Tuesday, April 19, 2011

FIRST: That's When I Talk to God by Dan & Ali Morrow

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!


Today's Wild Card authors are:

Dan and Ali Morrow

and Illustrated by

Cory Godbey


and the book:

David C. Cook (April 1, 2011)
***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:


Dan and Ali Morrow are parents of two wonderful daughters. When they’re not writing children’s books, they like to go on adventures around their Colorado home. They are the authors of That’s Where God Is (2010), their first children’s release.

Visit the authors' website.


ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:


Cory Godbey illustrates, animates, and writes for Portland Studios, a creative firm dedicated to telling great stories and pursuing excellence in art.

He has contributed to projects such as Zune Arts, Flight graphic novel anthologies, and has worked with many major publishers.

Recently, Cory was accepted in the acclaimed Society of Illustrators Annual.

Cory seeks to tell stories with his work.

He also likes drawing monsters.

Visit the illustrator'swebsite.


SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Targeted to children four to eight, That’s When I Talk to God mirrors the day of the typical child, creating an opportunity for readers to put the practices in the story to use in their own lives. Through beautiful illustrations and an engaging, familiar character, readers can relate to That’s When I Talk to God. Children will learn to go to God with their fears, their joys, their questions, and their desires. They will also learn the hows, whens, and whys of praying to the Lord in a way they can easily apply to their own experiences. And adults will be reminded to communicate the benefit, simplicity, and beauty of prayer.



Product Details:

List Price: $12.99
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 36 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook (April 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1434700186
ISBN-13: 978-1434700186

My take:  This is a great little book.  The illustrations are sweet, and the relationships between the characters are touching.  The whole premise is that this little girl learns that she can talk to God anytime, anywhere, not just before bed or before meals.

I think my single favorite scene in the book is when the little girl's friend, Joey, invites her to a birthday party.  She has to tell him she can't go because she has church, and he scoffs and tells her that "Church is dumb!"

This little girl asks her big brother why Joey would say something like that, and Ollie tells her that "Some people don't believe in God."

Okay, so I was bracing myself at this point... because so many of these books are telling these little 5 year olds to go out and lay out the plan of salvation to everyone they meet.  And yes, there are amazing little kids who have done some incredible things... but I cringe when I read that kind of a thing.  I mean, here is a little girl who is going through her first day of realizing that God is real and she can TALK to him...

So I was thrilled to go to the next page and read, "That's when I can talk to God, I realized, when I meet people who don't believe in Him.  'God, I don't think Joey knows You,' I prayed. 'Please tell him who You are.'"

I love this.  Let's start by getting our five year olds to be praying for the hurting people of this world.  And then, once they have learned to respond to the lost and hurting people they encounter, then maybe they can start seeing that maybe they are the ones to "tell him who You are."


AND NOW...THE FIRST FEW PAGES (Click on the pictures to enlarge them!):













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