This picture-book adaptation of the Burpos’ 2010 account for adults of then-4-year-old Colton’s near-death experience comes with a built-in audience but doesn’t reach much further than it.
A note to parents and grandparents precedes a two-page explanation that, during a visit to the hospital, “Colton closed his eyes, and when he opened them— / Jesus was with him!” The boy’s brief sojourn in heaven is related in an ingenuous child’s voice laced with exclamation marks. Readers learn that “Heaven is not scary—ever!” and that “Everyone is happy there!” He meets a number of biblical celebrities, his great-grandfather and—tellingly and horrifically—“my big sister [who] was so excited to see me that she wouldn’t stop hugging me!” Several pages of description of heavenly delights follow before Jesus explains that he is “answering your dad’s prayer” and returning him to this vale of tears. Children entranced by the happy animals and Michael’s awesome flaming sword will feel that Colton got a very bad deal. Ong paints a supersoft-focus heaven populated by white-robed angels and a crowned Jesus. Aside from an appealingly rainbow-maned white horse and the welcome inclusion of dark-skinned angels (none of them named characters), the aesthetic is one that recalls mass-produced mid-20th-century Sunday school materials. Believers may well be charmed by Colton’s close encounter; nonbelievers will suspect that Colton’s account of heaven owes more to his parents’ stories of his big sister’s afterlife than actual experience. Is heaven for real? Maybe, but this book is not likely to persuade any skeptics. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4003-1870-4
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2014
Unlikely to have wide appeal and far too sophisticated for actual babies and toddlers, this offering will be appreciated by...
A young boy offers a cheery vision of heaven with an evangelical aim.
Three-year-old Colton Burpo came out of an emergency appendectomy with quite a tale to tell, reporting to his parents that he had been to heaven and describing all the wonders he saw there. Colton’s father, a pastor, co-authored a popular nonfiction book for adults about Colton’s experience, which has spawned a franchise of books, DVDs and other merchandise. This board-book version of Colton’s story represents heaven as a beautiful place with rainbows, bright lights and golden streets, where “everyone who knows and loves Jesus gets to go.” In heaven, no one gets scared or sick, and children are told that Jesus will take them there one day if they believe in him. Colton’s voice comes through clearly, reminding readers that they are getting a child’s perspective. For example, when describing the wounds on Jesus’ hands, he says: “Jesus has markers on His hands. A long time ago, He had to die on the cross. But now Jesus is alive!” The illustrations feature a bearded, white Jesus with a crown, purple sash and sandals, surrounded by winged angels of all ages and ethnicities.
Unlikely to have wide appeal and far too sophisticated for actual babies and toddlers, this offering will be appreciated by Christian parents seeking titles that affirm their religious convictions, especially those already familiar with Colton’s story. (Board book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4003-2227-5
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
The Nativity story is retold in familiar, everyday language with a petite, illustrated format in this somewhat unbalanced Christmas offering imported from Great Britain.
The story begins and ends with announcements from angels, starting with the Annunciation of the impending birth to Mary and ending with a warning to take the newborn Christ child to safety in Egypt. The longish text interweaves the story of Christ’s birth as told in the four Gospels, a narrative decision that is not clearly spelled out anywhere in the volume. The back cover copy notes it’s “retold with simplicity and sincerity from the Gospels,” but there should be a clear indication that the text is a compilation from several books of the Bible. Though the retelling is polished and easy to understand, the sentence length and complexity indicate a story for older children, while the soft-focus, rather sweet illustrations seem targeted to a preschool audience. The volume’s small trim size and a cover decorated with sparkly gold stars also give the impression that the book is aimed toward a younger audience than the text would indicate. Suitable for advanced preschoolers who can listen one-on-one to an adult reading a longer, more complex story or for older children who don’t object to a book that seems designed for little ones. (Picture book/religion. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7459-6291-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lion/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
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