Book Review: I Can't Believe My Eyes!

As the northern hemisphere is wading through autumn leaves, and celebrating Thanksgiving, it seems appropriate to review this beautiful picture book! Written by Joshua Cooley and illustrated by Hannah Green, I can’t believe my eyes! is a lovely story about a boy and his dad, discussing what it means to believe in an invisible God. 
The story starts off with Dad raking leaves. The wind is blowing and his son asks an important question, ‘Is God real? Some kids at school say God isn’t real because we can’t see Him.’ Rather than launching straight into a theological exposition, Dad decides to take his son kite flying. ​

​The son soon discovers that learning how to launch a kite means learning to trust the wind. Dad then draws on this real life illustration and leads his son through a wind inspired explanation of faith. (There are two really fun pages that fold open to extend the illustration beyond the boundaries of the book - a fabulous visual of the extending scope of faith!)

From cover to cover, this book is beautiful to read and wonder over. The fall leaves and autumn tones offer a warm, cosy feel. The existence and love of God is explained without feeling over preachy. Parts of the text are rhyming, although not all. There is also a note for parents at the end of the book including a more thorough explanation of ‘How do we know God exists?’ and some discussion questions. Although I’m not the hugest fan of ‘notes for parents’ (I sometimes feel it takes the wonder and reflection out of a children’s book when we explain everything all over again in adult-speak), these notes may help some parents feel more confident answering tricky questions from kids. And that is an aspect of this book that I did really love: the way it modeled and promoted question asking by children. ​

In the notes Cooley says ‘…faith isn’t always easy. Your child will surely have many questions as they grow. That’s a good thing!’ ​Being able to ask questions about our faith, whether we are a child curious about whether God is real, or an adult wondering the same thing. Questions are evidence of a thinking, growing faith and I love how this book invites children - and their adults - to seek, explore, trust and believe. 
A beautiful book. It’s going straight to my 'special book' shelf!

All the details you need: 
Title: I Can’t Believe My Eyes!
Written by: Joshua Cooley 
Illustrated by: Hannah Green
Publisher: 10 Publishing
Available from The Wandering Bookseller.