The Life of Jesus, by Sophie Piper and Angelo Ruta (2013), and The Light of the World, by Katherine Paterson and François...
First published in Germany, this theologically confusing introduction to the life of Jesus is told through disjointed episodes that don’t have any connecting narrative to help the reader.
The first few pages give short versions of key stories: Gabriel tells Mary she will have a child, the son of God, and this is followed on the next spread by the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Jesus goes abruptly from the manger to the temple, conversing with the teachers there. On the next page, Jesus has begun his ministry, but his baptism, a key event in his life and in the theological structure of Christianity, is omitted. Several of the parables and miracles of Jesus are retold, but the Sermon on the Mount and the Lord’s Prayer are not included. The conclusion is especially confusing, jumping from an account of the Crucifixion that clearly states that Jesus is dead to the empty tomb on the final spread with the concluding words, “Jesus lives and has triumphed over death!” Striking illustrations make excellent use of glowing light and varied perspectives, and the illustrations have enough appeal to somewhat offset the drawbacks of the text.
The Life of Jesus, by Sophie Piper and Angelo Ruta (2013), and The Light of the World, by Katherine Paterson and François Roca (2008), are better introductions to the life of Jesus for a similar age group. (Picture book/religion. 4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5438-4
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
Religious-themed affirmation to help steel little ones fretting about school.
Collier, founder of the international women’s ministry Broken Crayons Still Color, and co-author Bak help kids tackle first-day-of-school jitters.
There’s nothing like a new box of crayons, especially when the first day of school is right around the corner. Avery tries to enjoy coloring, but she feels “flippy, fizzy, and fluttery inside.” When Avery doesn’t want to eat dinner, her father realizes she’s nervous and encourages her to pray. Avery replies that she’s too scared; her father tells her, “You can do hard things.” Later, Avery draws with her crayons, but her depictions of her first day reflect her anxieties—attempting to draw the school playground, she scrawls an image of her being hit by a ball while another child laughs. Suddenly, Avery’s crayons break. Realizing she’s made a mess, she begins to sob: “I’m a mess, just like these crayons.” But one of the crayons Avery broke begins talking to her, telling her not to put herself down. The very polite crayons reassure Avery, telling her it’s OK to feel bad, offering her strategies for calming herself, and telling her that “no mess is ever too big for God.” Vasilica’s sprightly illustration are charming and inviting, while the message is a soothing one—though one more likely to appeal to religious, especially Christian, readers. Avery and her family present Black. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Religious-themed affirmation to help steel little ones fretting about school. (feelings color wheel) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2023
ISBN: 9781400242900
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
Visually appealing but doesn’t capture the spirit of namaste.
What does it mean to say namaste?
This picture book attempts to explain this traditional, formal greeting used in South and Southeast Asia to welcome people and bid them farewell—in particular, as a way to show respect to elders. A child with dark hair, dark eyes, deep-brown skin, and a bindi on their forehead goes to a market with their caregiver and buys a potted plant to give their lonely, lighter-skinned neighbor. Vibrant, textured illustrations depict a blossoming friendship between the little one and the neighbor, while a series of statements describe what namaste means to the child. However, the disjointed text makes the concept difficult for young readers to grasp. Some statements describe namaste in its most literal sense (“Namaste is ‘I bow to you.’ " “Namaste is joining your palms together”), while others are more nebulous (“A yoga pose. A practice.” “Namaste calms your heart when things aren’t going right”). The lack of backmatter deprives readers of the cultural context and significance of this greeting as well as knowledge of the countries and cultures where it is used. Moreover, the book doesn’t convey the deep respect that this greeting communicates. The absence of culturally specific details and the framing of namaste as a concept that could apply to almost any situation ultimately obscure its meaning and use. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Visually appealing but doesn’t capture the spirit of namaste. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1783-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
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