Still, this is sure to help parents explain to children that God knows their prayers, needs, and hopes before they even have...
Roark explains prayer in a basic way to the youngest children.
For soap bubbles, there is nothing more fun than popping. But Billy Bubble can’t pop until he’s delivered a little white, green-eyed girl’s prayer to God in heaven. Though he grows increasingly tired and scared, he is very careful to avoid all the obstacles on his way skyward: leaves, a crow, an airplane, and everyone’s subtle peer pressure in the form of the book’s refrain, “SPLURT! SPLAT! PLOP! / Hey little bubble, / it’s time to POP!” Finally, Billy hears the voice of God telling him that he’s been brave. “I’m here with you…and with the green-eyed little girl. I knew her prayer before she whispered it….I always hear my children.” God thanks Billy and gives him a message for the girl. Billy floats back down and pops on God’s command. The girl hears “a whisper on the wind— / ‘I heard you. / I love you. / It will be okay.’ ” The tale ends with a prayer journal for readers to record prayer requests and answered prayers. Billy’s face is expressive, and the earnest bubble takes his missions very seriously. Little readers may find themselves wondering what the girl’s prayer was, a question that’s never answered.
Still, this is sure to help parents explain to children that God knows their prayers, needs, and hopes before they even have the words for them. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9986243-0-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Lamb Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
Fans of this popular series will find this a rewarding addition to family Easter celebrations.
Bergren and Bryant attempt to explain Easter to young children in a gentle, nonthreatening manner, with partial success.
When Little Cub questions her father about Easter, Papa Bear explains the religious significance of the holiday in various symbolic ways to his cub. He uses familiar things from their world, such as an egg and a fallen tree, to draw parallels with aspects of the Christian story. Papa Bear discusses his close relationships with Jesus and God, encouraging Little Cub to communicate with God on her own. The theme focuses on the renewal of life and the positive aspects of loving God and Jesus. Easter is presented as a celebration of eternal life, but the story skirts the issue of the crucifixion entirely. Some adults will find this an inadequate or even dishonest approach to the Easter story, but others will appreciate the calm and soothing text as a way to begin to understand a difficult subject. Bryant’s charming watercolor illustrations of the polar bear family, their cozy home and snowy forest scenes add to the overall mellow effect.
Fans of this popular series will find this a rewarding addition to family Easter celebrations. (Religion/picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-307-73072-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: WaterBrook
Review Posted Online: Dec. 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013
Better stories about Hanukkah abound.
A family of latkes prepares for Hanukkah.
The members of the Latke family are all potato pancakes, even their dog, Applesauce. As Hanukkah approaches, daughter Lucy greets readers while her parents fry jelly doughnuts, her older brother holes up in his room being a teenager, and Grandpa disrupts the holiday by offering up an alternate spelling: “CHHA-nukah!” Applesauce explains that both can be correct. The usual celebrations continue, with all participating except for the teenager. And then Grandpa commences to tell the story of the holiday with his own twist. It was not the Maccabees who fought for freedom, it was bees: “MEGA-BEES!” Applesauce tries to correct this version, but Grandpa continues. The enemy was not Antiochus: It was “ALIEN POTATOES FROM PLANET CHHHHH!” And while the Maccabees were low on oil, the Mega-Bees are low on honey. Also in this revised account is a giant dreidel that calls to mind the Trojan horse and from which the Mega-Bees emerge to “[mash] those tater tyrants into tatters.” Add the usual ingredients and you have, of course, “POTATO LATKES!” Silverberg’s narration brings to mind a Borscht Belt routine that may be appreciated by some adult readers but is just as likely to cause confusion among its audience. His digital illustrations depict latkes that resemble brown blobs and only add to the general muddlement.
Better stories about Hanukkah abound. (author’s note, glossary) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-451-47912-9
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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