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CHILDREN’S NONFICTION
Creation, written by Helen Haidle;
illustrated by David Haidle and Elizabeth
Haidle. LCCN 00033385. Grand Rapids:
Zonderkidz, Zondervan, 2000. ISBN
0310700183, HBB, $12.99.
231.7’65. Creation--Biblical teaching; Bible stories--
O.T. unp. Elementary (Small children).
This beautifully illustrated book is a retelling of
the story of Creation based on excerpts from
Genesis and the Psalms. A two-page spread is
devoted to each day. Helen Haidle paraphrases
the text from Genesis in simple language. In
addition, an appropriate selection from the
Psalms is given in verse form. The last third of
the book focuses on some animals which have
unique features, hyperdeveloped senses, or
peculiar shapes, e.g., the octopus (8 arms), the
eagle (keen eyesight), and the zebra (striped
skin).
This is a delighful and uplifting book. The
illustrations are realistic without intensive
details, and there is an abundance of color. The
use of parallel texts makes this an excellent
teaching tool: the Psalm selections praise the
things that are created on the specific day. For
example, on the fourth day, God creates the
lights in the sky to separate day from night. The
Psalm selection is 19:1-4 “The heavens tell
about the glory of God. / The skies show that /
his hands created them. / No sound is heard
from them / At the same time, their voice goes
out / into the whole earth.” The juxtaposition of
these texts and the accompanying illustration
reflects the majesty and wonder of the Creation
story.
The last six pages contain text and illustrations
of some of God’s “amazing” creatures. Each
animal’s unique feature is described and a
simple rationale is given for the feature. For
example, the squid can quickly change its color
to confuse its enemies. While the content of this
section is more appropriate for school-age
children, preschoolers will enjoy looking at the
pictures and learning the names of these
fantastic animals.
The Haidles have produced a wonderful yet
simple book about the beginning of the world.
Nadia J. Martin, MLIS, Librarian, First Presbyterian Church,
Plymouth, Michigan
The Christmas story : from the Gospels of
Matthew and Luke, illustrated by Cathy
Ann Johnson. LCCN 99023700.
Nashville: Tommy Nelson, Thomas
Nelson, 1999. ISBN 084997528X, HBB,
$5.99.
232.92. Jesus Christ--Nativity; Bible stories--N.T.
unp. Elementary.
The Christmas Story: From the Gospels of
Matthew and Luke is a simple, straightforward
retelling of the Nativity story. Pulling Scripture
from the first and second chapters of both
Matthew and Luke, the story includes Gabriel’s
announcement, Joseph’s disbelief, the trip to
Bethlehem, and Jesus’ birth, along with the story
of the shepherds, wise men, and King Herod.
Scripture is quoted from the International
Children’s Bible, New Century Version, and
Scripture references are printed beneath the text
on each page. The last page of the book shows
a picture of the night sky and the Star of the East
with the words of John 3:16 printed below.
Illustrator Cathy Ann Johnson tells the Nativity
story effectively through her illustrations. She
uses bold, bright colors and her depictions of the
characters and their surroundings are simple and
clear enough to appeal to even very young
children. Especially well done are the
expressions of emotion on the character’s faces,
such as Mary and Joseph’s fear at learning Mary
is pregnant and the wise men’s awe and worship
of baby Jesus. Small details in the portrayals of
clothing and architecture help to lend an
authentic flavor to the illustrations. A useful tool
for sharing the Christmas story with young
children.
Kerri Cunningham, Librarian, Camano Island, Washington
The Easter story, by Brian Wildsmith.
LCCN 98056534. Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Wm.
B. Eerdmans, 2000. ISBN 0802851894,
HBB, $18.00.
232.96. Jesus Christ--Resurrection; Jesus Christ--
Passion; Easter; Bible stories--N.T. unp. Elementary.
The Easter Story by Brian Wildsmith simply and
clearly retells the Passion story as seen through
the eyes of the small donkey that Jesus rode into
Jerusalem. Beginning with the Triumphant
Ride, Wildsmith continues to recount the
Clearing of the Temple, the Last Supper, Peter’s
betrayal of Christ, and Jesus’ Crucifixion and
Resurrection. The story ends with the
Ascension and the donkey being taken to the
home of one of Jesus’ friends where the reader is
told he will stay for the rest of his life.
Author and illustrator Brian Wildsmith has
created a companion to his earlier book, A
Christmas Story. By telling the story through
the eyes of the donkey Jesus rode, Wildsmith
makes the story accessible and interesting to
even young readers. However, it is the
illustrations that truly set this book apart. The
pages are large and Wildsmith’s images fill
every inch of them. Depictions include the
remarkable buildings of Jerusalem, the
countryside of Israel, and Jesus and his
disciples, among many others. As in A
Christmas Story, the use of gold-toned paints
creates shining illustrations, and many are
reminiscent of stained-glass windows. In an
Author’s Note, Wildsmith states that he wanted
to capture the symbolism of Jesus’ last days on
earth, as well as his death and resurrection, in
“color, shape and form.” He succeeds by
creating beautiful yet accurate illustrations of
Jerusalem in Jesus’ time. Although the story has
been written for children, the gorgeous, almost
theatrical, illustrations make it a pleasure for
anyone to read and view.
Kerri Cunningham, Librarian, Camano Island, Washington
The very first Easter, by Paul L. Maier;
illustrated by Francisco Ordaz. LCCN
00701286. St. Louis, Mo.: Concordia,
1999. ISBN 0570070538, HBB, $14.00.
232.96. Jesus Christ--Resurrection; Jesus Christ--
Passion; Easter; Bible stories--N.T. 32 p. Elementary.
This book follows the same format as Paul
Maier’s companion book, The Very First
Christmas. Meier embeds the story of the first
Easter inside the story of a ten-year-old boy
named Christopher, who lives with his mother
and father, a forest ranger, in a remote area of
America’s western mountains. As Christopher
and his parents are sitting around the table dying
Easter eggs, Christopher wonders aloud what
the true story of Easter is. His Dad picks up the
Bible and the two of them begin to read aloud
from the book of Luke.
The narrative follows their discussion as they
read, with Christopher asking questions that any
child might typically ask—“How do we know
Jesus was really God?” “Why did they hang
people on crosses, Dad?” “But if Jesus had a
solid body and wasn’t a ghost, how did he get
through the walls?” Maier’s format works well
in this setting. Quotations from Luke tell the
story, but the discussion between Christopher
and his Dad explain the Easter story in a way
that seems natural and easy to understand.
While the text of this book is quite good, what
makes this book an excellent addition to the
Easter collection is the outstanding artwork of
Francisco Ordaz. Beautiful, full page pictures
take up the right hand side of each spread.
These realistic and detailed illustrations do a
superb job of furthering the viewer’s
understanding of the Easter story. Especially
well done is a portrayal of Jesus praying in the
garden of Gethsemane and an illustration
showing the women standing in amazement
before the empty tomb. The Very First Easter is
a wonderful book to share with a child, or
anyone, who wonders what more there is to
Easter than bunnies and painted eggs.
Lillian Heytvelt, Librarian, Pomeroy, Washington
Little girls devotional storybook for
mothers and daughters, by Carolyn
Larsen; illustrated by Caron Turk. Grand
Rapids: Baker Books, 2000. ISBN
0801044464, HBB, $16.99.
242. Prayer books and devotions. 187 p. Elementary.
The Little Girls Devotional Storybook for
Mothers and Daughters contains eighteen short
stories that will capture the attention of young
girls while teaching them important lessons.
Each story is followed by questions for mothers
and daughters to answer together, a brief
devotional, and a scripture related to the story.
The stories deal with such hard topics as anger,
selfishness, and disobedience. Positive topics
such as thankfulness and God’s loving care are
also included. As an added feature, the
illustrator, Caron Turk, has included a little
angel with pink wings in each picture. Little
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