At the gates of the Buddhist temple, Mai sees a cage full of sparrows for sale. Without the money to buy and release them, she offers to feed them. Thu, another little girl, helps and takes heed of Mai’s whispered “Fly, free, fly free, / in the sky so blue. / When you do a good deed, / it will come back to you.” Thu later gives her beautiful red slippers to another little girl with a cut foot. The “wheel of kindness” continues to turn, with various characters doing something good for someone else until a father, grateful that his son has recovered from illness, approaches the temple to pray, sees and purchases the cage and, to Mai’s joy, sets the sparrows free. Buddhist tradition and belief in reincarnation reflects the idea that one’s actions, good or bad, affect one’s rebirth. The smoothly written circular narrative with its reverent message is authenticated by Neilan’s muted watercolors, which are rendered on light tan board and softly depict a Vietnamese countryside peopled by folk wearing conical hats and traditional dress. (Picture book/religion. 4-7)
Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59078-550-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2009
The unnamed girl narrates the story, noting their sadness at their grandma’s death and searching for answers by reading the...
A little girl and her younger brother learn to accept their grandmother’s death in this rhyming story that explains the concepts of God, Jesus and Heaven in simplified terms for younger children.
The unnamed girl narrates the story, noting their sadness at their grandma’s death and searching for answers by reading the Bible to her brother. She reads from the Book of John, paraphrasing the familiar text that promises that “there are many mansions in my Father’s house.” The realistic setting of the two children in the boy’s bedroom segues into an interpretation of Heaven as a magical, fanciful place filled with smiling children and dancing animals. The sweet, sometimes sing-song verse describes Heaven as a place where no one is old or sick and where children can safely swim with sharks or fly with eagles. Bryant’s cheerful watercolor illustrations imagine Heaven as a sort of pleasant amusement park with Jesus as the headmaster and where children ride on the backs of flying sheep and climb trees with pigs and frogs. The final pages present a conservative Christian philosophy of confession and acceptance of Jesus as one’s personal savior, with the concluding pages offering a prayer for children and the relevant verses from the Book of John. Additional materials include an explanatory letter to parents and other adults, questions for adults to use with children, Bible verse references incorporated into the text and an “RSVP to Jesus” for use by the child reader.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-310-71601-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
The heavy-hoofed message stomps any legitimate sense of serenity.
An egotistical giraffe pitcher ultimately strikes out when his competitive spirit places his own self-interest above his teammate.
Boyd dominates baseball games with his athletic pitches, but his supportive teammate Arnold Armadillo's natural instinct to retreat for cover whenever the ball draws near starts a losing streak. Boyd faces a moral and spiritual dilemma after he scares the skunk groundskeeper (causing quite the stink) and fails to communicate the change in practice location to his uncoordinated friend. Boyd's ego initially overrides his conscience, but Coach's biblical lecture quickly sets him straight. Boyd welcomes Arnold back to the fold, and the armadillo clinches the score, though whether by chance or God's intercession remains unclear. The narrative's unlikely outcome, in which winning remains the reward, seems to stunt the characters' growing humility. The bland illustrations seek to project humor in the details. Boyd wears a clothespin to stifle the skunk's fumes, for instance. Unbelievable, earnest dialogue expresses Boyd's beliefs: “Thank you, God, for a great game!” Coach's redirection fails in both subtlety and developmental appropriateness in one fell swoop. “Well, I know a great umpire that will help you make good decisions in life. That umpire's name is PEACE.” Boyd's immediate change of heart fails to address the realistic complexities of Christians' walk in faith.
The heavy-hoofed message stomps any legitimate sense of serenity. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-310-72318-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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