Children’s Religion Reviews that appeared in PW on January 28

-- Publishers Weekly, 1/30/2008

The Light of the World: The Life of Jesus for Children
Katherine Paterson, illus. by François Roca. Scholastic/Levine, $17.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-545-01172-3

As Newbery Medalist Paterson (Bridge to Terabithia) distills key events in the life of Jesus, her unfettered prose is sure to prove inviting to young readers. Blending accessible language and memorable, age-appropriate imagery, she skillfully encapsulates familiar Bible passages and parables: “Jesus was hung on a cross on a hill outside the city, between two men who were thieves. His frightened friends had run away. He felt very alone./ When Jesus died, darkness covered the earth. The light of the world had gone out.” Roca’s (The Yellow Train) stylized oil paintings, a series of warm-hued portraits and scenes deceptively spare in their composition, seem to use light as an organizing motif, too. Sun illuminates Jesus as he leads his disciples across tawny desert, and light from an unseen source falls upon the lame man whom the offstage Jesus heals; the palette darkens when Roca shows disbelievers and as the Crucifixion nears. But the illustrations, unconventionally, preceded Paterson’s text, originally appearing in a French children’s book and inspiring this book’s editor to seek out an American author. The pairing works seamlessly, with both author and artist identifying highlighting elements of the story (the bread, the cup of wine eaten when Jesus “gathered his closest friends to celebrate the feast of Passover”), and illuminating them anew for children and adults alike. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)

How Big Is God?
Lisa Tawn Bergren, illus. by Laura J. Bryant. HarperBlessings, $10.99 ISBN 978-0-06-113174-5

A mother leads her son through a conversation about God in this smoothly conceived if slightly bland picture book. The boy begins by asking where God lives, and when told that God lives in his heart, the boy concludes, reasonably enough, that God must be extremely tiny. The mother’s responses use kid-friendly language to point to the mysteries of God (“Think of him like sand, small enough to make its way into your sock. Or big enough to make a whole dune”). Alternating between traditional layouts and the occasional vertical spread for emphasis, Bryant (previously teamed with Bergren for God Gave Us You) depicts the talk as action unfolding over the course of a day, in an enticing array of settings, from snowy fields hemmed in by mountains to the bottom of the ocean, from outer space to a waterfall. Despite the range of scenery and an abundance of patterns, the sameness of the palette and of the characters’ pared-down expressions tends to dampen the visual interest. On the plus side, Bergren’s nondenominational approach presumes little; parents can be anywhere from vaguely spiritual to active in a religious community, and still want to share this book with their children. Ages 3-7. (Jan.)

Jesus Loves Me!
Tim Warnes. S&S/Little Simon Inspirations, $7.99 (26p) ISBN 978-1-4169-5367-8

Now available as a board book, Warnes’s interpretation of the popular hymn racks up big points for its beguiling watercolors of a friendly bear family whose straightforward piety is rooted in the affection among parents and child. Young audiences will gravitate to the cozy scenes: a parent encircles the cub in his arms to read in bed from “My First Bible,” the bears dye Easter eggs (“as He loved so long ago”), garden, make gingerbread bears and roast marshmallows, among many enviable activities that frequently show them in tune with the natural world. Rounded corners and padded covers make this volume extra-safe; gilt edging cues in kids to its special contents. Ages 2-5. (Jan.)