My favourite children's book of the year!

(And, No, it's not one of mine.)

Crystal Bowman is a lovely US Christian children's book authors I would love to one day meet. She is a prolific writer for kids and writes for most (if not all) of the large US Christian publishing houses. She writes everything from devotionals to magazine articles, and has a particular interest in picture books.

I first 'bumped into' Crystal when we were both contributing to the Christian Children's Authors blog (a great resource for those involved in discipling children). I then heard her teach on writing for kids and when I reached out with a question, she generously replied. All that to say, when I saw she had a new book coming out this year - co-written with Michelle S Lazurek and illustrated by Sandra Eide - I pre-ordered it as soon as I could! 

And I was not disappointed: Who God Wants Me to Be is a beautiful book! 

It's the story of four little girls dreaming of what they might like to do when they are grown up. From artists to vets, dentists to fire-fighters, this is a book about big ideas, imagination and creativity celebrated. It's about being who you are, and trusting God to fill in the details between now and then. I LOVE this book. ​

The text is simple and clear, with a good amount of repetition keeping the focus on God's priorities as the reason and source of our confidence. I love the repeated line: 'I'll keep trusting God, and then I will see exactly who he wants me to be.' 
​The illustrations are fabulous, showing the girl child as well as their ideas of what the future might hold. They are inclusive and kind, courageous and gentle and delightfully affirming. 

So yeah, this is my favourite Christian children's book of the year. 

(And in case you are wondering, when I showed this to my daughter - who is now 22 - her comment was 'Where was this book when I was in year twelve!' Maybe all high-schools should purchase this one for their careers teacher. Hey, why not?)