Often I receive books to review, and many of them are children’s books. This week I have received Love Letters from God, Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart.
This is such a pretty book, with very inviting, colorful illustrations. Inside, each story includes a pop up “letter from God” that draws from the Biblical story.
This book is lovely, and I appreciate the efforts authors, illustrators and publishers are making to create literature with a Biblical theme. That said, I do wonder if it is a matter of trying too hard. And in that trying, a watering down of the message of the the Bible.
The content of this book left me with some questions that sent me to my own Bible. Now that is good, and I often do turn to my Bible when reading. But in this case I was looking at context and accuracy. I am not sure that the target audience of this book is accurate, 4-8 seems a stretch, and due to some of the characters in this book, I would think 8-12 year old is better.
As I said, this is a beautiful book with a positive message for girls, meant to encourage I am sure. As you can tell, though, it is not a book I would purchase, nor am I going to give it to my grand daughters. It just isn’t the package of accurate Biblical message that is important to stay faithful to.
As you read this post, please keep in mind that this is my opinion. I welcome conversation about children’s literature and the effectiveness of “Bible Stories” for children.
A complimentary copy of Love Letters from God, Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart was sent to me from HandleBar marketing, in exchange for this review.