A Book Review for Kids & Moms from Books At a Glance
by Kristin Stiles
Teaching our toddlers and preschoolers to count is one of those things that parents just seem to instinctively know to do. There are thousands and thousands of children’s books on the market to help kids learn their 1-2-3s, so what makes this one special?
Jonathan Gibson relates numbers 1-12 (with a bonus 100) to stories in the Bible in his book My First 123 Book of Bible Numbers. Not only do children get practice identifying written numbers and counting various collections of items, they are introduced to biblical concepts and characters. From the “1” true God, who created everything, to the “100” sheep of the Good Shepherd, the children learn about the attributes of God. David, Moses, Joseph, and Jonah each get a number as do the stories of the ark, the resurrection, and creation.
This is a wonderfully interactive book. Each number is accompanied by an illustration that is filled with items that reflect that number for the child to locate and count. There are lots of opportunities to count and practice the numbers. More importantly, though, parents can use the numbers to talk more about the attributes, characters, and Bible stories they represent. You can not only prepare your child for kindergarten, but also prepare him/her for eternity!
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.