Saturday, January 29, 2011

God Gave Us So Much--Book Review




About a week ago, I was so excited to find another book review program for bloggers. It's called Blogging for Books, and they have quite an assortment to choose from. I just received my first book, God Gave Us So Much by Lisa Tawn Bergren in the mail today, and I was able to read through it tonight. I had seen this series of books in retail stores before, but I had not had a chance to read them. This particular book is a limited edition three book treasury. The three books included together are: God Gave Us the World, God Gave Us Love, and God Gave Us Heaven.

Each of these stories is about the life of a polar bear family of five--Papa, Mama, Little Cub and her two younger siblings. In God Gave Us the World, the family visits a bear exhibit, and Mama teaches Little Cub about God's great creation. In God Gave Us Love, Little Cub encounters a group of rambunctious otters who get her a little upset. Little Cub's Grandpa subtly reminds her of God's great love for her and the how she needs to love the otters. In God Gave Us Heaven, Little Cub asks Papa some very innocent, childlike questions about what heaven is like and what she will do there.

I enjoyed reading through these stories especially the first two. They provide great opportunities for discussions with your children. The last story, God Gave Us Heaven, was a little vague on how we actually get to heaven. I believe that is one thing that should never be vague especially in dealing with children. Also, I would probably wait on reading the last story until my two year old daughter was a little older. I think it is a little too early to be talking about death with her; although, you have to judge each child individually in matters like these. I absolutely loved the illustrations by Laura J. Bryant. She did a great job with the art for this book. The polar bears look adorable and cuddly, and the colors are delightful, bright and cheery.

I would recommend this collection of books as great bedtime reading; although you may have to read a little at a time as the stories are on the longer side. Be prepared to add what is not explicitly stated such as the Gospel. The opportunity is given, and it would be really easy to add.


** I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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