For Josiah, A Prayer for Savoring

Today is my son Josiah’s first full day of college. This book reminds me of him. I hurried along, tugging on his little arm too often. I wish I had let him show me more of God’s joys along our routes. Today my prayer for Josiah is that he savors his precious college experiences. My prayer for you is for less rushing and more savoring of the goodness the Lord gives us everyday. 

Picture Book: Wait

Author & Illustrator:  Antoinette Portis

Summary: Throughout these pages, a young son and his mother hurry through a cityscape. 

He is dragged along by a mama intent on going somewhere. Now and then she pauses for him to fully experience what he sees. 

But then she hurries him along.

He is friendly with fascinating strangers

and lends a hand to feed birds as his mom rushes farther. 

He longs for something sweet, 

but alas, his mom pulls him along. 

He manages to stop at a pet store window, delighted by God's creatures, but he is allowed only a moment. 

He cleverly notices possibilities few would see, 

savoring with touch and amazement. 

Rain comes, but he doesn't mind, more to feel and taste! 

The hurrying continues, and now mom must contend with umbrellas and slippery steps. 

Eventually, they near their destination, a bus for the next leg of their journey.  

But this time, the boy is determined his mom won't miss the best gift of the morning.

And again, she listens to his pleas to savor, 

and is glad she did.

Hanna’s Comments: Have you noticed the number of books for children and adults on mindfulness? This is partially due to the health benefits of slowing down and savoring with practices like mindfulness. Science also shows that we harm our bodies and mental health when we don't take the time to savor and truly experience each day. With three simple words, this illustrator offers a lesson in savoring the day, mindfulness in motion. People of faith can take a deeper step by offering prayers of gratitude for simple joys along the way. Let this picture book begin a conversation with children or adults about all the daily evidence of the Lord's goodness and how contemplation of those joys makes for a better day by grounding us in God's gifts. My next PBT post will be a similar book by Portis entitled Now where I'll explore more about the practice of mindfulness.

Original Publisher & Date: Roaring Brook Press, 2017

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 2 and up, Toddler and up

Formats other than Book: Tablet

Scripture Connections: Oh taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8a); Delight yourself in the Lord... (Psalm 37:4); They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31); Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind (Romans 12:2); Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above (James 1:17); be patient in your waiting (James 5:7-10)

Idea(s) for Application: Read this book to small group of adults and explore how to increase mindfulness and gratitude for better health, more meaning, and gratitude to God.

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 337

Picture Book: What Makes a Rainbow?

Author: Betty Ann Schwartz

Illustrator: Dona Turner

Summary: After a rainstorm, Little Rabbit’s mother says that soon they will see a rainbow. Little Rabbit asks the title question, and a series of animals help his mother explain. This is a Magic Ribbon Book which means that as you turn the page, a ribbon of a particular color drapes across the double page spread. In this case, ribbons of the colors of the rainbow are revealed each page turn. The book ends with Little Rabbit declaring the 3 things needed for a rainbow: rain, colors, and sunshine.

Hanna’s Comments: If this book is too immature for your audience, you’ll find lots of books about rainbows in the library some of which will emphasize the science behind the phenomenon which is always a nice addition to a lesson for children. You might want to teach the children in your audience the song, I Can Sing a Rainbow which is available on ITunes. This author and illustrator have another Magic Ribbon Book which you may want to consider. It’s called What Makes Music?

Original Publisher & Date of Publication: Piggy Toes Press, 2000

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 2 and up, Toddler and up

# of Pages: 14 

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: None at present, but you’ll find plenty of videos on Youtube.com on how a rainbow is made or describing how to do a science experiment about rainbows or light refraction. 

PBT Category: Post 2K

PBT Topics this Book connects with: ancestors/patriarchs & matriarchs, attentiveness/observation/seeing, awe, beauty, covenant/promises/vows, the environment/nature, God’s presence, heaven/sky, light/morning, rain, rainbows, water, wonder

Scripture Connections: God said this is the sign of the covenant between me and you… I have set my bow in the cloud…. (Genesis 9:12-13) 

Idea(s) for Application: Read this book to a group of children who are learning about signs of God’s covenant or the story of Noah and the Ark.   

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 228

Picture Book: The Rainbow Fish

Author & Illustrator: Marcus Pfister

Translator: J. Alison James

Summary: The title character, with rainbow scales of blue, green, purple, and sparkling silver, is the most beautiful fish in the ocean . Other fish call him Rainbow Fish and want him to play, but he is too proud. When a small fish asks for one shiny scale. Rainbow Fish responds angrily and selfishly. The other fish hear of this rebuke so they begin turning away from Rainbow Fish when he swims near. Lonely and unable to show off to other fish, Rainbow Fish laments to Starfish who sends him to the Wise Octopus who advises him to give a scale to each of his friends. At first, he doesn’t think he can bear to give his scales away until the original small fish returns and asks again for one shiny scale. Rainbow Fish gives in. A good feeling comes upon Rainbow Fish as he sees the joy the gift has given the small fish. Other fish come and ask for a glittering scale. The more scales he gives away, the more delighted he becomes. When the fish around him each have a shimmer, Rainbow Fish feels more at home among the other fish so he joyfully joins their play.

Hanna’s Comments: My children loved this book when they were small. I still like it because it emphasizes sharing, an important issue for children, and it criticizes pride in appearance. Too often children are encouraged to show off their new clothes, shoes, or hairstyles. Our Holy Scriptures and our culture clash when it comes to the concepts of “pride” and “humility.” For this reason our communities of faith have a tendency to avoid these issues. Also, these two issues are confusing. When does confidence become pride? Does humility mean being passive? Children learn these kinds of orientations early and struggle with them throughout their adult years if there is not a balance between pride and humility. Therefore, consider exploring the topics of pride and humility tenderly and honestly in your faith family.

Publisher & Date of Publication: North-South Books, 1992

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 3 and up, Pre and up

# of Pages: 32

Available in Spanish? Yes

Formats other than Book: DVD

PBT Category: Pre 2K

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: beauty, belonging, call/calling/vocation, choices/decisions, clothes/shoes, equality/inequality, exclusion/inclusion, exile/separation/walls, fish/fishing, generosity/giving/offering/stewardship, gifts/talents, God’s will, greed/selfishness, joy, jubilee, loneliness, mentors/teachers, mission, mistakes, neighbors, neighborhood, pleasing God/the Shema, possessions, poverty, power, pride, rainbows, self-reflection, renewal/restoration, response to God, righteousness, sacrifice, satisfaction, sharing, transformation, treasure, wisdom

Scripture Connections: When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2); Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips. (Proverbs 27:2); God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6)

Idea(s) for Application: Read this book to a group of children when talking about the importance of sharing or the difficult balance of pride and humility called for in our Holy Scriptures.

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 151

Picture Book: Shades of People

Authors: Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly            

Photographer: Shelly Rotner

Summary: This colorful book explores various skin tones of people, even in the same family. We are copper, cocoa, tan, sandy, peach, pink, creamy, and so many other lovely colors. Vibrant photographs, mostly of smiling children, exhibit the variety, beauty, and joy in being human.  

Hanna’s Comments: The abundance of God’s wondrous imagination is cleverly demonstrated by our numerous skin tones. How sad that we too often either don’t notice or use skin color to categorize or judge. Celebrate God’s creativity, love of diversity, and loving design of our skin with this book! A picture book with this same theme and beautiful illustrations is All the Colors of the Earth by Sheila Hamanaka. Like the featured book, it explores various skin colors and compares them to colors of other natural (earthly) things.  

Publisher & Date of Publication: Holiday House, 2010

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 3 and up, Pre and up

# of Pages: 32

Available in Spanish? Not at prsent

Formats other than Book: None at present

PBT Category: Non fiction

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abundance/bounty, acceptance, awe, babies/children, beauty, creation, creativity/imagination/ingenuity, differences, diversity, humanity, image of God, individuality/uniqueness, judgment/judges/judging, prejudice, race relations/racism, rainbows, variety

Scripture Connections: Let us make humankind in our image… God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:26, 28)

Idea(s) for Application: Use this book in a lesson on God’s creative diversity or any lesson addressing judging, racism or prejudice. 

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 139

Dynamic Duo: Book 1

Picture Book: Planting a Rainbow

Author & Illustrator: Lois Ehlert

Summary: This book begins, “Every year Mom and I plant a rainbow.” At first the reader sees the flower bulbs. Each bulb is labeled with the common plant name and color. For each planting, there is a side view that depicts the underground perspective as well as the above ground. Seeds are ordered from catalogs, but they have to be planted later. Once the bulbs start to sprout in spring, it’s time to go to the garden center for seedlings. The seeds and seedlings are planted with their colorful labels displayed. Once the plants have grown to their rainbow beauty, Ms. Ehlert offers one of her trademarks. She uses varying sizes of pages to depict the rainbow of plants that has bloomed. Each color category offers the labeled plants. The book ends with, “All summer long we pick them and bring them home. (A beautiful bouquet is shown.) And when summer is over, we know we can grow our rainbow again next year.”  

Hanna’s Comments: Although Ms. Ehlert’s illustrations are simplistic, they are vibrant and educational. You’ll see a similar style in tomorrow’s PBT offering, another book from this author/illustrator. Here she explicitly teaches by conveying the general form of each kind of bulb, blossom, leaf, and even seed. I wish I had this book when I was a child because my knowledge of flowers is so limited. Consider using this book in a botany lesson for young children. In a homeschool or private school, use this book to start a conversation about God’s creative diversity or the rainbow as a sign of God’s covenant with us. I've written a children's Sunday school lesson about Diversity that incorporates this book. Let me know if you want to purchase it for just $5. 

Publisher & Date of Publication: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988

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

# of Pages: 40

Available in Spanish? Yes

Formats other than Book: Tablet, in the video collection: The Curious Garden and more Stories about Nature, Audible

PBT Category: Pre 2K

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abundance/bounty, awe, beauty, beginnings/morning, blessings, body of Christ, change, covenant/promises/vows, creation, differences, diversity, eggs/seeds, the environment/nature, faith/faithfulness, flowers/leaves/trees, gardening/planting/pruning/sowing, God’s nature, growing up/growth, hope, land/mountains/soil, life, rainbows, time/over time, transformation, treasure, variety

Scripture Connections: This (rainbow) is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature (Genesis 9:12-13)

Idea(s) for Application: With God’s promise of covenant comes assurance that certain scientific laws will always hold true. When we plant a seed, whether literal or metaphorical, we expect and hope for good things to happen while we wait. Tie this idea to the good we do for others and how our faith, hope, and tender care builds relationships that create a more loving faith community and beautiful world. The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss (PBT offering on Day 130) is another book you might want to use for this lesson.

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 78

Picture Book: What a Wonderful World

Authors: George David Weiss & Bob Thiele

Illustrator: Ashley Bryan

Summary: Louis Armstrong’s rendition of this song is familiar to many adults. This picture book allows the inspiring lyrics about the beauty & wonder of our world to be brought to children. The bright, colorful illustrations, including Mr. Armstrong himself performing a puppet show, will be enjoyed by children and adults.  

Hanna’s Comments: This wonderful book will easily encourage a conversation with children about God’s creative spirit and hope for our world, the world that God has so generously given us. Have fun teaching this song to a new generation! 

There is also a board book version of these lyrics, illustrated by Tom Hopgood. Such a small book would not be appropriate for large group readings.

There are a couple of other books with this same title, but their texts are different. I highly recommend the one written by Suzanne Chiew and illustrated by Tina McNaughton. 

The plot involves 2 bears, a mama and child, exploring the natural world together. Young children will love it so I have included it in my Trinity Treasures preschool Sunday school curriculum in lessons about the natural world.

Publisher & Date of Publication: Antheneum Books, 1995

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

# of Pages: 32

Available in Spanish? Not at Present

Formats other than Book: Tablet, many videos of the song are on Youtube

PBT Category: Song Book, 1995

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abundance/bounty, attentiveness/observation/seeing, awe, beauty, blessings, creation, Earth/world, the environment/nature, flowers/leaves/trees, God’s care/providence, goodness, gratitude/thankfulness/thanksgiving, humanity, joy, kingdom of God/rein of God, love, manna, prayer, rainbows, response to God, reverence, satisfaction, variety, vision, worship

Scripture Connections: Psalms of gratitude

Idea(s) for Application: as part of a thanksgiving celebration for children