Llama Llama Red Pajama

Title: Llama Llama Red Pajama

Author: Anna Dewdney

Illustrator: Anna Dewdney

Publisher: Viking

Publication date: 2005

ISBN number: 0-670-05983-8

Audience: 3 – 5 years

Summary of book:  When Little Llama is trying to get to sleep, he decides he’s thirsty.  Mama Llama says that she’ll bring him some water soon, but the phone rings.  Little Llama lets himself get really scared and upset.  Mama Llama comes up to calm him down and reminds him she is always near and loves him a lot.

Literary elements at work in the book (genre, characters, plot, language, illustrations, dialogue, repetitions, etc.):    Repetitive rhyming patterns tell the story and the expressiveness of the images, particularly of baby llama, will resonate with young children.

How the book presents gender, race, culture, economic status, abilities/disabilities, age, etc.: There are no human characters in this book.

Theological partners for conversation (may be specific scripture, confessions, doctrines, theologians, etc.): Mark 4:35-40 (Jesus Calms the Storm)

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Why does Little Llama get so scared?
2. What does Mama Llama tell Little Llama when she gets upstairs?
3. In the story in Mark, why are the disciples so scared?
4. What does Jesus say to them?
5. Describe a time you were really scared.  What helped calm you down?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Jessie Smith.

Leap Back Home to Me

Name of Book: Leap Back Home to Me

Author: Lauren Thompson

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

ISBN:978-1416906643

Audience: Ages 3-8

Summary: A little frog’s first leap out into the world is a big, scary thing. But luckily, mama is there to catch him when he comes home. As the leaps get bigger, frog gets braver—and before he knows it, he’s soaring out to the moon and beyond!

Literary elements at work in the story: The use of rhyme and repetition is very effective in this story and will appeal to young children. The watercolor illustrations perfectly match the reassuring feel of the story. The strong focus keeps this story from becoming bogged down or sentimental.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story: This story is universal in appeal. The characters are generic and accessible to any young child.

Scripture: Isaiah 55:1-3

Theology: In this scripture, Isaiah tells the exiled Israelites that God will make a covenant with them, a covenant that God will be with them always . So it is with the mother in this story. She too has made a covenant with her frog. She promises that when her little frog needs her, she will be there for him.  Frog has faith and trusts his mother. With this faith and trust he can leap high and far, even as far as the moon. God’s covenant with us is the same and it is as sure today as it was in ancient days. Put your faith and trust in God and know that what the mother frog tells her son is true of God as well.

“…. when you leap home, here I’ll be.”

Faith Talk Questions:

1. A covenant is like a big promise. Have you ever promised something? What?
2. Has anyone disappointed you or broken a promise?
3. How did you feel?
4. The frog in the story felt very safe. Why?
5. What promise has God made to us that makes it clear that God will always be there for us?

Review prepared by regular contributor Janet Lloyd.