Heaven God's Promise for Me

August 1, 2011

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.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2011

PreS-Gr 2-An unnamed little girl and her brother are sad because their grandmother has died. They wonder where she has gone and reach for the Holy Bible to find the answer. As the girl narrates in rhyming verse, the children find comfort in the images of Heaven included within the scripture. They learn that God's home is "a great big house...filled with gifts and laughter and love." No one is sad or in pain there and "the Light is always on." The best part of Heaven is that Jesus is there waiting for them. The children recite a special prayer inviting Jesus to live in their hearts. The delicate watercolor and pencil paintings portray Heaven as a joyous place teeming with children engaged in happy play. A tiny angel hides somewhere within each picture. In the back matter Lotz asks, "Did you know that everything you just read about Heaven is the truth?" She goes on to state, "What you have read is an application of God's Word as it is found primarily in John 14:1-6 and Revelation 21:1-27." She also provides a list of questions to spark discussion about the ideas in the book. Lisa T. Bergen's God Gave Us Heaven (Waterbrook, 2009) and Maria Shriver's What's Heaven? (Golden Books, 1999) are more uplifting, child-friendly alternatives.-Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2011
Preschool-G Lotz, the daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham, offers a picture book that begins with a brother and sister wondering about their grandmother, who has died, and where she might be. They whisper a prayer Give us some answers, please / We want to feel you near and listen for a response. In a personalized text on ebullient double-page spreads, God shows the siblings a heaven where friends and family reside, where gifts are given and giraffes gambol, where picnics are everywhere, and where lions cavort with dogs as well as lambs. Bryant's child-friendly watercolor artwork, with its sense of joy, is the best part of the book. Lotz' text is singsongy and does not always scan well: I have a little brother / he's as cute as he can be. We do everything together / and he always looks up to me. Still, parents looking for a Christian-centered book on heaven will like the message, which the book notes is not imagination or fantasy. It is God's promised word (John 14:16 and Revelation 2127 are cited). Expect the book and author to be heavily promoted to the target audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)