I Wanted to Know All about God

by Virginia Kroll, Debra Reid Jenkins (Illustrator)

Overview

I wanted to know all about God,
So I went looking for him in signs of His creation . . .In simple, poetic language this engaging book explores the kinds of questions children ask about God: What does God do in the morning? Where is God at night? What colors does God like? What does God's love feel like? The warm, colorful illustrations depict children of diverse cultural backgrounds wondering about God and experiencing God in their daily lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802851666
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	12/05/1997
Edition description:	43137 William B Eerdmans
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.12(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Virginia Kroll was born in Buffalo, New York. She attendedthe State University of New York at Buffalo and CanisiusCollege and later became a fifth-grade teacher in theBuffalo area. She has written numerous short stories,articles, poems, and books, including I Wanted to KnowAll about God (Eerdmans, 1994) and Masai and I(Four Winds Press, 1992). Virginia is married and has sixchildren, one grandchild, and 49 pets.


Debra Reid Jenkins works as a painter and children’s book illustrator. Her books include My Freedom Trip (Boyds Mills Press), I See the Moon, and Glory (both Eerdmans). She lives in Michigan. Visit her website at www.debrareid.com

Editorial Reviews

AWARDS and RECOGNITIONS
Elementary School Library Collection, Selected
Junior Library Guild, Selected (1998)
Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), Popular Paperbacks "War" list (2002)
California Collections, Middle School Collection, 2000 (2003)
California Collections, High School Collection (2005)
Booklist, Top Ten Religion Books for Youth
Children's Book Council, Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
Booklist


"Beautifully illustrated."
 
Church and Synagogue Libraries
"The children in this beautiful picture-book wonder about the nature of God and find Him in everyday objects and see Him in their interactions with others. . . This is a multi-cultural storybook that would be excellent for the preschool child. Perhaps it will even give adults new insights into the nature of God."
 
Kirkus Reviews
"A kindly, all-embracing, nonsectarian view of a deity whose likes include children of different colors, as shown in Jenkin's lush, sun-dappled paintings of glowing kids enjoying a snowy day, admiring a spider's web, or wrapped in Grandma's embrace. An attractive discussion opener."

From the Publisher

The children in this beautiful picture-book wonder about the nature of God and find Him in everyday objects and see Him in their interactions with others. . . . This is a multi-cultural storybook that would be excellent for the preschool child. Perhaps it will even give adults new insights into the nature of God.

Church & Synagogue Libraries

Featuring a multiracial cast generally younger than the target audience, Jenkins's gracious, full-page oil paintings illustrate this meager, at times strained, first-person narrative describing a child's curiosity about God. ``I wanted to know all about God, so I went looking for Him in signs of His creation,'' begins the text, which goes on to suggest that answers to questions about God are found in nature and in other people. Sample observations: ``I wondered if God is strong, and the ocean roared in my ears''; ``I wondered how God's reflection looks when he smiles, and the snow glittered in the sun''; ``I wanted to know what colors God likes. Then I met several children of other races.'' Though somewhat treacly, this book may appeal to those looking for a short, inspirational bedtime read. Ages 5-8. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-Kroll defines aspects of God through the everyday experiences of young children. On each double-page spread, a simple sentence describes what a child is thinking and what provides an answer. For example, ``I wondered what God's love feels like, and Grandma put her arms around me and gave me a big hug''; and ``I wondered if God likes art, and I saw a spiderweb in my uncle's barn.'' Jenkins's realistic oil paintings depict a variety of youngsters of different races exploring nature, sharing, and experiencing other common situations. The paintings do a fine job of capturing the spirit and mood of the text, are well composed, and expertly portray faces and expressions. The page layout is effective, and pictures of the same garden scene on the first and last pages pull the book together. This title reflects the Judeo-Christian concept of God in a broad way that will appeal to people with a wide variety of viewpoints.-Jane Gardner Connor, South Carolina State Library, Columbia

School Library Journal

Librarians looking for religious books with a Christian orientation should find this beautifully illustrated one satisfying. Emphasizing nature and human relationships, the expressive and colorful full-page oil paintings show children of various races playing on the beach, sledding down a snowy hill, sharing secrets, and being hugged by a grandmother who bakes oatmeal cookies. The spare first-person text muses on the nature of the Almighty: "I wondered if God likes art, and I saw a spiderweb in my uncle's barn."

Julie Corsaro