Children's Books of Faith

Jesus Is For Me! by Christine Tangvald

ISBN 0764223380

This is a rebus book that very simply explains what Jesus has done for each of us.  My son understood its meaning at an early age and the illustrations are very entertaining for young children.  A quick search reveals that this author has written several other children’s books on various Christian topics. 

I Believe in Jesus by John MacArthur

ISBN 1400303761

I have the board book edition of this book and think it does an excellent job of setting out the foundations of belief for young children.  I listen to Mr. MacArthur’s shows on the radio and have a daily Bible with his commentary.  I enjoy his works in general and this children’s book is no exception.  The book sets forth the trinity and the introduction of sin.  Each statement he writes for the children is accompanied by a quoted Bible reference.   I’m glad I pulled this one off the shelf to review it; it’s time for me to introduce this book to my middle child. 

Leading Little Ones to God by Marian M. Schoolland

ISBN 0802851207

This book came highly recommended to me by fellow home school moms and I am very glad of it.  I really like this book.  My children and I grew closer to God while reading it together.  This is not a picture book, but a full devotional for children.  Each entry includes a section illustrating a Biblical concept, a set of discussion questions, a memory verse, an additional suggested reading, a hymn and a prayer.  Rather than following a Bible story timeline, this book introduces God and explains Him and our relationship to Him with one lesson building on the previous one.  There are 86 lessons altogether, divided into 14 parts with a review of memory verses following each part.  I was really blessed to use this book with my children.

Big Thoughts For Little People by Kenneth N. Taylor

I am a fan of Mr. Taylor’s writings for children and this book in particular.  Subtitled “ABC’s to help you grow”, the book assigns a different virtue or vice to each letter of the alphabet and through the use of a story, questions and accompanying illustration shares with children how God wants us to handle matters.  Each “letter” also includes a Bible verse to memorize.  I started with this book prior to reading Leading Little Ones to God in order get my oldest child into the habit of listening to a devotional.  The pictures are engaging and the vignettes are short enough to hold a youngling’s attention.

Devotions for the Children's Hour by Kenneth N. Taylor

ISBN 0802422268                                                                                               

This book is similar in format to Little Visits with an essay for each particular topic, followed by a suggested Bible verse for additional reading, questions and answers, a prayer and a brief hymn.  48 lessons are provided in this 201 page book ranging in topics from "There is Only One God" to "Telling Lies".  This devotional was much enjoyed here and my children and I learned a great deal.  As I've already mentioned, I generally enjoy Mr. Taylor's work and this book is no exception.  I highly recommend this resource for your children's spiritual journey.

Little Visits With God by Allan Hart Jahsmann and Martin P. Simon

ISBN 0570058090

Little Visits introduces Biblical concepts similarly to Big Thoughts, but is targeted toward an older audience.  There are limited line drawing illustrations and the stories are slightly longer.  Each segment includes a story, a Bible verse, a suggested additional reading from the Bible and a prayer.  Each devotion is approximately 1 and one half pages long and there are 298 pages total.  There’s a lot to work with in this soft cover book.  Topics include holding a grudge, what God made, giving and receiving, lying, mean people, angels and many more.  As with some of the other devotionals, I have noticed that from time to time the scriptural reference for additional reading is not correct and I have to do some sleuthing to figure out which passage I really should be reading.  In addition, in one of the devotions regarding forgiveness the scripture is quoted as saying that we should forgive another "seventy seven" times when the Bible passage actually says "seventy times seven times."  So as with any devotional it's important to be aware of the scriptures on which is is based.

The Good Night Book by William L. Coleman

ISBN 0871231875

This book was written in 1979 and does reflect it's age.  To be quite honest, I found it downright quirky.  And of course, the photographs reflect the clothes of the time in all their 70's glory.  Nonetheless, my son really enjoyed these little devotionals.  The subtitle of the book is "Bedtime devotionals for building trust and security in little ones."  The themes are mostly about nature and animals and the scriptures are loosely related to the selected theme.  Each topic is  approximately one page long and accompanied by a single illustration or photograph and a selected Bible verse.   As an example, one devotional reading discussed how kangaroos enjoy the safety of the cover of night but that baby kangaroos still need to stick close to their parents.  The Bible verse would then be "Children obey your parents..."  We do a more lesson-oriented devotional earlier in the day so this  was a nice "light" reading for tuck-in time. 

It's hard to express the difference each of the devotionals I've listed in my reviews has made in my chlidren's lives.  But trust me, they surely have.  My oldest often mentions topics that have been covered by one or more of the devotionals and we discuss it again as a family. 

Note- Some of these books are available for purchase through my affiliated vendors.  Check the Featured Selections page if you would like to get more details about these books.  You can also find them using your own web browser simply by using the ISBN as your search term. 

ISBN 0849959071

This is a Tommy Nelson publication in hardcover. Inside are devotionals divided into 4 categories- "How I Feel", "What I Do", "Where I Go" and "Who I Am". An index at the back of the book helps to locate devotions for specific Bible heroes, songs of praise, scriptures and subjects. This book is different from the devotionals I have used in the past as it incorporates activities into the lesson. For instance, the first section of each lesson "Praise" may be a song or a poem and may involve clapping or other activities. The next portion of the lesson will introduce the child to a variety of types and styles of prayer. This is followed by a Promise section which includes a quoted scripture. Next the lesson introduces a Bible story illustrating the main point of the lesson and this is followed with a "Please God" section. This final section includes an activity such as a finger play or a simple craft to help the child remember the lesson.  While it seems like a lot, each lesson is only 5 pages long and nearly every page contains both text and a large colorful illustration. This book really is intended to appeal to a young child and to keep them engaged in the lesson. I think it would work well with my 3 year old and my older child would still be interested as well.

Note- some of the activities require you to read music or make up a tune. Some of the songs are common children's praise songs that you will recognize. The crafts may require supplies such as construction paper, paper bags, straws or a shoe box. So you won't want to just start reading the day's lesson without a little pre-planning and gathering of supplies. Also, there are suggestions of activities for cooking and blowing soap bubbles so if you have a child with allergies or other special needs, pre-read the lesson or be prepared to skip the final activity.  (I will probably just skip the activities that don't fit our family.)  I purchased my copy from Bookcloseouts.com but they have since sold out.  I have seen it listed online for as little as $.75 plus shipping.  A newer version is available at Amazon.com.

      Jesus Wants All of Me by Phil A. Smouse

Promo Edition ISBN: 158660841X

Full Size Version ISBN: 1577485750

I thought I didn’t like these devotionals at first glance, and there are some factors I don’t like but I am recommending it for what I do like about the book.  It’s loosely based on the book My Utmost for His Highest but is scaled down significantly for children.  I first did not like the book because there’s not a lot to it.  Unlike the other devotions I’ve used with my children, this one has no prayer, no questions, and no song.  But then I realized- it’s not intended to be a parent-read devotion but one that the child can read completely on his or her own.  That realization made its design seem much more reasonable. 

Each page contains just one short paragraph written in first person, for instance “I don’t need to be afraid because…” or “I know God loves me…” These little notes are the perfect size for a young child and easily remembered.  There is a cartoon drawing above each devotion and a Bible verse below.  The biggest drawback to this book is that I don’t find the all the selected Bible verses to be very complete or to have much to do with the actual devotion.  For instance a devotion about asking the Holy Spirit to help you to understand the Bible was accompanied by the verse “Clouds and darkness surround him.”  It took a little explaining on my part to link that verse back to the devotion.  Other verses are more clearly related to the subject of the devotion, so this is not a problem with every single page.  The issue did arise often enough for me to notice however.  I have the “promo” edition, which is a small, thick paperback book.   The pages are dated so that it provides a reading for each day of the year. 

As I continue through the book with my son, I am beginning to appreciate the simple messages they relay.  Though I should add, my son is used to the longer devotions (currently Little Visits With God) that we read during the day. So each time we read this book at bedtime he says, “That wasn’t very long!”   It does make a sweet and special ending to our day, something for just the two of us that doesn’t keep us up too late.  My son likes the illustrations in this book.

If you don’t mind a little reference to “magic” these books are quite charming.   A little girl named Alice travels to Bibleland to view first hand a series of memorable Biblical events.  The story begins with Alice sitting down to read from her favorite Bible storybook.  Then a little bird arrives with a note that reads:  “Reading is the magic key to take you where you want to be.”  Alice’s book then becomes a magic screen that she can step through into Bibleland.  The entire story is written in rhyme and each page contains only one stanza.  The length is perfect for my 3-year-old daughter and Alice’s presence in the scenes helps to hold her attention. Alice is a silent observer to the Biblical events that are the subject of the story.  Each book in the series concludes with Alice stepping back through the screen and thinking about what she has learned.  I am really delighted with the way my daughter responds to these books.  I believe they are out of print.  I was able to purchase 16 of the books as a set from a single seller on e-bay for a very reasonable price, though they were in less than mint condition.  I have also seen individual titles at thrift and second-hand stores, usually The Story of Jonah.  These hardcover books were published in the 1980’s and there were 28 titles in the series. 

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