Sometimes, more often than the ‘good Christian I try to be’ likes to admit, the word of God surprises me.
Not because of grand theological wonders. Not because of supernatural revelation. But because this ancient book, with its often stilted and formal language (trust me, I haven’t found a western Sydney translation of the Psalms yet) can hold a group of children captive.
It happened again the other week. I was sitting with a group of young people, aged about 7 to 12 and I set them a task. ‘Read Psalm 145,’ I said, ‘and see if you can write down all the things you learn there about what God is like.’
And the room went quiet. Sure, I had to wander around and help a few groups navigate the Bible's lengthy 'Table of Contents' or hand out a few extra Sharpies, but on the whole, as each group took a slightly different approach to record their answers, these kids were captivated by the word of God. They had their heads bent low over their CEV Bibles. There were no fancy fonts. No swish translations. No illustrations to keep them focused. It was just them and the descriptions of God that have been around for thousands of years!
I sat back on my heels and watched them in wonder.
This Word we read and teach, that we hold in our hearts and share with our children. It’s living and active.
​May it never stop surprising us!

​Ahh, I love well produced children’s books! I love the smooth covers, the crisp spine, the high quality illustrations drawing readers into layers of meaning. 10Publishing’s, The True King, is a Christian children’s book that hits all those score cards for me. However, as I’m finding with a lot of theologically heavy kids’ books these days, I’m a little restrained from full enthusiasm.
Written by Nancy Guthrie, an American Bible teacher, writer and podcaster, The True King is an illustrated children’s book that attempts to convey the entire narrative of the Bible. Told as a story about the Kingdom of the Great King (God) and the coming of the True King (Jesus), the book is, in a sense, a story-answer to the question: “Why do we pray ‘Your Kingdom come’?”

​What I like about this book is the scope. From the opening scenes in the garden of Eden to the return of Jesus one day soon, this book attempts to communicate the vision of God’s plan for his people and his wonderful reign.
What I don’t like about this book, is also the scope. I felt as if Guthrie was trying to nod to every glorious doctrine possible, slipping in phrases and nuance that – without explanation or the patience to sit through a three point sermon – a child isn’t likely to grasp. Perhaps the strength of this approach is that adult readers (well versed in Biblical theology) will marvel at the nuggets of truth and layers of understanding the text offers. But I felt it was possibly trying to do too much for its child readers.

Having said all of that, you may be thinking I have a problem with teaching theology to children. I don’t. But I suspect us adults often forget how many years of Bible teaching we’ve received, how many books we’ve read, sermons we’ve listened to, podcasts we’ve heard etc. that have all contributed to our understanding of phrases like, in this book: ‘God was pouring out the punishment guilty people deserve on his innocent son’ or, ‘God poured out his Spirit on his people, giving them the power to take the good news of his kingdom to people all over the earth’ (here, the text was accompanied by an illustration which unfortunately made me think of Pompei).
So, yes, I might be a little critical when it comes to introducing children to large theological concepts. But that's not to say The True King isn't worth a look. 

This is an excellently produced book and Jenny Brake's illustrations are fabulous. I particularly loved the two pages accompanying the text about the kings of Israel and the waiting in exile (see above). And apart from a few small personal quibbles with some of the theology, I love the heart of what this book is trying to do. The ending pages are beautiful, both in text and artwork, drawing forth a longing for 'Gods Kingdom come'. It's just lovely. I just have two concerns: firstly, that young readers' interest will not last the full length of the 45 page text before they get twitchy, and secondly, that their young ears will miss the layers of poignant significance hidden in Guthrie’s text and grow numb to their impact later on. I may be wrong. I'd like to be wrong. And I'll admit that I didn’t test drive this one on a child. So if you have read this with young children, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment below and let me know. 

All the details you need:
Title: The True King
Written by: Nancy Guthrie
Illustrated by: Jenny Brake
Publisher: 10Publishing
Available from The Wandering Bookseller.

If you've ever read my picture book 'The Other Brother' you'll know I have a soft spot for families who open their homes to flexible arrangements and have malleable definitions of what makes family. I'm a firm believer in foster care and open adoption. Yes, I'm one of those people who believes Christians can make a tangible difference offer foster care to kids in need. I've seen the difference it makes to kids, I've experienced the blessing of being involved, but I'm in no way blind to the hardship and heartache that come with the foster care journey. And I guess that's why, when I saw this book - 'A carer's devotional journal: for carers of kids from tough places', I wanted a closer look. 

The journal is published by ARK (Aussies Responding to Kids), a Christian organisation whose mission is 'to be extended family, living out the gospel of Jesus, by inviting vulnerable kids into our hearts, homes and families through adoption and foster care' (from the ARK website). The journal itself is a simple paperback book that alternates fillable journal pages with Scripture verses and a devotional reflection. There are three double page journal spaces for each devotion. Most of the devotions were written by Heather Packett, but there are also some by Stephanie Reedman, Louise Pekan, Trudie Atkinson and Terri Thomas. 

I sat down with the book one morning at breakfast to get an overview of how the devotions worked and to decide whether I felt the journal was one I'd recommend. I didn't have my pencil ready and I wasn't prepped for a proper devotional time. I was just curious, so I started reading. I wasn't even three devotions in before I was holding back tears. I pushed on, got half way and then stopped, resuming my read through a couple of days later only to be even more impacted than I was the first time. Why? Because I had not read devotions like this before.
Here was a book that offered gentle reminders that the heart of God is for the vulnerable AND the carer in the same moment. It spoke to the unspoken stories, whispered of tremendous grace, and acknowledged the hard parts.

Because being a foster carer is hard. It takes more strength than you think you have. It stretches you to breaking, then breaks your heart. And not just once, but over and over and over again. So often, carers feel unseen, invisible. They are misunderstood, glorified, pitied, avoided or begrudged. This devotional acknowledged all of this and wrapped it all up in the reminder of Christ's all sufficient grace. 
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I appreciated Stephanie Reedman's words in one of her reflections when she said, 'Fostering is not a journey that many outsiders understand' and yet 'nothing I face is ever missed by God, and that when we make mistakes or pay for the mistakes of others, we have a Redeemer who is always for us and always with us'. 
If you are a foster carer, or you know someone who is, this devotional journal is worth buying. It's an honest, real and faithful encouragement for those who care. 

All the details you need: 
Title: A carer's devotional journal: for carers of kids from tough places.
Written by: Heather Packett and leaders from ARK Australia
Publisher: Aussies Responding to Kids (ARK) Ltd.  
Available from the ARK website.

​It’s always exciting to see Australian Christian publishers invest in children’s books. God is: Holy is the first book in Tulip Publishing’s, Little Theologian Books (Yay!). It is written and illustrated by Jessica Scott and is a theologically dense picture book with potential beyond the ‘children’s book’ shelves.

The illustrations in this slim book are striking. Clear and uncluttered, the style is more abstract than descriptive. There is a decent amount of symbolism used, including the cross, light/dark, flames for the Holy Spirit etc. There is also deliberate use of contrast, font size and colour which add to the abstract tone of the text. I liked the way the artwork invited readers to imagine and consider the depictions of theological concepts, rather than offering one-size-fits-all portrayals of complex and multilayered ideas. I also liked the invitational tone of the writing. But despite its beauty, God Is: Holy is not really a simple storybook.

God Is: Holy is not, in my opinion, a stand-alone children’s book. It’s more like a concentrated shot of theology that needs to be considered with care. Care for who the intended audience might be, and care for how it will be interpreted. Theology is so important. It’s how we learn to understand who God is and what he is like, and I believe kids are more than capable of engaging with it. But when introducing or encouraging children to wrestle with the deeper things of God, we need to remember that calculus follows addition and addition is just as wonderous even if it seems simpler.
If you read this book with your kids, make sure you allow plenty of space and time for working things out. Some of the ideas, vocabulary and concepts will take time to grow and rely on a solid foundation of prior understanding. Don’t rule out using it with older children, teens or adults either. The holiness of God is a concept we are all growing towards, no matter how old we are. In God is: Holy, Tulip Publishing have offered us a useful, though heavy, springboard for this.

​All the details you need: 
Title: God Is: Holy.
Written and Illustrated by: Jessica Scott (with notes by Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley)
Publisher and Imprint: Little Theologian Books, Tulip Publishing. 2022. 
Available at The Wandering Bookseller or your favourite Christian bookseller.

With limited pages for even further limited text, some Christian board books leave much to be desired. They can feel sickly sweet, terribly shallow or just tokenistic. But the Baby Believers board books, put out by Harvest Kids, is refreshingly different.
I was first introduced to the series when Karle Grice, from the Wandering Bookseller, thrust a copy of Psalms of Praise: A Movement Primer into my hands. He said, ‘You’ll like this one', and he was right!

​The series is written by Danielle Hitchen, but much of that ‘writing’ is in concept rather than original text. Each page of the ‘primers’ introduces a delightfully illustrated word or idea. In Psalms of Praise. the words include actions we might use when worshiping God. In Our God, the words are shape names, for Jesus Heals they are body parts. 
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Each page/word is accompanied by a relevant Bible passage (using CEV or ESB to ensure ease of understanding for young listeners). This is accompanied by Jessica Blanchard’s engaging artwork. The books are creatively beautiful, prioritise the Biblical text and are quietly meditative, recognising the social interaction and setting board books were made for.  
While all different in tone, each of the Baby Believers titles have their own emphasis and strength. I love how Psalms of Praise takes the child on a celebration of movement from daybreak to bedtime, ending with a gentle ‘lie down’ and Psalm 4:8.  

To sum up, this is a great little series, perfect gifts for babies and extremely well made.
​Just lovely!

All the details you need: 
Titles: Jesus Heals: An Anatomy Primer, Psalms of Praise: A Movement Primer and Our God: A Shapes Primer
Written by: Danielle Hitchen, Illustrated by Jessica Blanchard
Publisher and imprint: Baby Believers, Harvest Kids, Harvest House Publishers.
Available at The Wandering Bookseller, or your favourite Christian bookseller.