Apple
pies are being baked, leaves are falling, pumpkins are being picked and carved,
kids are dressing in costumes and begging for candy, turkeys are being cooked –
it must be Autumn!
Here’s
a few fun books for the season. Most of these I have reviewed before, but the
first one is a new treasure for you to add to your collection!
Genre: Picture Books
Target
Audience: Kids 2-6
Subjects: God’s
creation
Summary/Notes: This cute
little board book tells of some of the things to be found at a pumpkin patch
and puts it in terms of things to be thankful for.
Spiritual
Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5
Genre: Children's
Picture Book
Target Audience: Boys and
Girls 3-10
Subjects: Thankfulness
Summary/
Notes: Adorable! That’s the best word to describe the picture book
Thankful written by Eileen Spinelli and illustrated by Archie Preston. The
author takes the reader through a day in the life of a family, showing what
they are thankful for. It’s not just an ordinary family though. The children
have great imagination and pretend to be a number of different professions and
we get to see what each profession would be thankful for. Archie Preston draws
beautiful illustrations of the kids, showing exactly what they are imagining.
One of the things I appreciate about this book is that the ideas are not overly
simple. For example, one of the pages says “The dancer is thankful. She loves
the beat that stirs her heart and hips and feet.” It has cute little rhymes for
each idea expressed. I like how it conveys gratitude to God for more than
objects.
This not-so-simple picture book is one I can definitely recommend
to children and their parents!
Spiritual
Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Target Audience: Boys and Girls 3-10
Subjects: 4/5
Summary/Notes: It’s fall and
the leaves are changing colors, pumpkins are growing and the land is beautiful.
The bear family is thankful for all the beauty. To celebrate they attend the
Harvest Festival at a local farm. Most of the book is focused on simple
enjoyment of the activities of the festival and the beauty of the land. One
section though shows Brother Bear saying that “mother nature is putting on a
good show for us” and Mother Bear saying that “mother nature works for someone
a bit higher up.” And Papa Bear tells them that harvest time is about more than
enjoying the season, it is also a time to give thanks to God. On the inside of
the back cover is family activities and discussion guides.
Spiritual
Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5
Book: The PumpkinPatch Parable (From Parable Treasury) by Liz Curtis Higgs, Illustrated by Nancy
Munger, Thomas Nelson, 2015
Genre: Picture Book
Target Audience: Boys and Girls 3-10
Subjects: Parables, Holidays, God’s Love, Showing Love To
Others
Summary: A rejected gift, a sunflower reaching for the sun,
a pumpkin shining it’s light, a beautiful Christmas tree – they all have one
thing in common: they can be used to illustrate Biblical truths. That’s exactly
what Liz Curtis Higgs does in this collection of picture books. She takes each
item and weaves a creative story around it, turning it into a parable just like
the ones Jesus told. Each story is focused around The Farmer and his children
who learn lessons from things the farmer grows. The one on pumpkins tells how
the icky stuff is taken out and is then used to shine God’s light.
Notes: This a collection of stories written years ago,
now reprinted into one volume parents can use each season of the year. It
contains beautiful illustrations and each page also contains a Bible verse at
the bottom of the page, further diving into the meaning behind the parables.
The author manages to weave not just the one major point, but a small Biblical
truth into each element of each story. I
highly recommend this book as a way for parents to teach children Biblical
truths using common symbols of each season.
Spiritual Content Recommendation
Scale: 5/5
1 Thessalonians 5:18 – Give thanks in all
circumstances for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
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