During my favorite month of the year, I want to focus on two lovely children’s books that, like the beauty surrounding this season, remind me of the goodness of God.
October’s bright blue skies and perfect temperatures, the crispness in the air, the vivid colors—all these things and more reassure me that God is in control, and I should turn my focus on Him.
One good way to strengthen my resolve is to rely on daily Bible readings. As a child I remember learning about God in Sunday school and singing songs like “The B-I-B-L-E” and “Arky, Arky,” and “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho.”
These experiences have helped me grow toward becoming a true child of God, and I love how children today have a wealth of resources to help them learn Biblical truths as well.
Two such tales that teach are The Greatest Book Ever by Teresa Joyelle Krager and Guess Why God Made the Rainbow by Karen Ferguson, two beautiful ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐books, in my opinion. Both of these picture books can help young children learn more about the Bible.
Krager’s book, written in rhyme and vividly illustrated by Jesús Lopez, highlights important stories from both the Old and the New Testaments. From the creation to the resurrection, these pages will whet your child’s appetite for learning more.
“You may be surprised
But this is a book
That points to another.
You must take a look.”
The book includes Old Testament references to Adam and Eve, Jonah, Moses, Daniel, Esther, Rahab, and many others. Then it focuses on the birth of Jesus and why He came to earth.
Oh, these are tales I pray all children can be taught!
One page from early in the book shares the reason why Noah built the ark.
This feature leads me to Karen Ferguson’s latest book in her “Questions for Kids” series, a tale that teaches the all-important details of Genesis, chapters 6 through 9.
In Guess Why God Made the Rainbow, Lucy and her puppy Rosie are frightened by a thunderstorm. When Papa Joe tries to comfort them, a rainbow appears outside their window.
This rainbow gives Papa Joe the perfect opportunity to use the Bible to teach Lucy about the faithfulness of Noah. Together they once again “journey into the Bible to find out exactly what the rainbow means.” I love how this book shares the importance of Biblical teachings. In addition, these “Questions for Kids” books reveal how a beautiful relationship can develop between a child and her papa when they read together.
The English teacher in me also loves the use of onomatopoeia “splattered” throughout the book!
The compelling images throughout this book as well as the special relationship between Lucy and her papa will keep kids wanting to read the story again and again.
These two books would make wonderful additions to every home library. May they both remind us of the importance of learning more about tales that teach.
“The faith will totter if the authority of the Holy Scriptures loses its hold on men. We must surrender ourselves to the authority of Holy Scripture, for it can neither mislead nor be misled.”—St. Augustine
“Father? Hush the noise around me. Quiet the thunder of my own wayward and rambling thoughts. Silence everything. Everything but Your still, small voice.”—Tama Fortner
“A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”—Charles Spurgeon
“The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world.”—Charles Dickens
2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Genesis 6-8; Colossians 3:16; Proverbs 4:1-7
That’s why Jesus used Parables to get his message across. These types of lessons/readings have knowledge in disguise….hidden in the fun or interesting stuff in a book or tale. Sometimes getting smarter is hard as the material is tough and boring. But, hidden in a fun store is like the old song says “a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down in a delightful way”. Books like those mentioned uses that method to peak young readers interest and learn while having a good learning experience.