Danielle Hitchen’s Psalms of Praise is one of our new favorites that we are excited to share! Described as a movement primer, it’s a beautiful collection of Psalms that highlight different postures and ways of moving our bodies in worship. Both my toddler and preschooler love this.

We love Sally Lloyd Jones’ telling of the 23rd psalm in Found, a board book lifted straight from the pages of The Jesus Storybook Bible., which is geared toward older kids. And speaking (or writing) of Jones, while I was looking for this link I discovered that she’s also creating a board book version of the Lord’s Prayer, called Loved. It won’t be out until September but is available on preorder.

Both my toddler and preschooler really enjoy The Biggest Story ABC. It’s not a Bible storybook, but definitely tells God’s story of redemption so I’m including it here. DeYoung has told the story both chronologically and alphabetically; I can’t imagine even attempting such a feat! A is for Adam and Eve, B is for God’s Beautiful world, C is for the Curse, etc.

These books by Lois Rock are unique in that they actually use the words of Scripture, itself, whereas most books geared at babies and toddlers are a paraphrase. I love this! My kids go in phases with these books. Sometimes they choose them, sometimes they don’t. Regardless, I’m thankful to have them in our library. We own both Our Father (the Lord’s Prayer), The Lost Sheep, and The Good Samaritan. And again, while I was looking for these links I learned that in 2016 the author came out with My Very First Bible, a collection of 20 stories that look to be in this same format.

We love this counting primer. First Bible Basics uses numbers to introduce young children to the central tenets of the Christian faith (1 God, 2 natures of Jesus, 3 persons of the Trinity, etc.). Our very favorite aspect of this book is the gorgeous illustrations. If I had to choose between this and Psalms of Praise, I would begin with the latter, only because I’d rather prioritize storytelling and engaging our kids’ bodies in worship over teaching doctrine. That said, just after writing this my three year old used this book to learn Jesus’ “I am” statements from the Gospel of John, which definitely melted my heart. So I’d definitely repurchase both!

I love this beautiful version of All Creatures Great and Small! The text follows the hymn and illustrations are sweet pictures of a little girl enjoying the natural world around her. My kids aren’t quite as crazy about it as I am but I will continue reading it because I want them to be familiar with this beautiful hymn. Hopefully it will connect with them soon!

Some may wonder what Mama’s Milk has to do with theology. There is certainly no indication that it’s intended for a specifically Christian audience. However, nursing has been a pretty constant part of our lives, these last 4 years, and one of my favorite ways to put my kids’ lives in a context of faith is to talk about our Creator’s design of our world and our bodies. As such, I love the way this book celebrates mammals feeding their babies.

 

I’m loving this new series of picture books about biblical faith heroes written by Rachel Spier Weaver and Anna Haggard! They remind me of Francine River’s Lineage of Grace stories, in that the authors imagine details only inferred by a very close reading of the Bible. For example, Deborah is introduced as a courageous young girl who warns her village of Sisera’s attack. This particular story doesn’t exist in the Bible, but we know that Deborah was a person of courageous leadership and that Sisera “oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years” (Judges 4:3). Thus, the fictionalized story of Deborah as a young girl painted a historical context that I found extremely helpful. Furthermore, it demonstrated the growth of a courageous girl into a courageous woman who God used to deliver God’s people. I was also impressed with the age appropriate way in which they told the stories. For example, in Miriam’s story Pharaoh decreed that “Hebrew boys are no longer allowed in my kingdom” (instead of saying that he was throwing them into the Nile.” I could go on and on about these books. But just one more note- please don’t think these books are just for girls! My son loves the one about Deborah, and I think it’s just as important for him to hear these stories than it is for his younger sister.

 

Max Lucado’s Your Special Gift has probably influenced my parenting more than any other book. In it contains the gem of a phrase, “Each of you should do the most what you do the best.” It was because of this truth that I began to stop comparing myself with other moms and instead started focusing my energy in the areas where I thrive. Oh, how I would love to spare my kids from this comparison trap by celebrating their areas of giftedness from an early age!

The Song of the King by Max Lucado tells of three brave knights who are given a test to see which is most worthy to marry the princess. They are each sent with one trusted companion on a journey through the dark and dangerous Hemlock forest, home of the Hopenots. They are to find their way by listening for the sound of the king’s flute. The Hopenots, however, are sly immitators, so whenever the king begins playing his flute, the knights are confused by the multitude of songs all around them. The knight who finally stumbles out of the forest was able to recognize the king’s song because he had chosen the right companion; knowing that the king’s son was the only who could play the flute like his father, the wise knight had asked the prince to play the song while journeying  with him, so that he would learn it well enough to distinguish the authentic from the counterfeits. Again, I think my son loves that it is about a knight, but I believe I’m laying a solid foundation for the understanding the importance of being able to discern truth and recognize the voice of our King.

Margaret Hodges’ retelling of Saint George and the Dragon is my son’s favorite book, hands down. But I love it, too. It tells the story of a young princess who courageously leaves the safety of her castle to find a knight willing to fight the dragon that has been laying waste to her country. She finds this hero in St. George, the Red Cross Knight, who defeats the enemy to save the people. My son, of course, loves the fighting,  whereas I’ve loved the opportunities we’ve had to talk about courage, perseverance, and even some gender dynamics.

Maybe God Is Like That Too tells the story of a boy who is looking for God in the city. Throughout his day he identifies times where he either experienced or witnessed the various fruits of God’s spirit. After seeing evidence of each he reflects, “That’s what [love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control] looks like to me. Maybe God is like that, too.” At the end of the book he concludes, “I don’t see God the way I see my friends or the streetlights or the river, but I see signs of God’s Spirit all around me, right here in the city. I know what God is like. Maybe I can be like that too.” I love the way this doesn’t limit God, but rather connects the Spirit’s presence with evidence of its fruits!

We love how When God Made You celebrates the way God designed our uniqueness to display God’s image in us. I would say that I choose it much more often than my son does; I’ll be curious to see if it becomes one of my daughter’s favorites. The main character is a free spirited little girl who loves to paint and dance, so I think it could be especially special to someone with these particular inclinations.

This book uses the text of Psalm 23 to narrate a boy’s day as he encounters times of peace, joy, and danger in a bleak. I LOVE that it illustrates this favorite psalm using urban, as opposed to strictly pastoral (aka rural) images! While reordering it (because I gave away our copy as a gift) I was reminded that Tim Ladwig has illustrated a similar book on The Lord’s Prayer. I don’t, yet, own this but it’s definitely on my list!

This book is kind of a trick. I think Lysa TerKeurst actually wrote It Will be Okay for the parents who she knew would be reading this to their little ones; I’m pretty sure it has conjured up occasional tears from this momma! It tells the story of a little seed who is buried in a scary, dark, and messy place, not understanding that the Farmer only hid it away for a time so that it could grow into a fruitful tree.

The Story of Me (intended for 3-5 year olds) is the first in a four part series that explains our gender and sexuality within the larger framework of our identity and purpose as children of God. The little boy who is asking about his birth has a little sister who was born via C-section, whereas he was delivered vaginally. I appreciate how the authors also address adoption, breastfeeding, privacy, and  abuse. I also love how the parents celebrate his sister’s womb that will allow her to carry children, if that is God’s plan for her. Written by a husband and wife team, Stan Jones is provost and professor of Psychology at Wheaton College, whereas Brenna’s graduate training is in biblical and theological studies.

Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr. is a book that prepares young children (3-6 year olds) for the possibility of accidental exposure to pornography, especially on the internet. We actually don’t own this one (though it’s on my list!), but have the one geared more toward elementary and middle school students and it is EXCELLENT.

Shades of People isn’t a specifically Christian book, but our world is plagued with racial tension, at best, and abuse, at worst. Both disunity and injustice are close to the heart of God, and people are naturally suspicious of differences. Thus, an important aspect of my calling as a Christian parent is to intentionally combat this tendency in my kids. Proactively reading this book has empowered us to talk about differences that we observe around us in either neutral or affirmative ways.

Feast for 10 isn’t a specifically Christian book, but I love the way this counting book depicts a black family preparing for a big meal (I pull it out around Thanksgiving). Our world is plagued with racial tension, at best, and abuse, at worst. Both disunity and injustice are close to the heart of God. People are naturally suspicious of differences. Thus, an important aspect of my calling as a Christian parent is to intentionally combat this tendency in my kids. We live in a pretty white world, and most of our picture books either have all white characters or many cultures represented, so I appreciate that this book has only black characters and yet the subject matter of the book isn’t race.

Song of the Stars is the book that we wait to read, each year, until just before opening our first gifts on Christmas Eve. It is my absolute favorite! Written by Sally Lloyd-Jones (the author of the beloved Jesus Storybook Bible), it tells the story of creation’s excitement that the time had finally come for Jesus to be born. I cannot recommend it more highly, especially for families who intentionally hold back during the Advent season as they focus on waiting for and anticipating the coming of Christ.

This, too, is one of our favorites during the Christmas season. In The Little Drummer Boy Ezra Jack Keats (illustrator of The Snowy Day) illustrates this book using the text of the traditional song. I find it breathtaking, and love that it has helped this Christmas carol to become one of my kids’ favorites.