Faith-filled focus

Read It, See It, Say It, Sing It!

Hunter Beless

Beless’ rhyming text celebrates the blessing of reading, seeing, saying, and singing Scripture: “We read it out loud, so we hear what God says. We see it to crave it and eat it like bread. We say it to hide its truths deep in our hearts. We sing it so others can come and take part.” The book’s message points families to worship that extends beyond Sunday services and shows children how God’s Word can help them day to day. Hsulynn Pang’s illustrations incorporate Scripture verses and references and feature diverse families throughout the pages. (Ages 3-7)

Polly and the Screen Time Overload 

Betsy Childs Howard

When Polly receives a tablet computer for her birthday, it consumes her attention and prevents her from enjoying the simple pleasures of her grandparents’ farm. Instead of riding Mustard the horse, she watches silly horse videos. Rather than building a fort with her cousins, she plays a digital castle game. Gamps offers Polly wise advice: “God has given us many good gifts, but he says we can only truly enjoy them when they don’t take over our lives.” A note to parents offers ways to avoid screen time overload. (Ages 3-7)

Gwen Tells Tales

Edward T. Welch

After Gwen spends her evening playing games rather than studying for a test, she thinks her parents will never know. But one deception leads to another until Gwen realizes she can no longer hide the truth. When she confesses, Gwen’s parents point her to Jesus: “Following Jesus doesn’t mean we won’t do wrong things. … But it does mean that when we do, we ask Jesus for help and forgiveness.” The afterword gives suggestions for helping children overcome lying and includes a tear-out page of “Back Pocket Bible Verses.” (Ages 4-9)

Who is Jesus?

Kate Hox

In this 40-day family devotional, Hox helps children learn more about Jesus by exploring the salvation story through the framework of Jesus’ many identities. The text also shows children how Old Testament foreshadowing and New Testament imagery point to Jesus. In one example, Hox explains how the flood and Noah’s ark could not fix our sin problem, but God “provided a way for us to escape the floodwaters of sin” through Jesus, our perfect ark. Each entry features a corresponding picture, discussion questions, and related Scripture verses. (Ages 4-11)

Afterword

Charlie Mackesy’s 2019 book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse ­currently reigns as Amazon’s bestselling literary graphic novel with an average five-star rating from more than 96,000 reviews. For Mackesy, a successful British artist, the artwork is primary. Sometimes his four characters appear in full color paintings, other times they show up as half-finished sketches. But he holds them together visually with a landscape that feels a bit like E.H. Shepard’s illustrations of Winnie-the-Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Mackesy does weave a slight plot as the boy journeys to meet each animal, but his poetry and scenes often stand alone. Themes include kindness, friendship, and encouragement to overcome fears and ­“follow your dreams.” Although our culture often makes an idol of human desires, ­parents can remind young readers that we don’t follow our loves, dreams, and feelings apart from God. With God, though, these good gifts can be a blessing to us and those around us. —Emily Whitten