Children’s Picture Books on Family, God, and Faith
Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers, illustrated by Marlee Frazee
This book provides a wonderful way to welcome babies into the world and for parents to tell their babies all the ways they love them. The diversity of families depicted as visible parts of the community makes this book special. Lesbian and gay parents, interracial couples, breastfeeding and bottle-feeding mothers, single parents, and adoptive families are all joyfully celebrated in this wise, sometimes funny, and exuberant ode to babyhood.
Harcourt Brace, 2004, 30 pp., board book $6.95
I Am God’s Paintbrush by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso
This simple book will help you and your child explore spirituality interactively through colors, songs, and dance. Your child will delight in turning the sturdy pages to see the beautiful colors of God’s world. For children of all faiths, all backgrounds.
Skylight Paths, 2009, 24 pp., board book $7.99
Moody Cow Meditates by Kerry Lee Maclean
Peter the Cow is having a bad day. After missing the bus and wiping out on his bike, he loses his temper and gets in trouble. To make matters worse, all the other kids and cows are teasing him, calling him “Moody Cow.” Peter’s day just seems to get worse until his grandfather comes over. Can Grandpa teach him to settle his mind and let go of his frustration? This vibrant children’s book is a fun and funny way to introduce children to the power of meditation.
Whitman, 2008, 32 pp., hardback $15.95
Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee Maclean
The author brings experiences as a meditation therapist to this storybook guide, and her bright, whimsical paintings show how this simple ritual can do so much for children and their families. “There’s nary a lotus blossom or a Bodhisattva to be found in the bright paintings of disarming piggies who tease their siblings, get mad, play video games, but also ‘know when to take a break, find a quiet spot and just breathe, breathe, breathe.’” — Booklist
Albert Whitman, 2006, 32 pp., paperback $6.95
Berenstain Bears and the Big Question by Stan and Jan Berenstain
A Berenstain Bears book might be the last place one would look to find a depiction of a Quaker meeting for worship, but evidently a relative of the Berenstains was a Friend and this book the result of visiting Quaker meeting more than once. Early in the book, Sister asks, “What is God?” To answer her question, Papa and Mama Bear take the family to the Chapel in the Woods, and on this particular morning, the minister doesn’t deliver a sermon, but invites the congregants to wait in silence and, if they feel led, to deliver a message. A number of the members of the Bear family offer
63 QUAKERBOOKS AUTUMN 2011
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