Reviews

PreS-Gr 2-A young girl asks her parents questions about God's clothes, speech, feelings, and actions. They reply, incorporating paraphrases from the book of Psalms. For example, she asks, ``Does God like to paint, Papa?'' Her father replies with a verse about Him painting sunrise and sunset, and she comments that she bets God likes painting rainbows as much as she does. The questions raised are typical of those posed by young children, and the result is a book that presents the concepts in an understandable, concrete way. A list of Biblical citations is included. The illustrations are painted with bright, intense colors in an impressionistic but realistic style to show the child in various situations. They make good use of varying perspectives and viewpoints. While there are many illustrated Bible stories available, there is nothing else that attempts to explain God to this age group.-Jane Gardner Connor, South Carolina State Library, Columbia

A conversation between Katrina and her parents about the nature of God deftly juxtaposes an adult metaphysical sensibility (replete with allusions to the book of Psalms) against a child's hands-on approach to spirituality. For instance, in answer to her daughter's question whether God has any pets, Mama replies: ``The animals and birds of the forest are his and every cow on a thousand hills,'' whereas Katrina's more pragmatic response is: ``Maybe God would like us to get a a puppy!'' Each turn of the page introduces a new question--what God wears, whether He talks, if He cries or sings--and another vista featuring McElrath-Eslick's bold brush strokes and her perhaps overexcited palette. The approach is nondenominational beyond its Judeo-Christian foundations, and could easily provide a springboard for family or one-on-one discussions. All of the Psalms alluded to are included in their entirety at the end of the book. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)