Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type

Title: Click, Clack Moo Cows that Type

Author: Betsy Lewin

Illustrator: Doreen Cronin

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Book for Young Readers

Publication date: 2000

ISBN number: 0-689-83213-3

Audience :  Intended by publisher: 3- 7; Possibilities:  all ages

Summary: Farmer Brown has unusual cows.  The cows found an old type writer, practiced typing, and typed him a request for electric blankets.  Farmer Brown refused and got really angry.  The next day the cows refused to give Farmer Brown milk.  Farmer Brown was angry.  The day after that the chickens were also requesting electric blankets.  Farmer Brown refused and the next day there was no milk and no eggs for Farmer Brown.  Farmer Brown was irate and sent an ultimatum to the cows through Duck.  He demanded milk and eggs.  The cows agreed to a compromise, they would surrender the typewriter for the electric blankets.  The blankets were left outside the barn door, but Duck hijacked the typewriter and the ducks requested a diving board for the pond. 

Literary elements at work in the story: One of the strengths of the book is the repeated refrain Click, Clack, Moo.              The illustrations are lovable and add a lot to the story. This is a plot driven story that is easy to read and to the point.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  Farmer Brown is an older white guy that works hard for his living.  There are no other human characters in the book, so there is not a variety of gender, race, culture, economic status, abilities/disabilities, or age.

Theological conversation partners:  Proverbs 16:7 “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him”.  Proverbs 16:32 “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.”

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Why do you think Farmer Brown was angry at the cows?
2. Give examples of what happened when Farmer Brown got angry.
3. The cows engaged in peaceful resistance.  What are some other examples of peaceful resistance?
4. How did the cows return peace to the farm?
5. How does compromise work in a situation?
6. What do the Bible passages tell us about peace?

This review was prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary – Charlotte student Jessie Smith.

The Quiet Book

Name of Book:  The Quiet Book

Author:  Deborah Underwood

Illustrator:  Renata Liwska

Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

ISBN:  978-0547215679

Audience:  Ages 3 and up; may work well as part of an intergenerational conversation.

Summary:  This picture book explores the many kinds of “quiet” that we experience throughout our lives. Young animals are seen in a variety of both positive and negative situations that might cause one to be quiet or contemplative – situations that reflect fear, awe, sorrow, hope, and more. From “first one awake quiet” to “sound asleep quiet,” the animals display a wide range of emotions that accompany the ups and downs of daily life.

Literary elements at work in the story:  This picture book incorporates sparse but rich text with gentle illustrations. While there is no structured plot, this story enlivens the reader’s imagination as it suggests all sorts of stories one might be able to tell about the events of any given day. The animal characters are both diverse and nameless; however, the illustrations and text work together to suggest a depth of character that might surprise the reader.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability: The author makes use of a diverse set of animals, with many species and colors represented. The only indication of gender throughout the book is in the depiction of one mother and one aunt. Otherwise, the reader will have a difficult time making any distinctions about gender, thus allowing all readers to find themselves within the text at many points.

Theological Conversation Partners:  Psalm 23

Faith Talk Questions/Activities:

1. Purchase an additional copy of the book. (Ideally, purchase two copies so that both sides of each page may be utilized in this activity.) Cut out the pages so that they can be distributed to several small groups. Provide each group with several pages.
2. Ask students to identify the feelings of the animals in each kind of quietness that is shown in their group’s pictures.
3. Make a simple but large wall chart with “Peace – Sin – Awe – Sorrow – Fear – Hope” across the top. If you are working solely with children, briefly review/explain each term. For a multi-generational group, ask the groups to spend time talking about each term.
4. Ask each group to tack their book pages into the chart column that seems most appropriate for the depicted scene.
5. Write Psalm 23, verse by verse, on single sheets of paper. Use a large font. Distribute scripture slips to small groups. Ask each group to discuss the verse(s) they hold and to determine which part of the chart the scripture addresses.
6. Ask a member of the class to read Psalm 23 slowly. Hold up the pages from The Quiet Book that the groups have paired with each verse. (Pictures may or may not match up for every verse read.)
7. Discuss in small groups the many ways that we each feel fear, peace, sin, awe, sorrow, and hope in our own lives, and how God comforts us, celebrates with us, and gives us hope. Children might wish to share experiences similar to those depicted in The Quiet Book.

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Catherine Lovejoy.

Ted Studebaker: A Man Who Loved Peace

Name of Book:  Ted Studebaker: A Man Who Loved Peace

Author:  Joy Hofacker Moore

Illustrator: Jim Guenther

Publisher:  Herald Press, 1987

ISBN:  9780836134278

Audience:  From the words of the author, “I perceive this book as one that touches all persons, form the two-year-old who becomes excited about the tractor to the adult who marvels at Ted’s faithfulness.”  The recommended age, however, is 7 – 10 years old.

Summary: Ted Studebaker: A Man Who Loved Peace is the biographical story of Ted Studebaker, a member of the Church of the Brethren.  He grew up on a large family farm in Ohio, where he was the seventh of eight children.  He excelled in everything he put his mind to and was able to drive a tractor by the age of eight, even though he wasn’t tall enough to look over the steering wheel.  He was an amazing athlete and he enjoyed horseback riding and ice hockey.  He received varsity letters in high school in football, track, and wrestling.  At the same time, he was very active in his church, the West Milton Church of the Brethren, where he attended summer camp and organized work camps.  He also loved to sing and play his guitar.  When Ted graduated from high school he was voted the senior male who had achieved the most during his four years.  After graduation, the draft for the Vietnam War was in effect, and Ted wrote a letter to the US government explaining his reasons for being a Christian pacifist.  He believed that all life was precious and he could not kill anyone, even during a war.  Ted became a conscientious objector.  He went on to Manchester College where he graduated in just three years with a major in Psychology and Sociology.  Then he went to Florida State University for a master’s degree in social work.  After graduate school, Ted joined Brethren Volunteer Service and committed two years of his life to help others.  He was stationed at Di Linh in Vietnam, in the midst of the war.  While he was there, he taught the locals different farming techniques that would improve their rice crop.  He raised chickens in a bathtub and grew vegetables that he shared with the mountain people.  He also set-up a rice polisher, which was a machine that would harvest the rice more efficiently than doing it by hand.  While in Vietnam, he fell in love with a Chinese woman, Ven Pak, who was also in Vietnam doing Christian service.  The fighting in Di Linh grew more intense, and a week after his wedding, Ted was shot and killed.  However, before Ted died, he wrote a letter to his family that read, “Above all, Christ taught me how to love all people, including enemies, and to return good for evil.”

Literary elements at work in the story (Genre/setting/characterization/plot/theme/point of view/style):  While the story is very mature and the content is very serious, this book is written in simple sentences and beautifully illustrated with crayon-like drawings.  Although the story has a sad ending, the emphasis is on Ted’s life and ministry, and his faithfulness to the love of God even in the midst of conflict.  The author does not spend a lot of time dealing with Ted’s death, but rather sums it up in five words.  And the story doesn’t end there either.  Rather, the author reflects back to the good that was accomplished in his lifetime.  She even quotes his own sayings and writings, as though he continues to live through them.

(How) does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  Although Ted Studebaker is a white male, he finds himself in relationships with people from all over the world.  His college roommates were students from abroad, and his wife is Chinese.  It is clear that Ted does not make judgment calls based on others’ gender, race, culture, economics, or ability.   The last line of the book quotes Ted as saying, “I believe that love is a stronger and more enduring power than hatred for people, regardless of who they are or what they believe.”

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48

Theological conversation partners (scripture, confessions, doctrines, theologians, etc):  In Matthew 5, Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.  Ted Studebaker exemplifies this calling throughout his life and death.  Choosing to go to Vietnam to work in the midst of war could not have been an easy to decision, but it was what Ted felt called to do.  He took Jesus’ teaching very seriously and paid for it with his life, but at the same time he radically helped the lives of others around him.  There is a Quaker bumper sticker that reads, “When Jesus said, ‘Love your enemies’, I think he probably meant not to kill them.”  Ted definitely believed this and asked for a shovel instead of a gun.  If he died, he wanted to die making something instead of tearing something down.

Faith Talk Questions

1. Where do you see yourself in the life of Ted Studebaker?  Why?
2. Does the story of his life teach you anything about your own life?  What does it teach you?
3. The last line of the book quotes Ted as saying, “I believe love is a stronger and more enduring power than hatred for people, regardless of who they are or what they believe.”  What do you think of this statement?  How can love be stronger than hatred?
4. How can you show love for your enemies?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Amanda North.

Ender’s Game

Name of Book:  Ender’s Game

Author: Orson Scott Card

Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

ISBN: 9780812550702

Audience:  Ages 12+

Summary:  Aliens, known as the buggers, have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species.  Although it has been years since the last attack, the world wants to make sure humans win the next encounter, so the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses, and then training them in the arts of war.  Fearing that the next attack is imminent, they cannot wait for the children to grow up to adulthood, they must use them now.

Into the unending pressure of military training comes six-year-old Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, who struggles to keep his humanity even as the adult teachers, rivals among his fellow students, and the strange unseen influence of the alien invaders all threaten either to destroy him or to make him into someone he can’t bear to be.

His genius raises him to the top of the intensely competitive games in the Battle Room, an immense null-gravity chamber where armies of youngsters engage in mock combat. But his real struggles are off the playing field with a dangerous older boy named Bonzo Madrid, who doesn’t believe that the world is big enough for both Ender and him to live there peaceably; with his teacher, Mazer Rackham, who won the last war on a fluke and now is trying to prepare Ender to win the next one by skill rather than luck; and with himself, as Ender wrestles with his own demons, desperate to remain a decent human being even as he sees himself being transformed into exactly the same kind of monster as the buggers themselves.

In the last battle of his training, Ender finds out that their mock combat was really a navigation of fighter pilots several light years away, who under Ender’s leadership have destroyed the bugger planet.  Faced with the reality of actual xenocide, Ender goes on a quest to find a home for the last remaining Queen, who is the future of the bugger population.

Literary elements at work in the story:  This science fiction novel is set between Earth, which is run by a unified World Government and Outer Space at the Battle School for training young children combat skills.  Often times children act older than they actually are, and they like to be given credit for the knowledge and skills that they have.  In fact, they are often smarter than the adults that train them.  This book uses children and characterizes them in such a way that they are really small adults.   They are brilliant children, in fact, they are the brightest children in the world who have come together to be trained for battle against the alien population, known as the buggers.  The children are involved in world politics and they face adult situations.  They have conflicts that they must address amongst themselves with very little adult intervention, and their ultimate goal becomes survival of the fittest as they are trained.  The third person narration allows the narrator to be omniscient and omnipresent through all circumstances and events.  Throughout the violence and conflict that Ender must face, his love and care for his sister keeps him human.  And it is through this love that he is able to feel remorse after the final battle and seek a way of peace with the buggers for the future.

(How) does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  The fabulous thing about this book is that all gender, race, cultural, economic differences that are present in this current world have all faded away as the world has had to unite as one human race, so they can defend Earth together.  The children that attend the Battle School are from all over the world and from all different economic backgrounds.  The real enemy portrayed in this book is the alien population.

Theological conversation partners:  Religion is out of vogue in this futuristic world and there is great pressure to keep one’s religious beliefs underwraps.  The world is working out of their own strength and ability to defeat the Buggers once and for all.  The children are being raised to be hard and determined as they compete with one another to be the best and brightest to fight to save the world.  The book is violent and children die in the process.  But this book ends with the thought of hope.  Faced with xenocide, the annihilation of the entire bugger species, Ender makes a choice to find the last living Queen and a safe planet where the alien population can grow and live again.  Often times, it is easy in our own lives to get so caught up in the moment that we lose sight of the picture of what we are fighting for or why we are even fighting in the first place.  We tend not to think about the long-term consequences of our actions, until it is too late.  This book forces us to take a step back and rethink our relationships with others and the consequences of our actions in the midst of conflict.  This book is the first in a series of books by Orson Scott Card that features Ender as the main character.  Each subsequent book in the series is for a more mature audience as they cover material that is not as interesting for an adolescent audience.  However, there is a parallel series, entitled Ender’s Shadow, that will appeal to an adolescent audience throughout.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Which character in this book can you relate to the most and why?
2. Compare and contrast the way the children in this book are treated by the adults with the way that you interact with the adults in your life.  What’s the same, what’s different?  What do you like about the way the children in the book are treated?  What do you dislike about the way the children are treated?
3. While religious faith is present in some of the characters within the book, it is frequently downplayed.  Where did you see God in this book?  How did you know that it was God?
4. The buggers are not human as we understand humanity, but what human qualities do they display?  What qualities do an individual need to be considered “human”?

This review was prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Amanda North.

 

Bibliography: Peace

Sometimes after a particular book review, we get emails asking for other suggestions about books on that same topic.  While it isn’t always possible to reply individually to ever question, we do save those questions and work on developing bibliographies to share with our readers that might help them explore other stories around similar topics.

Today, Janet Lloyd is sharing an annotated bibliography for books dealing with peace.  Her bibliography offers books for preschoolers through middle schoolers.  Download the bibliography by clicking here.

We’d also love to hear your suggestions for future bibliographies!

Welcome Janet Lloyd! (And her review of Potatoes, Potatoes)

Some of you may remember that when we began the Lectionary Links feature on this blog, I spoke about discovering a series about 15 years called Joy and Wonder in All God’s Works.  Today, I’m even more excited to tell you that we’ve discovered the author of that series and she is going to be a regular contributor to our blog!

Janet Lloyd just retired after a 35 year career as a librarian at the Harford County (MD) Public Library, so she is uniquely qualified to share her knowledge of children’s and adolescent literature.  She is also a very active member of her Episcopal congregation, serving on the vestry and as a church school teacher.  Janet’s engagement with worship and children’s books began this way:

A clergy person asked me if I could do a children’s sermon using a children’s book.  I agreed and told him to pick a Sunday and send me the lessons.  He picked Trinity Sunday!  I found a book, did the children’s sermon and felt quite pleased with myself.  A few months later, I was talking to more clergy about what I had done and they said it would be great if I could find more books for children’s sermons.  I said that if I could find a book for Trinity Sunday, I could find one for any Sunday!  That was the beginning of JOY AND WONDER.

We are so excited that Janet will be working with us in our efforts to help church leaders and parents connect stories with the Biblical story as a means of helping people grow in faith.  She will be contributing reviews and annotated bibliographies around particular topics so look for her contributions.  Welcome, Janet!

Name of Book: Potatoes, Potatoes

Author: Anita Lobel

Illustrator: Anita Lobel

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

ISBN: 0060518170

Audience: K and up

Summary: There was once an old woman who had a potato farm and two hard working  sons.  One day one son runs away to the army of the east; the other son joins the army of the west.  Soon the war takes its toll on both armies.  Starving, the brothers tell of a place where they could find food.  So the brothers take both armies to their family farm where they are sure there will be food.    A battle ensues and soon the farm is in ruins.   The sons find their mother who appears to be dead.  The battle stops and the soldiers, remembering their own mothers begin to cry.  However, all is not lost.  Not only is their mother not dead, but she has found a way to bring peace to the warring troops and the troubled land.

Literary Elements at Work in the Story: Influenced by Ms. Lobel’s experiences as a World War II survivor.  The illustrations are full of drama and the text, although written with a decided point of view is never didactic or condescending.  At first you are taken with the pretty uniforms and adoration from the town just as the sons are.  However, Ms. Lobel soon shows the true face of war by showing us tattered and stained uniforms and towns people running from them.   Finally when there is peace, we once again see the full range of color and texture missing from the war scenes.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story. This story is unaffected by issues of gender/race/culture/ economics/ability.  Although the illustrations give it an Eastern European feel, it is not a story from that culture.

Theological Conversation: 

Isaiah: 40 ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

In the story the two sons get taken in by the beautiful swords and shiny metals.  How often are we get taken in by the superficial.  How often do we make life decisions based on looks.  When the reality of war hits the two sons and they think their mother has died in the conflict, the sons begin to see how wrong their decisions were.  They cry out to their mother in pain and sorrow.  And just like the writer in Isaiah 40 their cries are heard.  Their strength is renewed, their mother is not dead.  However the story does not end there.  Their mother will not let them off that easily.  She can provide them with food, but they must promise to stop fighting, clean up the mess they have made and go home to their mothers.  She forgives them their sins, just as God forgives us of our sins, but just like the mother, God insists we clean up our act.  This book is one of the best books on war and peace for people ages 5 and up.  It can be used literally with young children and symbolically with older children and adults.

NOTE:  This would be a good introduction into a discussion with teens about not being taken in by the superficial aspects of life such as drugs, alcohol, extreme ideas.

Faith Talk Questions:

1.   Why did the boys go to war?

2.   Was war what they expected?

3.   Have you ever followed someone or done something and then seen it was not the right thing to do or the right person to follow?

4.   What did you do?

5.   At the end of the story, they do not rebuild the wall.  Why?

God calls us to peace, not war and conflict.  How can we be more like the mother in this story than her sons?

Listen to the Wind

Name of Book: Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea

Author: Greg Mortenson & Susan L. Roth

Illustrator: Susan L. Roth

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Audience: Ages 3-6

Summary: A story told from the perspective of the children present in the village when changes occurred, based upon the adult book Three Cups of Tea. The children share their perspective of the story of an injured hiker who is cared for and healed in the village and then promises to return to build the village a school. The book also contains a photo scrapbook of actual people, events and places that were pertinent to the actual story in Three Cups of Tea.

Literary elements at work in the story: The story is told through collage, from the first person collective point of view of the village children. It is set in the village of Korphe in Pakistan. The children share their excitement about Dr. Greg’s return to the village to build a school, out of a promise made when the village nursed him to health.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability make a difference to the story? The reality of the village poverty is resounding; the children have no materials for school and a teacher that visits only once a month. At the end of the book, an explanation of the Pennies for Peace foundation shares that $1.00 American will provide funding for one child’s education for an entire month in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The story shows a white American male coming to make changes, which can play in to the American identity of “coming to the rescue.”

Scripture: James 2:14-17

Theology: We are the body of Christ in the world, the church of God. We are called and gathered by God into this one body for the purpose of worship and service. God creates the church and we live as part of it, in loving relationship with God. God gives the church work to do in the world, telling the story of God’s love for us all in Jesus.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. What did the village people do for Dr. Greg?
2. What gift did Dr. Greg promise to bring to the village? Did he follow through on his promise?
3. Why is it important for us to help other people who don’t have a much as we have?
4. What is something that you can do to help someone, sort of like Dr. Greg did?

Review prepared by Mason Todd, Union-PSCE in Charlotte

Another review of this book was posted on January 4, 2010.

Amazing Peace

Name of Book:   Amazing Peace- A Christmas Poem

Author:   Maya Angelou

Illustrator:   Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

Publisher:  Schwartz and Wade Books

Audience:  Ages 6-9

Summary:  This poem by Maya Angelou begins as an African American family trudges through the cold snow wondering if God is indeed still there.  As the family continues on their journey they see the lights of Christmas and begin to witness scenes that bring peace, joy, and hope to mind.  The family meets others in the community along the way: a glassmaker, trumpet player, and people of different races and religions who are out on the crisp, cold night.  The community gathers together at the Town Hall to light candles and go out to sing of the peace that Christmas brings.

Literary elements at work in the story:  The plot in this poem is a key literary element. One family begins a journey in the snow and they meet others all along the way.  With each stanza and illustration, the reader witnesses more members of the diverse community coming together to celebrate the peace of Christmas.  What began as a journey for one family unit comes full circle and ends as the entire community comes together as one.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic ability:  The artwork that accompanies this poem does an incredible job of illustrating a diverse community that is made of people from all walks of life.  Sometimes when Christmas comes around, people can be found celebrating with “those who are like them.”  This poem and the artwork show how a whole community crosses racial and cultural barriers to be one people celebrating the peace, hope, and joy that Christmas brings.

Scripture:   Romans 14:19, Ephesians 4:2-6, James 3:18

Theology:  We are called to act in those ways which lead to peace.  We are called to bear with one another in love and continue to keep the unity of the Spirit through peace.  When we strive to be peacemakers, a harvest of righteousness will be produced.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. What changes from the beginning of the poem to the end in the artwork?
2. What is the world encouraged to come away from in this poem?
3. Why do you think the poet refers to Christmas as the “glad season?”
4. How can hope make things in the world seem brighter?
5. What do you think it means when the poet refers to hate as “crouching in dark corridors?”
6. How can we “hear” and “see” peace at Christmas?
7. How does the illustration of all the people gathered around the table with lit candles make you feel?
8. What is the promise of peace?

Review prepared by Marcia Rauch, MACE, Entering Cohort Fall 2006

The Librarian of Basra

Name of Book: The Librarian of Basra

Author:  Jeanette Winter

Illustrator: Jeanette Winter

Publisher: Harcourt Inc.

Audience:   This book is written for all ages – however the faith questions here are for older adolescents. Middle school up.

Summary: This book is the true story of Alia Muhammad Baker, a librarian in Basra Iraq.  The invasion of Iraq by the Allied forces reached Basra on April 6, 2003.  Baker, with the help of friends and neighbors, was able to save seventy percent of the library’s books by hiding them in her own home and in a neighbor’s business.  She took a great  personal risk because she was told by her government to leave the books alone. Nine days after Basra is invaded the library is burnt to the ground. Alia, along with friends, then has to move all of them, 30,000 books!, to her own home to keep them safe as the war rages on.  She dreams of peace in her country and a new library being built.

Literary Elements at work in the story:  This is a limited biography of an event in the life of Alia Mohammad Baker.  The story is told in the third person.

Perspective on another culture:  This story of the heroism of Alia, the librarian, reminds us of the fact that although, at the time of the invasion, Iraq was considered an American enemy, good people also live there. It is a reminder to not learn to “hate” entire nations because the politics of nations do not agree, but to remember that in every country there are people just like you and I who want the best for mankind.  In this instance Alia saved books at great personal risk to herself.  Some of these books were ancient and irreplaceable. If she had not taken the risk and instead turned away in fear, they would have been lost forever.

Scripture: James 1:19-27

Theology: Alia must have been very frightened of the world events that were coming right to the door of her beloved library.  She was well aware of the danger that she was in as she defied the Iraqi governments orders and removed the books from the library into safekeeping.  She even stayed and removed more books after the soldiers had fled.  Alia’s actions spoke of her conviction that these books had a value for future generations that needed to be saved.  This is what James is speaking about in this chapter.  He makes the point that we must live into the values that we claim.  In other words, if we claim to be Christian, then we must understand and live into those values even when it is dangerous and scary.

Faith Questions

1. Are you impressed with Alia?  Why?
2. When you hear we as Americans are at war with another country, do you stop and think what that might mean to the average citizen of that country?
3. Why was it dangerous for Alia to move those books?
4. Why did she move the books?  What was it so important?
5. As Christians, can you name some of the values that we claim?
6. Is our allegiance first to those values and then to our country, or the other way around?  What does this mean in a time of war?  (VERY BIG QUESTION)
7. How can we act on those values and still support our country?  (Understand it is not the people of that country that are in conflict with the US, but it is the politics that are are disagreeing on.  Therefore, we should pray for those in danger.)

Review prepared by Inger Manchester, MDiv, Entering Cohort Fall 2006

Whoever You Are

Name of Book: Whoever You Are

Author: Mem Fox

Illustrator: Leslie Staub

Publisher: Voyager Books, Harcourt

Publisher’s Intended Audience: Ages 3 – 7

Summary: Whoever You Are is the powerful, and yet simply told tale of our common humanity—“Whoever you are; wherever you are.”

Literary Elements at Work: One of the most effective literary elements at work in the story is an oft-repeated refrain: “Whoever you are; wherever you are, whoever they are; wherever they are.”  This is the underlying theme holding together the idea of our common humanity in the midst of a wide and diverse world.  The illustrations are bright, contrasting oil paintings on gessoed paper, highlighting the different skin colors, home lands, homes, and schools found all over the world.  Yet, through all the differences “joys are the same, and pains are the same.”

Scripture: Exodus 19:5b “Indeed, the whole earth is mine [says the LORD]…” (NRSV)

Theology: It matters not where or in what condition we find ourselves.  Whether our skin is brown, black, or white, whether we live in houses of stone or houses of leaves, whether we go to school inside large brick buildings or outside sitting on logs, whether we speak Farsi or French, whether we eat knishes or hummus, the whole earth and all that is in it is God’s.  Thanks be to God.

Faith Talk Questions (Intended for use with children ages 4 – 7): Sit down in the floor beside your child.  Go through the book slowly just looking at the pictures.  Talk about the big wide world and all that is in it—the different kinds of trees, the different kinds of people, the different kinds of houses, the different kinds of foods, the different kinds of words.  Each page is filled with rich and vibrant pictures depicting life all over the world.  Point out that even though the children in the book live in different places, speak different languages, and go to different schools, they are still children.  They like to play, sing, dance, color, hug, and love.  Now read the story slowly, pausing to talk about different places but similar faces (we all have two eyes to see with, two ears to hear with, etc…).  Point our different places on the globe.  Ask your child, “Is God here?”  “Is God there?”  “Is God everywhere?”  Tell your child that God is definitely everywhere.  Remember the words from Exodus, “Indeed, the whole earth is mine [says the LORD]…”  (NRSV).  Sing He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.

Review prepared by Kim Lee, MACE, Entering Cohort 2007