Title: The Way of the Cross Author and Illustrator: Andrew McDonough Published by: Malcolm Down Price: £5.99 Useful for: children age 3-8 wanting to know the story of Easter Best bit: This full-colour picture book has incredibly well written, age-appropriate re-telling of the 14 traditional Easter readings from the gospels. It also includes really helpful notes … Read more
Maybe it was because I grew up in a protestant, evangelical tradition that I always thought anything to do with the saints was kind of catholic and probably a bit wrong. A few years ago, I went on a Godly Play retreat in which we explored twelve saint’s stories. To be honest, I wasn’t keen … Read more
Title: Who made God? Author: Joanne Gilchrist Illustrator: David Kuiavskii Published by: Sarah Grace Publishing Price: £5.99 Useful for: children age 4-7 with big questions about God Best bit: I like the bright, bold illustrations, the rhyming text, the way we’re introduced to the different characters and the use of child-appropriate similes to describe God, but … Read more
Build a story set for a Bible story using a construction toy e.g. Duplo, Lego, Jenga blocks). Plan the route the characters will take through the set. We built a set for the story of Ehud using Duplo and Lego combined. We then created characters for Ehud and the king, and played out the story … Read more
Title: The Visitors Author: Clare Thompson Price: £8 Published by and available from: Get Naturally Creative Good for: parents or people working with children age 1-100 Best bit: Stunning artwork created from natural loose parts Worst bit: no hardback version available More thoughts: It’s rare that I have a review for a book which isn’t specifically … Read more
Title: The incredible power of God’s word Created by: Joyce Meyer Published by: Hodder Price: £12.99 Useful for: children age 5-10 years old Best bit: Simple, fun design with a great selection of Bible verses on useful topics Worst bit: It has lovely full colour pictures, but more would have been fab. I might also … Read more
Title: The God Files Created by: Andy Robb Published by: Hodder Bibles Price: £19.99 Useful for: children age 7+ years old Best bit: Loads of useful notes and fun stuff all written in the style of spy notes. For example, Moses is Agent Moses, Genesis is The Genesis File. Worst bit: As always, as a … Read more
Title: The Good News Bible Family Edition Created by: YFC and The Bible Society Published by: The Bible Society Price: £27.99 here Useful for: families with children aged 5+ years old Best bit: It’s BIG! Seriously, a large book with TONNES of stuff inside, large text plus space to write and draw in it, extra … Read more
Title: All about Christmas Author: Alison Mitchell Designer: Andre Parker Published by: The Good Book Company Price: RRP £10.99 reduced to £9.34 here Good for: Children age 5-11 who’d enjoy a detailed non-fiction book about the Christmas story Best bit: Loads of info and pictures Worst bit: Text a bit small for the age group, and often quite a lot of text on … Read more
Title: The Christmas Surprise Author and Illustrator: Steph Williams Published by: The Good Book Company Price: RRP £2.99 reduced to £2.54 or 10 for £2.10 each Good for: a gift for young children unfamiliar with the Christmas story Best bit: It’s funny! And it talks about what Jesus’ name means (rescuer) Worst bit: Not really anything. I probably wouldn’t have put … Read more
Title: The Nativity By: Bethan Lycett and Hannah Stout Price: £3.50 Published by: 10 of those Useful for: children aged 2-7 Best bit: The lovely artwork and simple, easy-to-read Christmas story including Simeon and Anna Worst bit: The rhyme isn’t always as smooth as it could be, but still enjoyable. More: This is a simple, … Read more
Title: Advent Journal for All ages Author: Nick and Becky Drake from Worship for Everyone Illustrator: Connie Buck Published by: Worship for everyone and Gas Street Church Price: £7.99 each, two for £15, or 3 for £20 Good for: Anyone wanting a quick but real way to connect with God during Advent, especially those who would like four themed songs … Read more