Parables: Stories Jesus Told

Name of Book:  Parables: Stories Jesus Told

Author:  Mary Hoffman

Illustrator:  Jackie Morris

Publisher:  Phyllis Fogelman Books

ISBN:  0803725604

Audience:  Age 4 and up

Summary:  This is an illustrated collection of eight of Jesus’ parables: The House on the Rocks, The Good Samaritan, The Lost Sheep, The Workers in the Vineyard, The Prodigal Son, The Sower and the Seed, The Rich Man’s Feast, and The Unforgiving Servant.  The author introduces each story with a question to set the stage:  “Do you like building sandcastles?” or “Have you ever lost something precious?”  She goes on to tell each parable in short clear sentences, often inserting dialogue when appropriate and emphasizing characters’ joy or indignation or relief.  These are characters with whom the reader can identify emotionally.  Hoffman then ends each parable with a simple explanation of Jesus’ meaning.  Usually, these interpretations come from scripture itself, although sometimes the author inserts her own analysis, suitable to a child’s understanding.

Literary elements at work in the story:  Parables by their nature are simple tales with few characterizations.  Plot drives everything.  In this book, as with the original biblical tales, the stories sometimes end with mystifying plot turns, and the reader is left to puzzle out the meaning.  Morris’ beautiful paintings expand on the simple plots, showing us the overwhelming joy of the father as he cradles the head of his errant son against his shoulder, or the patient kindness of the Samaritan holding a bleeding stranger on his donkey.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  First-centuryPalestine was a patriarchal society, and the author and the illustrator reflect this male-centered social order in both word and picture.  All eight of these stories have male protagonists, and only two even show women in subordinate roles in the illustrations.  The characters are portrayed as Middle-Eastern in both facial features and clothing.  No attempt has been made to modernize the tales at all.

Theological conversation partners:  Several of these stories focus on the fact that God’s law is often contrary to human notions of justice. God rejoices always when one who has been lost is found, no matter how good the other sheep, sons, or workers have been nor how unfair the gift of God’s embrace seems to be.  Other parables in this collection concentrate on what it means to respond to God’s teaching.  Hearing is not enough.  Those who truly follow God must work at it, or they will lose everything – house built on sand, seed sown on rocky soil, or fantastic wedding banquet.  These stories would be good to use with discussions about what the Christian life looks like

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Jesus told a lot of stories.  I wonder why?
2. How did you feel about the story called “Fair Pay”?  If you were the vineyard owner, how would you have paid your workers?
3. Why do think Jesus told the story in the way he did?
4. How would you have reacted if you were the older brother in the story called “The Jealous Brother”?
5. Why do you think that the father was so glad to see his younger son again?
6. The Samaritan in the story called “Neighbors” would have been somebody that none of Jesus’ listeners liked.  If we told the story substituting people in our day and time, who would be a good person to play the role of the Samaritan?
7. What can we find out about God by reading the stories of the lost sheep, the prodigal son, and the workers in the vineyard?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Beth Lyon-Suhring.

Miss Spider’s Tea Party

Name of Book: Miss Spider’s Tea Party

Author:  David Kirk

Illustrator: David Kirk

Publisher:  Scholastic/Callaway

ISBN: 9780590477246

Audience:  Written for ages 4 – 6

Summary: A charming but very lonely spider wishes to invite her neighbor insects to tea.  All that she invites are fearful, dash off, scurry away, etc.  It isn’t until Miss Spider is able to render aid to one small soaked moth that she at last has a guest for tea. Miss Spider dries off the poor helpless creature and invites it to tea.   Her kindness convinces the neighbor insects they have nothing to fear from this very large and very friendly spider.

Literary elements at work in the story:  This is a charming rhyming story that is used primarily as a counting book.  The bright colors and illustrations lend to an enchanting read.  Miss Spider is bright yellow, like a rain slicker.  Each insect in the story is an individual with equally bright eye popping color.

(How) does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story? Some children and some very cynical adults may find this story completely incredulous; How could a spider be portrayed in such a kind way?  The point of the story is overcoming stereotypes that inhibit friendship.  In this example, the fears of the other insects are very reasonable.  It is only by accident that the moth, and then the others, learn of Miss Spider’s generosity and kindness.

Theological conversation partners:  Miss Spider’s Tea Party would pair well with the Parable of the Wedding banquet found in Matthew 22. The insects are afraid of Miss Spider and do not want to attend her tea party.  Their fears are reasonable.  Their inability to accept her invitation initially excludes them from Miss Spider’s gentleness.  The comparison between the king (God) in the parable to Miss Spider might seem tenuous.  The king’s repeated invitations are refused just as Miss Spider’s.  The parable refers to how the reign of God had been refused by the Israelites, and how they would beat and reject the servants of God (the prophets).   Another comparison that may seem weak or tenuous is the wet moth in contrast to the final group of people invited to the wedding banquet.  The poor little wet moth does accept Miss Spider’s kindness and can be an example of Jesus’ final zinger, “Many are called but few are chosen.’

I know the Miss Spider story doesn’t work on every level, but, there are elements that really fit the Parable of the Wedding beautifully.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. How would you feel if you were going to have a big party, you invited all of your friends, and everyone had an excuse about not coming to your party?
2. What do you think the little wet moth felt when it was brought into Miss Spider’s home?
3. When Miss Spider took such good care of the little wet moth, what do you suppose it felt?  Relief?  Gratitude?
4. If you were the little wet moth, would you go tell all of your friends and neighbors about Miss Spider’s kindness?  Extend that to telling yours friends and neighbors about God.

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Cheryl Couch-Thomas.