In many ways, all good children’s literature is a reduction, not in the minimizing sense of the term (although it often does have fewer words than adult literature) but in the sense of cooking off the extra liquid to get down to the strong, flavorful part. As we grow, we want and need deep, nuanced explorations of careful thought, but there’s still something bracing about reading the words of authors who have already wrestled these thoughts down into small packages.
Picture books can be like those hidden microchips in old spy movies that appear as simple items—pens, shoes, or shirt buttons—but in fact contain a mountain of secret information that could uphold or destroy a nation. Or like wild bird eggs: beautiful works of art on the surface and full of life and potential that can travel far beyond their packaging.
Here are some brand-new picture books to brace your kids up with small doses of powerful teaching or whet their curiosity to unpack bigger ideas.
1. Arlo Takes Off by Betsy Childs Howard, illustrated by Samara Hardy (Crossway) (TGC Store | Amazon)
Arlo Takes Off begins with Arlo watching a show where Monty Mole’s sister decides she doesn’t want to be a mole anymore but a bunny instead. The show’s characters sing about how they can be anything they feel if they go wherever their hearts want to go. So Arlo decides he can fly because he believes he can. Without giving too much away, Arlo has an adventure that leads him to rethink what it means to be content with the way God made him.
Above all, Arlo Takes Off is a well-told tale. The relatable childhood adventure overlay timeless Icarus themes that have intrigued readers for thousands of years. I read it aloud to an audience that ranged from 2-year-olds to 11-year-olds, and every one of my listeners was sympathetic to Arlo and invested in watching his dreams and choices unfold.
Beyond all this fun storytelling, though, the book also lays a foundation for a biblical theology of the body and a direct response to the messages kids are hearing in other stories.
As Betsy Childs Howard says, “In many ways this book best embodies what we’ve wanted to do with the whole TGC Kids series which is to have engaging stories that capture kids’ imaginations while also teaching them moral formation.” Arlo Takes Off is an exciting, memorable book that points kids to the joy of being who God created them to be.
Arlo Takes Off
Betsy Childs Howard
When Arlo’s favorite TV show tells him he can be anything he wants to be, he decides he wants to be like a bird and fly! When both he and his high hopes hit the ground, Arlo learns a painful lesson. His parents help him understand that, no matter what others may tell us, we can only be who God made us to be. In a world that promises endless possibilities, it’s easy for little ones to feel discouraged when things don’t go as they imagined.
2. Jesus Moments: Ruth by Alison Mitchell, illustrated by Noah Warnes (The Good Book Company) (Amazon)
I’m endlessly amazed by what a good story the Bible is. This edition of the Jesus Moments series tells the story of Ruth, which is a strange, beautiful tale on its own. Ruth is simple enough for a child to understand and complex and mysterious enough to be confusing, moving, and eye-opening even for adults very familiar with the story.
By situating the short book of Ruth as one chapter in the larger story of God’s entire redemptive plan, its narrative complexity becomes even more beautiful. This edition of the Jesus Moments series includes a search-and-find activity with a picture of an oil lamp hidden on each page of Ruth’s story and imagery that points forward to Christ. This helps keep kids engaged so they can see this Old Testament book in its place in the Bible’s whole story.
3. Tuesday’s Bear by Alexandra Davis, illustrated by Oliver Allison (Reclaimed for Good) (Amazon)
A toy bear is left behind, lost, found, repaired, and given a new home. Bear’s journey includes imaginary adventures with cowboys, jungle exploration, and sword fights, while around him a true, larger story unfolds of a family who creates a business reselling unclaimed luggage. They then give from the proceeds to people in need. Tuesday’s Bear tells the real story of how a business called Unclaimed Goods was founded. It also stands on its own as a story about redemption, renewal, and putting faith into motion to help others.
4. Big Thoughts for Tiny Tots by Jared Kennedy, illustrated by Trish Mahoney (New Growth) (TGC Store | Amazon)
I’ve been thinking lately about all the ways we catechize our kids, teaching them what’s true and valuable through repetition in songs, lessons, even jokes. My family has struggled to find user-friendly formats for teaching formal catechism to young children in the traditional question-and-answer method.
All this background makes Jared Kennedy’s Big Thoughts for Tiny Tots a welcome resource for teachers of small children. Each page has a simple question and answer that teaches a profound truth about God’s creation, care, and plan for the world.
With only 16 questions and engaging illustrations, the entire book can be read in one (longish) toddler sitting. Because it also includes a Bible verse on every page, caregivers and older kids can dig further into each statement. Big Thoughts for Tiny Tots’s format and language allow adults to disciple even the youngest believers and seekers in the foundational truths of our faith.
5. God Loves Me by Kristen Wetherell, illustrated by Grace Habib (Crossway) (TGC Store | Amazon)
At first, it was a little disorienting to dive from the simple title of this book right into deeply complex doctrine. In about 40 short, rhyming lines of text, though, Wetherell offers an explanation of the Trinity, examples from Scripture of each person of the Trinity working, and an explanation of how God’s very nature is the foundation of love, including his love for me.
It’s heady content for a book with a format that suggests its readers may choose to chew on it literally as well as metaphorically. It’s also a profound reminder that God’s love is much, much bigger than each of us, like an ocean that exists and has a life-sustaining power of its own, whether we swim in it or not. The book also points to the equally profound corollary that, even with all that complexity and greatness, God does in fact love each one of us personally.
Also check out these books:
Around the World with 80 Missionaries by Linda Finlayson (Christian Focus) isn’t a picture book in the traditional sense, but it’s a book packed with pictures and short stories of missionary ministries and adventures. There are familiar faces (Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, Amy Carmichael, the apostle Paul) as well as many amazing stories that were new to me. (TGC Store | Amazon)
God’s Great Big Global Church by Tim Challies, illustrated by Sian James (The Good Book Company) is told from the perspectives of kids around the world who share facts about their countries and what it’s like to worship there, with an emphasis on people from every nation worshiping God together someday. (TGC Store | Amazon)
Just as He Said by Sam Brewster and Hannah Jayne Lewin (10Publishing) uses a rhythmic, rhyming text to tell stories of how Jesus faithfully kept his word in the Bible and how those stories can help us trust his faithfulness today. (TGC Store | Amazon)
