Global Hymns of Praise

Picture Book: A World of Praise

Author: Deborah Lock

Illustrator: Helen Cann

Summary: This book begins and ends with psalms! Between those pages, experience simple poetic verses integrated with beautiful scenes of diverse children enjoying the glories of God’s creation all over the world! You’ll see mountains & flatlands, cityscapes & rural spaces, contemplative children & dancing animals. Quiet praise alternates with glorious joyful noises.

Hanna’s Comments: For a children's lesson, have a globe handy and before reading, invite them to ask you where the scenes are. You’ll find a diagram in the back that identifies each of the 16 countries/regions, but you’ll need to do a bit of prep to locate all those countries on the globe. Consider placing sticky notes on the globe to make this process easier for you or for your children to do the searching. This will encourage your children’s curiosity about their world (God's world) and build their globe skills, an added benefit. Too old school for you? Add an internet component with a tablet or laptop. Repeatedly emphasize God is everywhere and the source of all!

There are not a lot of these books on the market so check with your local library system. If your library doesn’t have the book, ask if they will order it.

Original Publisher: Eerdmans, 2020

Age Appropriateness: 4 and up

Formats other than Book: None at present

Scripture Connections: You’ll find in these pages the following scriptures, but any verses about the glory, gifts, and/or beauty of nature will connect here:

Psalm 24:1-2 is on the 1^st page. 

These are on the last pages:

Psalm 67:6

Psalm 113:3

Psalm 148:7-12

PBT Applications: Amidst a recording of quiet nature sounds, invite children to lie on the floor, close their eyes, and imagine portions of this book that you choose to read aloud slowly. Adapt the length of the reading so that listeners, no matter their age or attention span, can attend well and imagine fully.

For very young children, I would open this book to some favorite double page spreads and ask the children to tell you what they like and who made it. Talk about sensory experiences, especially sights/colors, textures, and sounds. Say together simple sentences, like Thank you God for birdsong! OR Thank you for making the stars so beautiful, God!

Contemplate Wild Peace

Picture Book: Wild Peace

Author: Irene Latham

Illustrator: Il Sung Na

Summary: This extraordinary book is about the peace found when imagining a nature journey, leading to observing nature in all its Godly Glory and experiencing the peace such nature provides! It is the story of a young girl who is playing in a chaotic room with her 3 siblings. She is painting a nature picture. 

Then her desire for some peace has her peering into her art and imagining where it might take her. Actually, a butterfly invites her on this expansive journey where the idea of peace simply means being who (what) God intends in a world pulsing with beauty and diversity. She is on every gorgeous page. When her figure is small, cue your audience to find her. 

The girl's explorations are to various environs where she notices animal behaviors, but there is much beauty and mystery in the plants and skies too. The last page is so profound. It shows the girl with her 3 siblings in a bed they share. Two are asleep. The youngest, a toddler, is dancing on the bed as light rays embrace each child. These are the last wise words:

Peace welcomes all that is wild and

kisses the forehead of each and every child.

Hanna’s Comments: There are many picture books about humans interacting with nature. When they are beautiful and simple, like this book, then a group can easily extrapolate deep spiritual possibilities. These kinds of books are more prevalent as our culture realizes we have deprived too many children (and adults) of these rich healing experiences, and we are all far too anxious, over-stimulated, and busy. 

This girl's journey offers peaceful quiet and leads to marvelous curiosity about God's world. Talk in particular about the animal behavior that intrigues her. What might they be teaching her about God?  Spend some time helping your audience expand their definition of prayer to include anytime they are in nature and feeling thankful, curious, or awed by God's world. 

My favorite PBT book about the peace that God's natural world can give is another secular book. Sophie is a young child who climbs a tree for comfort after she has a tantrum. She sits in the tree and seems to heal. Then she returns home. There are 2 other books in the Sophie series by Molly Bang. All are great books about managing intense feelings. 

Original Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2021

Age Appropriateness: 4 and up

Formats other than Book: Tablet

Scripture Connections: Any scripture about peace, such as Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. (John 14:27) OR scriptures about quiet, such as Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) 

PBT Applications: Read this book to a group of older children. Have them create a drama in which they are all in a chaotic room. Then one by one, they leave the chaos and do something quieter, more peaceful in the natural world. Have each tell how they have imagined themselves to be somewhere else in nature. Ask what is there that is comforting and shows God's love. End the lesson by guiding all through an imaginative prayer journey that refers to spaces already mentioned as comforting and healing. Together be grateful for such places, the skills to imagine them, and the opportunities to experience them. 

PBT God Book #12

Picture Book: What Does the Sky Say?

Author: Nancy White Carlstrom

Illustrator: Tim Ladwig

Summary: “What does the sky say on a winter day when snow is falling and a mother is calling her little girl to dinner?” Thus begins this lovely book. The question is answered, “Remember. Go in and be fed and loved, but don’t forget to look out the window.” Other questions follow, asking what the sky says in different weather and seasons. Each time a possible answer is offered that encourages the young girl to embrace the joy and learning that each day can bring. Between the lines is a subtle message that God is the provider of these varied and beautiful sky messages.

Hanna’s Comments: This is what I call a contemplative book which encourages readers (children & adults) to attend to and consider the beauty and life-giving messages of God’s creation. God is not mentioned in this text, but the possibility of God as the creator of the skies and the encourager of the young girl's contemplation is throughout. The questions, tone, and affirming answers celebrate God’s presence and our potential to discern meaning and joy from what we may experience. You’ll find Psalm 19:1-4 (The heavens are telling the glory of God…) in the back of the book.

Publisher & Date of Publication: Eerdmans Books, 2001

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

Formats other than Book: None at present

Scripture Connections: In the beginning, God created the heavens (Genesis 1:1); when I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers (Psalm 8:3); the heavens are telling the glory of God (Psalm 19:1-4)

Idea(s) for Application: Use this book at a church family retreat while you are gathered outside. If possible, have a couple of young girls dramatically represent the ideas in the book. Then encourage your audience to offer their own meanings to each kind of sky.

Beauty, Gratitude, and Worship

Picture Book: For the Beauty of the Earth

Author: Folliot S. Pierpoint

Illustrator: Lucy Fleming

Summary & Hanna’s Comments: Hopefully you know this hymn which was written in 1864 and is still sung across worship communities and settings. 

I was thrilled to see it become a picture book! We requested that it be sung when each of our children was baptized so it has extraordinary meaning in our family. 

The most famous hymn from this English hymnist, its lyrics are a bountiful celebration of a spectrum of God’s great gifts. The illustrator offers rich imagery of the lyrics. 

Initially, I love this hymn (and admire this book) for its affirmation of God's glory in nature. 

It also emphasizes the gift of love that surrounds us upon our birth and raises us in family.

This hymn acknowledges community in all that is Holy 

and the opportunity for worship in the glory of nature.   

Here you have diversity, in nature and people, honored as one of God's greatest patterns. 

A variety of human activities are shown. Each of them honoring our Creator God. But as you might expect from the title, the focus of this book is on the spectacle of God's glory outdoors. 

This is a picture book about worship, not just praise but contemplation, gratitude, and connection to everything that is Holy. 

In one of the later verses, you're given traditional images of  The Church Universal who is "offering a pure sacrifice of love."  

If only this was always so and if only the illustrator had chosen to show Church in non-traditional ways as well, apart from a building. 

This gorgeous book ends with a fervent hope for peace.

The score is in the back so that you can sing it together as you enjoy the illustrations. The text is rich enough to feature in a series of ministry experiences and family readings. This would allow your audience to become comfortable with the text and their singing. 

Original Publisher & Date: Sparkhouse Family, 2017

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

Formats other than Book: None at present

Scripture Connections: Scriptures about gratitude, Earth’s beauty, and God’s glory would all connect to this picture book.

Idea(s) for Application: One of many applications of this book in ministry is to use it in a lesson that introduces an exploration of why and how we worship God, where and when we may worship, and how that has changed personally or throughout Christian history.

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 176

Picture Book: What Does the Sky Say?

Author: Nancy White Carlstrom

Illustrator: Tim Ladwig

Summary: “What does the sky say on a winter day when snow is falling and a mother is calling her little girl to dinner?” Thus begins this lovely book. The question is answered, “Remember. Go in and be fed and loved, but don’t forget to look out the window.” Other questions follow, asking what the sky says in different weather and seasons. Each time a possible answer is offered that encourages the young girl to embrace the joy and learning that each day can bring. Between the lines is a subtle message that God is the provider of these varied and beautiful sky messages.  

Hanna’s Comments: This is what I call a contemplative book which encourages readers, children and adults, to attend to and consider the beauty and life-giving messages of God’s creation. God is not mentioned in this text, but the possibility of God is all over this writing, in the questions and tone and in the affirming answers. God’s creative nature is celebrated in here as is our potential to discern meaning and joy from what we may experience. You’ll find Psalm 19:1-4 (The heavens are telling the glory of God…) in the back of the book. 

Publisher & Date of Publication: Eerdmans Books, 2001

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

# of Pages: 32

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: None at present

PBT Category: God Book, Post 2K

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abundance/bounty, awe, beauty, creativity/imagination/ingenuity, the environment/nature, heaven/sky, moon/space/stars/sun, pacifism/peace/peacemakers, wonder

Scripture Connections: In the beginning, God created the heavens (Genesis 1:1); when I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers (Psalm 8:3); the heavens are telling the glory of God (Psalm 19:1-4)

Idea(s) for Application: Use this book at a church family retreat while you are gathered outside. If possible, have a couple of young girls dramatically represent the ideas in the book. Then encourage your audience to offer their own meanings to each kind of sky.