Some new children's books

New Growth Press has sent through some of their new releases - all fun offerings for families to enjoy. 

My First 123 Book of Bible Numbers, Jonathon Gibson 

This is a colourful, fun book for little ones to engage with numbers and Bible stories. It introduces numbers 1-12 and 100, linking them to bible facts and including extra items to search for while counting. Illustrations by Mike Mullan are bright and clear. While there might have been other ways to use the numbers (eg Jesus appearing to the 11 disciples, rather than 11 being the number of stars in Joseph’s dream), all are accurate examples of how numbers are used in the bible. A cute little book for those who are learning to count.

A Wonderful Surprise, Sally Michael

This is well-timed for those looking for an Easter book in the next few weeks. Anchored around Luke 19:38a (Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord), Michael tells the story of Jesus' final week, from his arrival in Jerusalem to his resurrection (and then ascension). It's a clever and engaging way of teaching children that Jesus is indeed the King who came and who will come again. Soft, colourful, and detailed illustrations by Sengsavane Chounramany will delight many. 

At the end, there are two double pages of instructions and recommendations for parents /guardians. I increasingly find these prompts in children's books rather condescending to parents. Yet, some may find them helpful. However, the story is a lovely addition to the series, three of which I reviewed previously. 

Coop Learns He Can, Sarah Reju

This is the third book in the Wheelies series about Coop, the youngest car in a family of seven. Sarah Reju has created a fun world of cars and trucks, all with different skills and personalities. Coop has been told he is fearfully and wonderfully made, but he's not quite sure how that can be when he feels unable to keep up with his sister. Yet, it turns out that his ability to zip around and fit through small spaces is exactly what she needs when she gets into trouble. Tania Rex's colourful illustrations show a fun world and expressive faces on the cars. 

Ecopies of all of these were received in exchange for an honest review.  

My First ABC Book of Bible Verses

My First ABC Book of Bible Verses, Jonathan Gibson (New Growth Press, 2024) 

This is a lovely picture book that uses the alphabet as the springboard to explore different truths about God through bible verses and simple explanations. Full of God’s truths, it will be a good introduction to his word for young ones, using bible verses from the full bible, rather than a simplified kids’ version. As such, there may be a little too much content for very young ones, so you could dip in and out of it with toddlers, rather than read it cover to cover. Older pre-schoolers will likely appreciate the ABC structure, finding the letters on each page and how the bible verse matches with them.

The illustrations by Mike Mullen are fun and varied, with city and country scenes, and lots of different people. He cleverly utilises each letter, but keeps simplicity for younger ones. 

Gibson also authored The Moon is Always Round, which is an excellent kids’ book about God's goodness in the midst of hard times. He has also written a series of three rhyming acrostic books, so he clearly enjoys making things work around the alphabet.

However, there were two things that I noticed:

1. The ABC structure has driven the choice of bible verse whereas it would have been better to have the story of the bible drive the order. So, it oddly starts with Isaiah 53:6 - with sin, before God’s goodness or creation. The order feels haphazard throughout.

2. Three bible translations have been used: ESV, NIV and CSB, with the default being the ESV. This is an odd choice for young children, because the ESV's intention to retain Greek word order does not always correlate with the most natural English reading. The risk of including three translations is that it gives the impression of just picking the one that suits your purpose (like how to include a “Z”). Following on from this, verses weren’t always referenced quite right when the whole verse was not included (which is traditionally indicated with a letter, e.g., Romans 5:5b).

All in all, it’s a fun book that will engage parents and children alike to embrace, love and learn God’s word.

I was given an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  

Something Scary Happened

Something Scary Happened: Comfort for Children in Hard Times, Darby A. Strickland (New Growth Press, 2023) 

This picture is for a specific situation - when something scary has happened to a young child and you want to help them process it and understand that God and his good shepherd Jesus are with them in their pain. 

Miles the lamb has lots of fun in the meadow with his other lamb friends: they play soccer, they eat, and they all sleep in a pile together. But one day something scary happens, and Miles is so scared that he doesn’t know what to do, and pretends it didn’t happen. 

But he can’t really forget, and he gets mad at his friends, and then he cries, and he can’t sleep - he feels all alone. But then the good Shepherd comes and promises Miles that he is with him - when he is scared, when he is mad, when he can’t sleep. 

All of this in anchored around Psalm 23, and beautifully illustrated by Carlotta Notaro. It’s a gentle book, introducing helpful concepts for little ones (2-5s) about how our bodies, emotions, and relationships can all be affected when something scary happens. Because the “scary thing” is not specified - it could be used for numerous scary circumstances or traumas, e.g., a car accident, cases of abuse, seeing a confronting thing, or challenging events in a family. There are also helpful guidelines for carers in the back of the book.

One of those books that you hope you don’t need, but will be helpful if you do.

Bible verses to remember series

Bible Verses to Remember book series, Sally Michael (New Growth Press, 2023)

This cute new series from Sally Michael teaches little ones (aged 3-7) truths about God while also helping them start to memorise bible verses. Eye catching and cheery illustrations by Sengsavane Chounramany will engage kids and caregivers alike. Each book goes through each verse, exploring different parts of it and how we can trust God, rejoice in him, trust in him, or praise him as a result.

Good Gifts Come From God shows how many gifts we receive from God - in creation, in other people, and most of all in Jesus. Anchored in James 1:17a “Every good first and every perfect gift is from above” (ESV), it helps children to see how much in our lives is a gift to thank God for. 

Our Great God shares the truth of Psalm 95:3 “For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods”. There is certainly overlap with the above book, but it’s more about everything God knows and how we praise him with thankfulness. 

Give God Your Worries helps kids to see that we share our worries with God and trust him with them, with the encouragement to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). This might be for slightly older kids, but it certainly gives a biblical, helpful framework for us when we worry. 

All three will be appreciated additions to a family’s collection of Christian children’s books.

I was given ecopies of these books in exchange for an honest review.  

God Made Babies

God Made Babies, Justin & Lindsay Holcomb (New Growth Press, 2022)

What a fantastic addition this is to the God Made Me series, as Justin & Lindsay Holcomb give parents of little ones a head start on the conversation about where babies come from.

Like all the books in this series (10 at last count) they are aimed at toddlers and pre-schoolers, and again Trish Mahoney demonstrates her skill with eye-catching and engaging illustrations.

What I loved the most was their angle into the topic. It didn’t leap straight to people, but started with God creating the world, plants, animals, and people. 

Then they break down how reproduction works across the variety of life God has made, starting with flowers, then reptiles and birds, and finally to mammals.

Scant but adequate details are given about how a mom and dad both give a small part and they join together in the mom’s body to make a baby. Then details show how the baby grows from the size of a poppy seed to the size of a watermelon, and how it develops over that time. I think they have hit the mark with just the right amount of information for this age group. It’s accurate, with the correct words used (reproduce, sperm, egg, womb, vagina), but not too detailed. This means parents can use it as is, or if it prompts more questions they have the groundwork laid to give more information.

The explanation about flower pollination was more complicated than it needs to be at this age. But that’s a very minor quibble, and overall it’s very helpful.

If you read books to little ones, you'll want to add this one to your collection. 

I was given an ebook in exchange for an honest review.  

God Made Me for Worship

God Made Me for Worship, Jared Kennedy 

This new volume in the God Made Me series helps young children to understand the purpose of church and what happens when we are there.

Like others in the series (God Made All of Me, God Made Me AND You, God made Boys and Girls, and God Made Me Unique) although all have different authors, they have a similar feel, both with way they have been collated, and with the eye-catching illustrations of Trish Mahoney.

It starts with a group of children talking to their pastor and wanting to understand why they do the things they do in church.

Then young readers are introduced to various parts of a worship service: the call to worship, praise and adoration, confession and lament, assurance, welcome (or passing the peace), ministry of the word (reading and preaching the bible), communion, giving, and the benediction. Variations between this expression and your church’s own would be easy to explain (eg. in our church no-one shouts out “That’s right! Amen!” during the preaching). And, of course, whether you have all these elements in your own church service will reflect your own churchmanship. Frankly, if some key parts are missing in your church, even parents should start to ask why. 

All of these are explained through the lens of the gospel, showing how what Christ has done for us is reflected in a worship service. My guess is, that this is a step many of us miss when we explain church to our children, for we may not have fully grasped it ourselves. 

I would have liked to see a bit more on prayer, because I hope a church would be praying more broadly that only in confession. I also felt bringing Isaiah 6 in was probably a bit more complicated than was necessary for this age group. I think this may be the first in the series with a parent that is not a believer, the father picks up the little girl and her mother after, and she is keen to tell him what she has learnt. That’s a helpful addition and reflects the reality of numerous families.

Another solid addition to the God Made Me series, aimed at those who are 4-8.

I received a pdf copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Why Do We Say Good Night?

Why Do We Say Good Night? Champ Thornton

In simple, rhyming verse, Thornton uses this story with a little girl and her mum to acknowledge the fears young children have about darkness and going to bed. It’s bedtime, but she isn’t sure night time is good, and so asks “why do we say goodnight?”

Her mum points out that the monsters and scary things she imagines in the dark aren’t real, but more than that, there are three promises about God that the little girl can cling to:

• God made the night “so even dark is good and right”
• God sees everything, so “dark is like bright light to him”, and when it is dark, “God is watching through the night”
• God is near, “Just like a shepherd guards his sheep, the Lord protects while we’re asleep”

It’s aimed at pre-schoolers, with very simple language. Rommel Ruiz is the illustrator, and there is a cartoony, art-deco sort of quality to them, and since it’s night-time, lots of dark colour with blues and purples throughout. The scenes start with her simple normal bedroom, but then various shapes and toys come alive to be bigger and scarier in the little girl’s imagination.

For little ones with worries about bedtime, this could be a lovely way to remind them that God is with them always, protecting, caring and in control.

I was given an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  

The Moon is Always Round

The Moon Is Always Round, Jonathon Gibson

It’s not often that a children’s book brings me to tears, but that is just what The Moon Is Always Round does each time I read it. Gibson has written a heartfelt book teaching children the truth of God’s goodness, in the midst of especially hard times.

Dedicated to his son Benjamin, the little boy in the book is meant to be him. Told in the first person by the little boy, he and his dad have a game they play when they look at the moon. Whatever shape it looks at any point in time, when Daddy asks “what shape is the moon”, little Ben always replies ,“the moon is always round”, and it means that “God is always good”. It’s their little catechism to talk about no matter what things look like and though it can sometimes be hard to see, God is always good.

So:

When Dad told me I was getting a little sister, the moon looked like a banana.
But Dad said, “The moon is always round.” 

When the mummy’s tummy looks like a watermelon, the moon looked like a shrivelled orange, but dad still says that the moon is always round.

Even when I was told that my little sister wasn’t coming to live with us after all the waiting, Dad said “The moon is always round.”

When the little sister can’t come home, and little Ben asks why, Dad replies: “I don’t know why. But the moon is always round.”

When they are at the funeral they remind each other that the moon is always round, and that means that “God is always good”.



There are helpful instructions at the back to talk to children about the moon and Good Friday, explaining the story behind the book, and giving a little catechism about the moon.

The illustrations by Joe Hox perfectly match the feel of the book, and it’s particularly the mother’s face at various points of their loss that keeps moving me to tears.

I am so thankful that Gibson found a simple, yet profound way to explain God’s goodness at all times to his own son in the midst of their family’s loss, and that has now chosen to share it with others. In many ways it deals with a very specific subject (the stillbirth of an infant), and so would be a very helpful resource if that were needed for your own family situation. However, the idea of God being good in all circumstances, even if we don’t understand them, is relevant for young children across a whole range of circumstances, and many parents and children will benefit from this tender, gentle, yet honest story.

God Made Me books

New Growth Press have released two more children’s books in their God Made Me series.

God Made Boys and Girls by Marty Machowski is subtitled explaining it helps children understand the gift of gender.

It's set in a class when one little girl outruns all the boys and one boy suggests she might turn to a boy. The teacher uses it as an opportunity to explain the differences between boys and girls by simply explaining genetics. He uses the correct terminology of XY and XX to explain male and female genes and links it all back to God's creation in Genesis 1-2.



Variations in skills and interests among boys and girls are all explained as part of God’s creative plan. Sin is explained as us wanting our own way and not God’s way, but that God dealt with our sin by sending Jesus. In the end, we are called to love people and be kind to them, even if they are different to us.

Machowski has done an excellent job of explaining gender in a way that a 4-7 year old would grasp and understand. It is balanced in explanation, gentle in tone and does not try to do too much (eg explain gender dysphoria).

There is another book like this for slightly older readers here in Australia, Patricia Weerakoon’s Learning About Gender and they would both be good to have on a shelf when you have younger children.

God Made Me Unique is authored by Joni and Friends, the ministry group advocating for people with disabilities started by Joni Eareckson Tada. Subtitled: Helping Children See Value in Every Person, this book helps children realise that there are many differences amongst people in the world, but we are all still made by God and loved by him.

Set in a Sunday School class, one morning the teacher announces there is a new student arriving, Brie. The teacher starts an explanation of special needs and how various children in the class have some differences: Jamal has a wheelchair and Wyatt plays with toys to help him focus and keep hands to himself. Brie finds noises a bit too much sometimes and wears headphones to manage it.



The teacher goes on to explain that all parts of the body work in different ways together, and like that, the church has many members with different skills and gifts and abilities.

“Even if some parts don’t work right! We’re still important to God and never out of his sight.”

This one is in the usual rhyme format that others in series also have and for the most part it reads out loud well and easily.

Trish Mahoney is the illustrator for both (as well as God Made All of Me and God Made Me and You), and so each book has a distinct yet familiar feel, with clear, fun illustrations

The whole series is worth having for those with young children.


I was given ecopies of these books in exchange for an honest review. 

God Counts

God Counts, Irene Sun

What type of counting books do you read with your little ones? Usually books count animals or people or trains or colours. If they are faith-based books, they might count the numbers of animals in Noah’s ark or the flowers in the field that Jesus speaks about. Those are all fine, but they don’t really teach much except numbers.

This new book (released today) by Irene Sun, God Counts, proactively teaches children about God and his character while also teaching about numbers.

With soft, engaging, detailed illustrations by Alex Foster, Sun links each number to an overarching statement about God and his redemptive plan, providing a bit more detail with a bible reference.

It starts with:

“In the beginning God created numbers. Numbers declare the glory of God.
One tells us that God is the first and best”

With the smaller writing saying:

“The Lord, he is God, there is no others. God is the one and only, the only one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)

Later there is:

“Three tells us God is love.
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
Three in one, one in three,
They love one another, like a family.”

Other ways numbers are used include: “Nine tells us to be like God” and then lists the nine fruits of the spirit.

“Eleven tells us God forgives us” and then shows how 11 of the disciples came back to Jesus after leaving him.

It’s both instructional and thought-provoking for young ones that she does not just stop at number 12, but also includes infinity. “Infinity is a symbol for something that has no end. God is infinite. He is beyond numbers, beyond time, beyond space.”



And finally, she finishes with a wonderful encouragement to little children:

“God Counts…
God counts every hair on your head, every tear you cry.
God counts all of your steps until you walk with him side by side.
God counts all of your days until you see him face to face. God created numbers to declare his glory."

We always enjoyed counting books when we had pre-schoolers, everyone liked reading them. I would have loved to have had this one so that the counting also taught about God. If you have little ones, get this book. It will expand their minds to know God better while they learn the early numbers.


I received an e-copy of this book from New Growth Press in exchange for an honest review.

God Made Me AND You

God Made Me AND You, Shai Linne

What do you do the first time your child comments out loud about someone who looks different to them? “Mummy, her skin is a different colour!” “Why does that man walk funny?” “Why does that girl have a mark on her face?”

When kids say these things, they are usually just making an observation: they see something different and notice it. They are trying to make sense of the variety they see around them.

I still love the observation my daughter made when she was comparing Mummy (Causasian) and Daddy’s (Asian) skin colour. When we asked what colour he was, she replied, “Daddy’s skin is golden”.

Author Shai Linne has done a great job of explaining difference and how we enjoy it in his children’s book God Made Me AND You: Celebrating God’s Design for Ethnic Diversity.

Written in engaging rhyme, the scene is set in a school bible time class where:

“Two of the boys were not too polite. They teased other kids with all of their might.
They teased one boy for the clothes he would wear.
And one poor girl, they made fun of her hair.
One boy cried when they laughed at his skin.
It was just at that moment, Ms. Preston walked in!”

Then using Genesis 1-2 and Acts 17, Ms. Preston shows the class how loves diversity, both in creation and the people he has made:

“He gave some curly hair
while others have straight.
It please God to fashion
each wonderful trait…
Some that are deaf and some that are blind
All have great worth in God’s sovereign design.
Dark skin, light skin, and all in between
In each color and shade,
God’s beauty is seen…
What some call ethnicity
and others call race,
We should celebrate
as a gift of God’s grace”

Bringing sin into the picture, it's carefully explained that is why some people see differences as bad:

“The very differences meant
to give God praise
Are now reasons for hatred,
so evil our ways.”

Finally, great news – Jesus has come to die for the sins of mankind: “There’s no type of person that Jesus left out”!

“All over the world
God is filling up churches
With saints of all colors
That Jesus has purchased.
God turns strangers
into sisters and brothers
Though different, we’re called
to love one another.”

This is a wonderful way to illustrate the truths of God’s word to children (and parents). Many people spend their time in homogenous people groups, whereas in reality God is calling people from every tribe, language, tongue and nation to himself.

The illustrations by Trish Mahoney (who also illustrated God Made All of Me) are captivating – clear, precise and engagingly detailed. She has included a child with a cochlear implant, a girl with a facial birthmark, a man in a wheelchair, kids with glasses and braces, every type of hair imaginable (and with a turban possibly suggesting no hair), and a variety of skin tones.



Linne has also provided notes at the end to assist parents and caregivers as they help their children appreciate ethnic diversity.

The only weak part was the final page where the class sings a song. I’m not sure if was a well-known song (it wasn’t to me) but it doesn’t read well aloud, in the same natural way that the rest of the book does: it was too repetitive. But this is a minor quibble.

All in all, this is an excellent book for 3-8 year olds showing how God enjoys and celebrates the diversity of his creation and how we also should appreciate all the variety found in people in the world.




I received an e-copy of this book from New Growth Press in exchange for an honest review.

The Flying Optometrist

The Flying Optometrist, Joanne Anderton

This charming little book for preschoolers tells the story of the Flying Optometrist, who brings eye care to the people of outback Australia.

Poor Stephanie has broken her glasses and can no longer see properly. Other people nearby are struggling too, Reg can’t see far away anymore and other people need their regular check-ups to ensure their eyes are OK.

Unlike those of us who live in a city or town, Stephanie lives in a remote area and there is no optometrist. What are they to do? Thankfully, the Flying Optometrist is on the way in his little red plane. He only comes twice a year and if the weather is bad, he might get delayed, but when he arrives he spends all day checking people’s eyes and fitting glasses as needed.

He heads back to the city and gets the orders all ready, and Stephanie waits... until her new glasses arrive in the mail a few weeks later. Now she can see and play cricket with her friends again!

It’s accompanied with soft, clear, engaging illustrations by Karen Erasmus. The faces of the people waiting for the optometrist and Stephanie’s broken glasses are clearly portrayed for little ones to grasp, as is the vast remote feel of where Stephanie lives.

It’s a lovely little story made all the more vivid because it’s real. The author’s father is the Flying Optometrist, Phil Anderton, who has built his own little red plane and does travel to remote Australia bringing eye care and optometry services. In fact, the extra sections at the back explaining his work, the work of the Brien Holden Vision Institute, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service are great extra information for parents to help explain the story to the little ones they read it with. I have a family history with the RFDS and so having a book explain simply to young children both the need for rural healthcare and the way one problem has been creatively solved is fantastic.

While it’s clearly appropriate for every little reader, I’d particularly suggest it for any child that wears glasses (or with family members that do), whether urban or rural. If they live in a city, they’ll be amazed how hard it can be for other kids to get glasses since they walk past a Specsavers or equivalent every time they go grocery shopping. For those who are more rural, they’ll understand there are other kids like them, or some who may have to wait even longer for healthcare than they do!

I’m sure this book will make its way into many libraries, especially in schools and pre-schools, and so it should.  All of us need to be aware of the costs for those who live remotely, and appreciate those who try to bring them the variety of services we so easily take for granted.


I was given a copy of this book by Quikmark Media and asked to write an honest review.

Knuffle Bunny

I have almost left the world of children’s picture books, but every so often one comes across your path that you have to share.

Mo Willems has written and illustrated three books about Knuffle Bunny, the story of Trixie and her favourite toy.

In Knuffle Bunny, Trixie is a toddler out with daddy for the day when Knuffle Bunny gets lost. Oh no! The expressions on Daddy’s face during Trixie’s tantrums are fantastic.

In Knuffle Bunny Too Trixie is now a little older, having started pre-school. She takes her one and only special Knuffle Bunny to school only to discover that he is not so ‘one of a kind’ after all.  The page my children loved here was when Trixie finally realises the wrong knuffle bunny has come home with her and the caption to the illustration is ‘Trixie’s daddy tried to explain what “2:30am” means.’

The final in the series, Knuffle Bunny Free, shows Trixie as a schoolgirl, still with her treasured Knuffle Bunny on an international trip. We know what’s going to happen as Knuffle Bunny has been mislaid twice before. How Willems demonstrates it though is marvellous: older children will realise the truth that we do all eventually learn to cope with lost toys, and younger children will see how this could happen.

Overlaying these lovely stories are fantastic illustrations: photographs of scenes (mostly set in New York), with wonderfully expressive cartoon people drawn over them.

My 7 year old loved these, the older two both appreciated the humour and I really enjoyed reading them aloud. Highly recommended.

Some pre-schooler books

A number of recent trips to the library have turned up some treasures in the pre-school book department.  

Firstly, a new offering from the great team of Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz, Mad About Minibeasts.  We love their previous books, including Rumble in the Jungle and Commotion in the Ocean.

Mad About Minibeasts opens up the world of insects to young children in their usual rhyming, colourful way.

Another new one this year is Too Hot to Hug!   Rupert finds a golden egg, from which hatches a baby fire dragon.  At first, Crumpet is crumpety warm, he dries the washing and keeps the family snug.  But as he grows bigger and the weather gets warmer, Crumpet gets too hot to hug and starts causing problems.

A very cute story, with gorgeous expressive illustrations.

 

The Pencil is written by Allan Ahlberg (of Peepo fame). This very clever book starts with a solitary pencil, who begins to draw and create a boy, a dog, a cat, and then all the things they want and ask for.  Colour arrives when the pencil draws a paintbrush to help him.  Peace is threatened when everyone gets too demanding and he draws a rubber which only makes things worse. 

This is a funny, clever book and the kids loved the ideas behind it.

Angelina Ballerina

Angelina Ballerina, Katharine Holabird, ill. Helen Craig

Some people tend to avoid the books which have become TV series, often I suspect because they have seen the TV series first and aren't that impressed.

Thankfully, we discovered Angelina Ballerina in book form first, and we quite like her (I don't like her as much in the various TV series).

With two girls after a boy, it took us a long time to move out of the Thomas the Tank Engine book phase and find girly books. Angelina adds a very girly dimension to any household. The idea of someone (or somemouse) growing up to be a ballerina appeals to most little girls at some stage, and these books are lovely.

While the stories themselves are good, I think the real strength of these books is the illustrations. I doubt they would be as popular without Helen Craig's brilliant, detailed drawings. They capture Angelina's whole life and details of her home and village.

Our Miss 3.5 currently loves Angelina's Birthday so much we read it every night and she can recite almost half of it - how lovely she is to listen to!

God knows all about me

God knows all about me, Kate Toms

This book has become my new favourite present for newborn babies.

Kate Toms has created a delightful book perfect for little babies and toddlers. All the illustrations are hand-stitched so they are fun and interesting to look at. The verse is lovely:

From my fingers to my toes,
from my knees to my nose,
God knows all about me...

When I'm good, when I'm bad,
when I'm happy, when I'm sad
God knows all about me...

When I whisper when I shout
when I let my feelings out
God knows all about me...

Fun, and one of our more recent favourites.

Cecil the Lost Sheep

Cecil The Lost Sheep, Andrew McDonough

One of the best recent series of Christian books for young children is the Lost Sheep series, which starts with Cecil The Lost Sheep. This first book was only published in 2006, yet there are now 20 books (see the website).

Andrew McDonough has a real skill for taking bible stories and making them accessible for children, by using fun creatures, bright exciting illustrations and humour. They are great for groups, as they are fun to read out loud. Our children's programs at church has many of these books now and the children love them.

Cecil is based on the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:1-7. But he adds fun extra stuff to turn it into an exciting and interesting story for kids:

One day Cecil was daydreaming. "Boring, boring, boring. All I do is hang around with sheep, eat grass, wander down to the river for bit of a drink and eat more grass. Maybe I could run away and, and ...get a bike... or join a band!"

Cecil looked rght.
Cecil looked left.
He jumped over his rock and hid.

As with any book series, some are stronger than others and some you will prefer over others - we have really enjoyed this one, Jonah and the Whale, Basil the Branch, Bob the Bird and others. We haven't read them all.

They are cheap (~$5 per book) making them perfect for presents and gifts for larger groups of children. And one final plug for South Australians - they are produced in Adelaide, by a team (I think) of Adelaideans.

Good fun Christian books for kids.

Where is the Green Sheep?

Where is the Green Sheep? Mem Fox, ill. Judy Horacek

We return to another Mem Fox book this week, which has also topped the family favourite list for the last 5 years or so.

An extremely simple concept, using the ideas of opposites and matching ideas, one keeps looking for the green sheep, nowhere to be found amongst many others:

Here is the blue sheep.
And here is the red sheep.
Here is the bath sheep.
And here is the bed sheep.
But where is the green sheep?

Judy Horacek has created wonderful illustrations - fun, vivid and simple.

What I love about this book is that babies love looking at it and hearing it read, toddlers will memorise it and pretend they are reading it, and early readers will gain confidence from realising they actually can read it. A great books for older children to read to younger siblings.

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, Mem Fox, ill. Helen Oxenbury

For a long time, Peepo! was my favourite book for babies. However, this book has now joined Peepo! in first place.

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes is a gorgeous books for babies. Written in rhyme Mem Fox has created lots of little babies, all with one thing in common:

There was one little baby who was born in the hills.
And another who suffered from sneezes and chills.
And both of these babies as everyone knows
had ten little and ten little toes.

Helen Oxenbury (illustrator of We're Going on a Bear Hunt) has designed lovely illustrations and some very realistic looking babies, with an impressive array of multicultural features - your baby will look like one of these!

The ending is a lovely way to turn the book into a special one for your own child:

But the next baby born was truly divine,
a sweet little child who was mine, all mine.
And this little baby, as everyone knows,
has ten little finger, ten little toes,
and three little kisses on the tip of its nose.

A very special book.