Merry Christmas!

 

My wish for you this Christmas and 2022: May you be intrigued, like this wise little one, by the words and images of many picture books! Snuggle in to their depths and beauty. Let them bring you peace, joy, and deep meaning.

Still My Favorite Advent Post

Sorry I have not been able to post more often! ‘Tis the season to be crazy-busy!

Here is a link to my favorite PBT post featuring Advent books: Waiting and Waiting and Waiting and Waiting

If the term “Advent” has little or no meaning for you, you might be surprised to know at this time we are not in the Christmas season according to the liturgical year of most churches. Click the link above for a bit of explanation and info. on 3 secular books for Advent. BUT these books, and others about waiting, can be used year-round!

The theme of Waiting throughout the Bible: Even if you have made your picture book selections for this Advent season, the theme of waiting is important in many biblical stories and key biblical verses. More importantly in children's ministries, waiting is a huge issue for children so there is rich theological soil here. 

Here are 2 of my favorite biblical phrases...

For you alone, O God, my soul waits in silence... (Psalm 62:1)  

Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. (Isaiah 40:31.)

Here are some Bible stories that come to mind:

• Waiting to become mothers (Sara, Hannah, and Elizabeth),
• Waiting for love (Jacob waiting for Rachel, Zacchaeus waiting from the tree for Jesus)
• Waiting to return home (Israelites wandering in the wilderness and later in Babylonian exile)
• Waiting for health (Jesus’ miraculous healing stories)
• Waiting for God’s justice and hope to be realized (many Old Testament prophets, Simeon & Anna, New Testament Christians longing for Jesus’ return)

I hope your Advent waiting is realized with a particularly meaningful Christmas season! 

Still My Favorite Picture Book!

I started PBT Easter morning, 2014. My hope was to offer easy, untapped resources to churches, families, and schoolteachers. I did not predict how much pleasure and rich experience I would receive as I discovered more and more picture books. 

I’ve said many times: PICTURE BOOKS ARE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER! 

BUT after reading over 1000 picture books, no picture book surpasses for me All the World by Scanlon & Frazee! If you don’t know it, get it in your hands as soon as possible. It is a great book for a holiday gathering, particularly a holiday about being thankful! All the World comes in board book form, but your youngest children can likely attend to the big book. It’s so beautiful you'll want those big illustrations!

Here is a link to my most recent PBT post about All the World. There you'll see many of its beautiful pages:

http://www.picturebooktheology.com/2018/10/iowa-presentation-book-1.html

In the tab above called Other Resources by Hanna, scroll down and checkout the slideshow to my presentation: 5 Secular Picture Books, 25 Ministry Applications. All the World is the 1^st book I describe. You’ll find 4 other great books highlighted in that presentation.

Get it! I hope you are glad you did!