A Book Review from Books At a Glance
By Kristin Stiles
Everything a Child Should Know About God. That is a rather impressive claim and a daunting undertaking. Kenneth Taylor has done an admirable job in assembling a book that pretty much lives up to such a moniker. Be advised, though, that this book is really targeted towards children who are ages 3-7. It is much too simplistic for those who are older.
This book is divided up into ten parts with an additional note to the parents at the beginning and a “Just Remember” section at the end. The ten parts are titled as follows:
- All about the Bible
- What God Has Done
- Who God Is
- The Problem of Sin
- Jesus Comes to Help Us
- Jesus Wants to Save You
- The Holy Spirit Helps Us
- Why We Go to Church
- Living as Jesus’ Friends
- When Jesus Comes Back
Within each section there are very brief (one-page with large font) lessons about the various aspects under those titles. Following the lesson, there is a simple question that is directly extracted from the material. In the revised version, there are scriptural references to support each lesson. The facing page contains a colorful and really delightful illustration to go with the topic.
Overall, I was very pleased with the content. Not only is the wording very child friendly; it explains many profound theological concepts. The Scripture and the questions that follow along with the illustrations make this book very interactive. It is meant to be read by the adult to the child and not read independently. Even though each reading is very short, there is much discussion that could be had.
Those who are of a reformed/Calvinistic bent might bristle at some of the language Taylor uses. He repeatedly mentions that Jesus died for everyone’s sins. He offers a simple prayer for salvation: “Who died for your sins? Do you want to ask Him to forgive you and be your Savior and Lord? Let’s do it now. You can pray, ‘Thank you, Jesus, for dying for my sins.’” Later lessons seem to imply that the child is a “friend of Jesus” with all the benefits of the Holy Spirit and heaven in the future. Since this book is so interactive, though, parents can better qualify and explain these statements to fit their reformed theology.
So, maybe it isn’t everything a child should know about God, but it certainly is a good introduction. It is also very comprehensive covering topics from Genesis through Revelation. I would recommend this book with the qualifications that it be read by an adult and not just left for the child and that the adult truly interacts with the child about each topic. In that way, I see this book as being a valuable asset to your home library.
Kristin Stiles is a home-school mom, a Sunday School teacher, and helps lead the “Young, Reading, & Reformed” children’s ministry at Reformed Baptist Church of Franconia, PA.
Editor’s Note: Be sure to visit our friends at 10Publishing to see more of their excellent books!
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Everything a Child Should Know About God