Look, I fully admit that teaching theology to kids under the age of three is a challenge (if they’re not fully versed in the hypostatic union by the time they’re four you’re parenting wrong). But in the past few years the Christian publishing industry has been making a go of it, and as a result we have a series of books from Crossway they’re calling “Big Theology for Little Hearts.”
The latest entries in this series are on The Bible, Prayer, and Heaven (no doubt one on “hell” is forthcoming…)
I am the last person to comment on artistic quality, so I’ll leave that to others to review. I will note that these are solid little books, both in a physical sense in that they are board books and in terms of being theologically sound, while still being simple enough to read to the littlest children.
Because when we’re dealing with books for this level, that’s what we really need. I don’t actually expect a child to remember what is read to him when he’s an infant. But if the book is well-written enough that repeated re-reads don’t make me want to run it through the woodchipper, it is a success. If it can do that AND have solid theology then it is a double-win for the author. These books thread that double needle nicely,
The book on Prayer is especially good. You and I probably learned the “ACTS” method of prayer growing up–and I certainly think it’s a good method! But one thing that it is missing this little book works in: lament. That can be a heady topic to read out loud at bedtime, but it 1) in the Bible and 2) part of human existence. Therefore we should lament when we pray. Obviously we should lament well and in age-appropriate ways. But nonetheless lament must rise from us to the Lord.
Overall these little books are excellent and I’m happy to recommend that you add them to your shelf.
Dr. Coyle Neal co-hosts the City of Man Podcast and is an Amazon Associate (which is linked in this blog). He teaches Political Science, Philosophy, and History in Southwest Missouri.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In