Morning Has Broken

Morning Has Broken Eleanor Farjeon and Tim Ladwig Eerdmans, 1996 When I was in high school, my dad used to wake us up on Sunday mornings by bursting upstairs with an ear-splitting rendition of Eleanor Farjeon’s hymn, Morning Has Broken. (And I do mean ear-splitting. My dad is a wonderful man, but vocal solos are [...]

Books, Vocabulary, and Family Culture

I’m sure you’ve all heard that one of the merits of reading aloud to children is vocabulary enrichment.  The argument goes that the vocabulary in books, even picture books, is more varied and sophisticated than our typical daily speech patterns.  (If you doubt this, pay attention the next time you’re reading a picture book and [...]

Your Favorites

Hello, faithful readers!  Sarah and I do have some great new books to share with you, but unfortunately none of our reviews were ready to post today.  Instead, for a fun change of pace we thought we’d turn the tables and ask you to tell us about your favorite theological children’s books.  We know that there [...]

Toddlers and Stories

My daughter and I started a “family preschool” class this fall, and as part of the class we get to listen to a gifted storyteller share a Bible story a la Godly Play or Young Children and Worship.  It’s been an incredible experience thus far, and has provided me with lots of food for thought [...]

The Moses Basket

The Moses Basket Jenny Koralek and Pauline Baynes Eerdmans, 2003 I have a younger brother, and my daughter does, too: we spend a lot of time these days talking about what it means to be the big sister, and the responsibility she has to love and protect her little brother. I can’t wait for her [...]

Non-Theological Books for 2s

If you’ve been reading here for a while, you may remember that I solicited your advice last February.  My daughter was about to turn 2 and I needed some help making the jump into the wonderful world of non-board picture books.  You all had such great suggestions, and we’ve enjoyed reading most of them over [...]

Bringing Church Home

One of my desires for my children is that they would be at home in the church.  I want them to know church as a place where they are known and loved by the other children and adults, a place where they can pray and worship God with others, a place where they learn the [...]

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa Demi Margeret K. McElderry Books, 2005 For those of us who grew up in the closing years of the twentieth century, Mother Teresa is something of an icon. She stands for everything that is saintly, good, and – well, all too often, unattainable. “What do you expect,” I remember friends in high school [...]