Kathy Arbuckle

ISBN 1577482840 - Author and illustrator Kathy Arbuckle did such a good job with this little book that, to my amazement, I'm giving it four stars. The illustrations are pretty average and the religious aspect of the book holds no real interest for me, but the way Arbuckle explains things is simply too good to not recognize.

At 48 pages, this is a fairly long book for pre-schoolers, the intended audience according to the book. The fact that it is small and that the author uses simple, clear language outweighs the number of pages. On facing pages, the left side has an image and the right is headed by a bible verse in that same KJV language few people are comfortable with. Under the verse, Arbuckle clarifies what the verse means and what about it indicates that the reader should praise god.

There are a few small things that caught my attention. Arbuckle refers to the bible as "the words he (god) has written", which few people, if any, actually believe is the case. Most people accept that the bible was written by men, even if they believe it was written by men at the behest of god. Parents will love the suggestions on the "make a joyful noise" page. I found the author's appropriating Thanksgiving Day as a religious holiday (page 27) to be annoying and I found hilarious the fact that she (and the bible, apparently; Psalm 36:7) think lovingkindess is one word. Still, for the Christian family, this is a great little book, not meant to be read all at once, or even in order, but to be picked up and read almost as you would the bible – regularly, routinely. Arbuckle makes a wonderful author for children and I'll gladly read anything else from her that I come across.

- AnnaLovesBooks… (més)