols used in the text is explained in the back of the book. Also, there are four songs in the book. You can listen to the recordings of these songs on the book’s website.

The illustrations are unique and expressive. Each letter is used not only in the Roman alphabet but also each letter is made up of symbols that relate to that word. For example, the symbols for “wheat,” “loaf of bread,” “grapes,” “chalice,” “rock,” and “lamb” are incorporated into the graphic representation of the letter “L”. Each letter includes at least two symbols.

In addition to the creative and expressive symbolic letters, the page layouts are bold, bright and colorful, and are sure to keep a child’s attention.

What I Like: Everything.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 6-12.

Publisher Info: Love the Dove Publishing, 2012; ISBN: 9780985792800; Hardcover, $19.95.

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Special Info: As mentioned, readers can listen to recorded songs, from the text, on the book’s website.

The Awesome Book of Unusual Bible Heroes

The Awesome Book of Unusual Bible Heroes for Kids, written by Sandy Silverthorne, features short chapters retelling twenty Bible stories of unexpected details. Some describe unique situations while others detail courage and leadership from unlikely characters.

Readers will get a glimpse into the lives and adventures of:

• The Egyptian Midwives (Exodus 1)
• Rahab (Joshua 2, 6)
• Ehud and Eglon (Judges 3)
• Deborah, Barak and Jael (Judges 4)
• Jonathan and his armor bearer (1 Samuel 14)
• David and Abigail (1 Samuel 25)
• Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9)
• Ahimaaz and Jonathan (2 Samuel 15, 17)
• Naaman (2 Kings 5)
• Elisha and his servant (2 Kings 6)
• Jonah (Jonah 1-4)
• The Four Lepers (2 Kings 6-7)
• Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego (Daniel 3)
• Esther and Mordecai (Esther 3-5, 7-8)
• The Boy with the Lunch (John 6)
• Peter (Matthew 14)
• The Healed Lepers (Luke 17)
• Bartimaeus (Mark 10)
• Jesus (Matthew 20)

Each chapter begins with a short introduction and Bible references (for further study) then launches into a paraphrased re-telling of what happened. A short paragraph -- labeled "The Big Picture" -- offers questions for reflection and application.

Illustrations by the author may be found throughout the book. These are typically line drawings of a sketchy cartoon nature. They add a touch of whimsy to the already entertaining text.

What I Like: The storytelling quickly draws in readers. The book is funny and on a kids' level. The illustrations accentuate the humor, too. My kids really enjoyed them. I greatly appreciate the inclusion of Scripture references! These made it easy to validate the truth behind the stories by going straight to the Bible and reading them there. The author does take some creative liberties, especially with dialog and descriptions not specifically detailed in Scripture, but this book is quite accurate and, I felt, age-appropriate (even with the inclusion of Rahab). I like that this book features lesser-known stories of Scripture. Kids who have been in church their whole lives get tired of David vs. Goliath, Noah vs. the Flood and Daniel vs. the Lions. This book offers a way to reignite their wonder and excitement about God's Word.

What I Dislike: The story telling featured such animated details that I found myself questioning them. Referencing Scripture is a great thing, but not being able to fully trust what you're reading is not. I fear that, in many cases, the exaggerated tone might support doubters rather than reinforce the truths of God's supreme authority and divinity. I wish the author had better emphasized the truth behind each account.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: 8-12, more likely to attract boys than girls, but my daughter (age 9) liked it

Publisher Info: Harvest House Publishers, 2012; ISBN: 0736929258; Paperback, 144 pages; $8.99

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Special Info: This title is also available in ebook format for $7.19 both from Christianbook.com or Amazon.com.

While I felt this book was age-appropriate for the target audience, some parents may take issue with included violence, particularly in Chapters 3 and 4. These accounts come from the book of Judges, a notoriously violent part of Scripture. The stories include battles and assassinations. I felt the author did a great job relaying the truths without offering gratuitous or excessively graphic details.