Title: The Newborn King By: Sarah J. Dod and Raffaella Ligi Price: £5.99 Published by: Lion Available from: Eden Good for: children aged 3-7 years Best bit: Lovely artwork and tone of the storytelling, which makes all the characters feel real Worst bit: There is what I would consider additional elements added which aren’t in the … Read more
Title: The Gift of Christmas – The boy who blessed the world By: Mary Joslin and Kristina Swarner Price: £7.78 Published by: Lion Good for: children age 5-10 years Best bit: Lovely, whimsical artwork and a re-telling of the story which is very close to the Bible version told in Luke and Matthew. It also … Read more
Title: The Essential Guide to Family Ministry Author: Gail Adcock Price: £8.99 Published by and available from: BRF Good for: anyone involved in, overseeing or thinking about family ministry Best bit: An excellent mix of good theology and research with accessible, practical suggestions for both doing faith at home and supporting others in it. Worst … Read more
Title: Go Colour: The Lord’s Prayer* Author: Youth For Christ (with thanks to Sarah Joy, Tom Spicer and Jo Squires and Steve Squires) Price: £4.99 (or £11.99 for the pack of 3 books) Published by and available from: YFC *This is part of a series, including Go Colour Psalms and Go Colour Prayer Good for: … Read more
Title: Cold Cups of Tea and Hiding in the Loo Author: Annie Wilmott Price: £8.99 Published by and available from: Eden Good for: anyone who’s been a parent, knows a parent or is thinking about becoming one Best bit: Annie’s honesty and humour Worst bit: Perhaps a bit pricey? And I’d like audio version with … Read more
Author: Madeleine L’Engle Illustrator: Frescoes by Giotto Published by: Simon and Schuster Available second-hand from sellers on Amazon and Abebooks “Possible things are easy to believe. The Glorious Impossibles are what bring joy to our hearts, hope to our lives, song to our lips.” Good for: Families with children aged 7—14 and adults who like … Read more
Title: Goodbye to Goodbyes: A true story about Jesus, Lazarus and an empty tomb By: Lauren Chandler & Catalina Echeverri (I love how the author and illustrator make this book – as with many of her books, the pictures Catalina creates communicate so much of the story) Published by: The Good Book Company Price: RRP … Read more
Title: 80 Reflective Prayer ideas; A creative resource for church and group use Author: Claire Daniel Publisher: BRF Price: £9.99 Great for: people organising prayer in any group setting, including those wanting to inspire family prayers at home Best bit: Loads of simple, creative ideas for reflective prayer Worst bit: No pictures The instructions for … Read more
One of the questions most asked by Christian parents on forums is: What Bible should I get my child? Most of us start with Bible story books, and storybook Bibles, re-tellings of Bible stories. They make the Bible more accessible to our children and often feature great illustrations, such as those by Jago in the … Read more
Title: Jesus was a Refugee Written by: Andrew McDonough Series: Lost Sheep Books Published by: Sarah Grace Publishing Price: £5.99 Buy from: Malcolm Down Publishing Useful for: parents of children age 3-10 years old Best bit: Beautiful re-telling in the first person – Jesus and Joseph write their own story, explaining how they had to escape … Read more
Title: Bethlehem Town Written by: Andrew McDonough Series: Lost Sheep Books Published by: Sarah Grace Publishing Price: £5.99 Buy from: Malcolm Down Publishing Useful for: parents of children ages 3-10 years old Best bit: The fun, quirky, colourful pictures and well-rhyming text, describes the birth of Jesus taking place in a house, which from what I’ve … Read more
I was recently at a Forum organised by Children Matter where we were looking at faith at home and the big story of the Bible, and how we help children to engage not just with individual stories but with the Big Story in the Bible. While this was looking at the story in the WHOLE … Read more