“Give thanks to the Lord. God is good. God’s faithful love lasts forever!” (Psalm 107:1) November, with the Thanksgiving holiday, offers us a natural opportunity for giving thanks and showing gratitude. Yet, as Christians we are reminded that every day is a day to give God our thanks and praise! The practice of gratitude is a spiritual discipline for any age – and need not be limited to “saying Grace” at the dinner table! So throughout November, I've used the Faith Presbyterian Church Midweek emails to offer a weekly book review of a children's storybook for which gratitude is a primary theme. For those outside the Faith congregation who don't receive those emails, here are all four of the storybook reviews. ![]() Let the Whole Earth Sing Praise by Tomie dePaola © 2011 New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Amazon | Lee County Public Library Let the Whole Earth Sing Praise is Tomie dePaola at his best. Using the “Canticle of the Three Young Men” (from the apocryphal additions of the Book of Daniel) and Psalm 148 as inspiration, dePaola offers a fresh perspective on the Creation story that complements the better-known Genesis 1 text quite well. Colorful illustrations, meant to resemble the folk art of the Otami people of Puebla, Mexico, are simultaneously simple and imaginative, providing a great opportunity for children and caregivers to see the beauty of the world God created, and responding with praise and thanksgiving in gratitude for those gifts. “Let everything in heaven and on earth bless and praise God!" Indeed! May it be so. ![]() All of Me by Molly Bang © 2009 New York: Blue Sky Press Amazon | Lee County Public Library In this colorfully illustrated book, author and illustrator Molly Bang presents a preschool age boy who is thankful for his body and his senses and how these gifts allow him to experience the gifts of the world around him, too. “Thank you, hands, for gripping and throwing and patting and holding. And for hugging.” For toddlers, the story lends itself to making a game out of teaching the names of body parts. All of Me is intentionally written to be accessible to children of any or no faith; however, in reading and reflecting upon it, caregivers can assist children in pointing to God as the source of these good gifts. Perhaps it could even be paired with a child-friendly Bible translation of Psalm 100 or Psalm 139! While it never explicitly mentions God or faith, the words and illustrations of this book nevertheless read as a joyful prayer. ![]() The Thank You Book by Mo Willems © 2016 New York: Hyperion Books for Children Amazon | Lee County Public Library The Thank You Book is the 25th and final book in the Elephant and Piggie series written and illustrated by Mo Willems, a fact that may prove to be helpful background knowledge for readers. Piggie confidently sets out to thank everyone she knows, but Elephant is fearful that Piggie will overlook someone during this ambitious task. Without giving away the great twist, suffice it to say that she does forget someone important, and quickly turns her attention to correct that unintentional oversight in order to once again bask in the warmth of thankfulness. While this text is not intended to be religious per se, learning to say “thank you” is a vital practice in nurturing the Christian faith, and focusing on gratitude is a necessary practice in forming a thankful heart. Piggie demonstrates this well. (As an aside, The Thank You Book also pairs well with the scripture passage for this weekend’s sermon at Faith: The Cleansing of the Ten Lepers from Luke 17:11-19!) ![]() Thank You God, for Everything by August Gold © 2009 New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Amazon | Lee County Public Library In her storybook Thank You God, for Everything, author August Gold sets out to inspire young readers to “develop their thankful eyes.” This, to be sure, is a worthwhile goal, and her words – matched with delightful artwork by Wendy Anderson Halperin – offer a great example for gratitude and thanksgiving. The story follows young Daisy, who watches as her parents thank God for each new day. “What should I thank God for?” she wonders. Her parents encourage her to look around to all the blessings surrounding her. She begins with material gifts, but as her eyes become better trained, she moves to intangible gifts, as well. By the story’s end, she gives thanks to God for her new vision, saying “the more I look for things to be thankful for, the more things I find.” I appreciate this book, not only for Daisy’s exploration of gratitude, but also for the important reminder that children learn to grow in faith by watching their parents and caregivers live out theirs. The life of the family (in whatever form it takes!) is a sacred calling. My prayer is that these books can help children of all ages – parents, grandparents, and caregivers too! – to reflect upon all of God’s abundant blessings for which we can be grateful. Happy Thanksgiving!
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AuthorI'm a husband, father, news junkie, theatre lover, enneagram enthusiast, bi advocate, amateur foodie, wannabe barista, and an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA). LocationBoise, Idaho
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CopyrightAll works by Rev. TJ Remaley on this website are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This blog is maintained personally by me and does not necessarily represent the views of any congregation I have served. Every effort is made to give proper attribution for quotations, images, and other media used on this page.
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