Rather than snapping “Because I said so” to the next irksome “why” question, Christian parents can give a thoughtful,...
A children’s book turns to the Bible for answers to life’s questions.
Brizendine (Heart Thoughts, 2017, etc.) is a great-grandmother and retired postmaster who lives on a cattle ranch in Florence, Texas. She answers 23 “why” questions children are likely to ask their parents—whether springing from innocent curiosity (such as “Why doesn’t Tommy’s dad live with Tommy?” and “Why do bad things happen?”) or the testing of boundaries (“Why do I have to take a bath?”)—with references to Scripture. For instance, for “Why can’t we have summer all the time?” she prescribes Genesis 8:22, in which, after the Great Flood, God promises that the world will adhere to predictable rhythms: “Planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter.” Descriptions of the seasons include the fun activities that each one allows. “Mommy, why do I have to do what you tell me to do?” entails a lesson on obedience, specifically commanded in Ephesians 6:1: “Children, obey your parents…for this is the right thing to do.” Parents have wisdom from their lived experience, the author asserts, and can protect their children from painful mistakes. Explanations of tough concepts like death, divorce, and sin are clear and traditional, never patronizing or misleading. Impressively, the answer to “Why do bad things happen?” is about the best that can be offered—even to adults—to account for the problem of evil: “God is with you when you hurt.” Everyday metaphors are carefully chosen to be meaningful to kids: “Resting your heart is like taking a nap in God’s lap,” and “Think of bad words in your mouth as vinegar. Think of good words in your mouth as candy.” Best of all, Brizendine finds a perfect role model for questioning: “Jesus asked God why…giving us permission to ask why.” Each question-and-answer unit is accompanied by a cute cartoon drawing by Lambright (Susie and Friends Coloring Book, 2016, etc.) on the facing page. It’s religious indoctrination, sure, but it’s pretty safe and well-presented stuff.
Rather than snapping “Because I said so” to the next irksome “why” question, Christian parents can give a thoughtful, biblically sound response taken from this sweet work.Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5127-7574-7
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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