Five Children’s Books for the Easter Basket

This post is republished with permission from Illustrated Children’s Ministry. – Ed.

If you’ve been searching for faith-based children’s books to add to your library, you’ve come to the right place! It can feel overwhelming to search when there are so many options out there. So, we’ve put together a list of our top five picks that we’re currently loving. If you’ve got favorite faith-based children’s books, share them in the comments!

God’s Dream

God’s Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams invites children into the worldview that we are all sisters and brothers no matter where we live, who we are, how we worship, what we look like, how different or similar we may be.

God’s Dream is one of our favorite faith-based children’s books because it:

• contains colorful illustrations
• is ethnically diverse
• in written from an interfaith perspective
• contains examples applicable to children’s lives
• uses non-gendered language for the Divine
• uses beautifully simple language
• encourages compassion
• is available as a board book

Read a review of God’s Dream here. And buy it here.

When God Was a Little Girl

When God Was a Little Girl by David R. Weiss and Joan Hernandez Lindeman is a retelling of the creation myth that invites the feminine into the story. The main character, Susanna, and her father pass the time during a long car ride as they imagine together a creator who is young, female, and full of joy. It was the 2014 Gold Medal Winner of the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for Best in Religion/Spirituality. Additionally, it won the 2014 Silver Medal for Children’s Picture Book in the Nautilus Book Awards.

When God was a Little Girl is one of our favorite faith-based children’s books because it:

• contains vibrant illustrations
• is simple for young readers and listeners alike
• utilizes various ways of showing the creative movement of the Holy Spirit, e.g.: music, art, gardening, singing
• is engagingly conversational
• is ethnically diverse
• encourages theological openness

Read a review of When God Was a Little Girl here. And buy it here.

In God’s Name

In God’s Name by Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso is a modern fable that celebrates the diversity and, at the same time, the unity of all people. Additionally, it’s a spiritual celebration of the quest of all people of the world for the Divine and their belief in one God.

In God’s Name is one of our favorite faith-based children’s books because it:

• contains poetic text
• includes vibrant illustrations
• expands and enriches divine imagery
• uses life experiences to name God
• speaks to children of all ages
• is ethnically diverse
• uses simple language
• encourages children to look for God in the ordinary
• is written from an interfaith perspective
• is adapted for younger readers in board book format entitled What Is God’s Name

Buy In God’s Name here.

When God Made You

When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner is a book about children discovering their place in the world and how their personalities, traits, and talents fit in. Furthermore, Turner’s words offer assurance that children are deeply loved and a unique creation in our big universe.

When God Made You is one of our favorite faith-based children’s books because it:

• contains vivid, fantastical illustrations
• utilizes playful rhyme
• highlights children’s unique gifts
• uses simple language
• teaches self-worth
• includes applicable examples to children’s lives
• uses non-gendered language for God

Read a review of When God Made You here. And buy it here.

Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus

Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus by John Hendrix freshly reinterprets some of the oldest and best-known stories in human history and focuses on some of the many miracles that Jesus performed before his crucifixion. In conclusion, the book closes with a final wonder for all to see—one that changes faith and religion as the world knows it, forever.

Miracle Man is one of our favorite faith-based children’s books because it:

• contains beautiful illustrations and evocative imagery
• uses unique hand-lettering to weave the story into the illustration
• increases biblical literacy
• includes a list of Bible stories that inspired it
• uses clear, simple language for young listeners and readers
• visually depicts Jesus and people of his time with brown skin
• tells the stories of Jesus without moralizing or commentary

Read a Q&A with the author here. Buy it here.

What other books would you recommend for the Easter basket?