Tag: faith and children’s books

In God’s Hands

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews, Faith

In God’s Hands by Lawrence Kushner and Gary Schmidt is a charming traditional Jewish folktale of obeying God that children will be sure to delight in.

Jacob, a rich man, always feel asleep during service but one day he woke up just long enough to hear one verse from Leviticus, saying he should make 12 loaves of challah and give them to God.

Believing it had been God who had spoken to him, Jacob obeys.  He bakes the challah and brings it to the synagogue and places it in the ark.

David, a poor man with a family to feed who cleans the synagogue, finds the challah and believes God has answered his prayers for food.

This cycle continues on for years with Jacob believing God ate the challahs and David believing God made the challahs until one day the rabbi discovers what is happening.  He calls the two men together and reveals the truth.  At first, both are disheartened as their belief in God is shattered.

But the rabbi points out that even though their conception is wrong, they must go on continuing to make the bread, knowing how both of their hands are God’s hands, doing His work, for His people.

Great lesson for all about obeying the whispers from God and seeing how the outcome of obedience is God’s plan with often unpredictable and wonderful results.  My kids loved this tale and couldn’t wait to read it again.

The Little Soul Series

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews, Faith

I picked up two children’s books at the library, having known nothing about them, which were fabulous.

The first, The Little Soul and the Sun, is a conversation with God and a child as the child (Little Soul) tries to figure out who he is.  This has a lot of imagery about being the Light and is a bit abstract, which for my little kids, I think went over their heads but they liked it anyways.

The best line in this book is God says, “Always remember:  I have sent you nothing but angels.”

A part that went over my kids’ heads but I liked was when the person sent to help Little Soul learn to forgive tells him, “Remember who I am in the moment I do the worst to you.”

I’m not for sure if we’re supposed to remember God in these moments or remember the better part of the person hurting you but I liked either one, especially as it applies to relatives because sometimes people hurt us in the heat of the moment and if we remember who they are, it is easier to forgive.

The better one in my opinion, the one not quite-so-theoretical, is The Little Soul and the Earth, which continues with God sending Little Soul to be born and experience forgiveness.

This book has great timeless messages such as:  God is always with you.  He sends a guardian angel to be by your side always.  Mommy and Daddy are love and to get more love you simply must give it away.  Giving away love can be as simple as smiling.

The guardian angel tells Little Soul only one thing is necessary:  faith in God.  “You’ve got to believe that you’ll always have everything you need.  You’ve got to believe that God is on your side.”

This was great for me to hear, not just my kids.

Both books are by Neale Donald Walsch.  These books are based on the Conversations with God series, which I have not read and am in no way endorsing.  I don’t know anything about the author.  I read the on-line reviews of the book, curious as to where these stories came from and some were scathing.  Since I have no idea, I’m remaining neutral.

Just to be clear:  I’m recommending the children’s books, not the adult books.