God's Dream

by Marissa Writes - Tuesday, January 08, 2013

My youngest has taken a real liking to board books. He will get one off the shelf and carry to me in an effort to hear a story, even if he has to search the house for me... Then of course we spend a good amount of time reading the book and talking about the pictures.

This interest in books has translated to collecting books during our weekly library visit. Previously he was content to just play with a couple of the toys out and leave without ever looking at the books...

So we've come across some new books that I might have overlooked if not for his zealous desire to leave with a tall stack of books.

This week a sweet little book has captured our attention, God's Dream, by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams. This though-provoking children's story is illustrated by LeUyen Rham, and the pictures are perfect for little minds, as they lend themselves to many "do you see...?" and "look at that little boy..." time.

The message of the book looks at the heart of God and how to understand God we have to look with our hearts, not our eyes. So I'm not sure the message is translating to my one-year-old, but he loves the pictures. My almost four-year-old enjoys the opening phrases that talk about our dreams, as he's starting to realize that his dreams are different than the reality of day - and the idea that God dreams fascinates him.

I like that the book reminds us that when we cry, God cries with us. And to wipe these tears away we need to forgive others. Such important bits of truth I'd like to hide away in my kids hearts for future need.

The book ends with a simple question: "Will you help God's dream come true?" (Tweet this) And the answer is that we need to focus on loving others, sharing, forgiving and being friends with others, even if they appear different from us.

Image from publisher

The last page displays a rainbow, which my boys love. So I'm hoping to do a rainbow craft (a simple idea, or an ambitious idea) to help keep these topics up for discussion even when we don't have the book open in our laps.

Reading List rating:

Are you teaching your kids to be open to others even if they appear different? Are you using books and stories to help with this concept? Do you try to do crafts and projects after reading a story that really captivates your little ones?