What is the Best Thing About God? – review

Talking to young children about God can turn into very interesting conversations. Many questions and curious looks on chubby faces is pretty much standard. Trying to explain how amazing and loving our God is towards us can seem a little daunting to some parents. If you find yourself in somewhat of a struggle trying to explain the characteristics of God, look no further than this book.

 

“What is the Best Thing About God” by Christine Tangvald is a great option for telling your first-third graders about God. Written in an interactive style, it allows parents to ask their children questions as they read it together. Fill in the blank prayer, questions and a page to glue a picture of your child are all included in this cute depiction of God’s best parts.

You are guided by the narrator, Christopher, as he and Christine put together a fold out book about all of God’s best qualities. It is up to your child to listen to all the great things about God and pick what they think is the best thing about Him. Christopher talks throughout the book about God’s power, love, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, what prayer is, and the fact that He made every one of us.

Though the suggested ages for this book are 6-8 years old, I have already read it to my 4 month old a couple of times. I know, 4 months seems pretty early. I get it. But there is a method to my “jumping the gun.” The different ways this book breaks down how good God is, His characteristics, how He feels about His creation and His best parts are things I want to instill in my child as early as possible.

Though my son may not understand everything happening in the book yet, I plan to read it multiple times during his childhood. I want my son to be familiar, from an early age, with how much mommy and daddy love God. Yes, it may be a little early but my reasons are good and I recommend other parents of “bed babies” start their child’s book journey early as well.

The illustrations by Kathy Couri are colorful and depict each section well. The colors are vibrant and each page is engaging even to smaller children. As your child learns several characteristics about God, they will also be able to answer questions posed to them in the book itself to make sure those facts are understood. Every section is a great opportunity for parents to start their own discussions about God.

Ages 6-8.