A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 86

Picture Book: Flood

Illustrator: Alvaro F. Villa

Summary: A family, who lives near a small river, receives flood warnings. With the help of neighbors, they place sandbags around their house, gather some things, escape to a hotel, and hope for the best. But the waters rush into their home anyway. All pitch in to clean and rebuild, and eventually their home is restored.

Hanna’s Comments: I wouldn’t ordinarily recommend a wordless book for use with a group, but this book is stunning and directly relates to scriptures shared by the 3 Abrahamic faiths. Because it is a wordless book, you may want to have several copies of the book. Don't be afraid to have your audience just look at the book in silence for a moment as you turn each page. Also, it is imperative that you do a good job describing the illustrations as you direct their eyes to particular aspects of the story. Encourage discussion that relates directly to their experiences or the experiences of those they love. You could also explore broader subjects such as natural disasters or family tragedies and connect those comments to your beliefs and faith values.

Publisher & Date of Publication: Picture Window Books, 2013

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 6 and up, 1^st and up

# of Pages: 32

Available in Spanish? This is a wordless picture book.

Formats other than Book: Tablet

PBT Category: Fresh off the Press

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: action, adaptation/assimilation, anxiety/worry, beach/ocean/pond/river/sea/shore, body of Christ, brokenness, challenges, change, chaos/disorder, danger, death/loss/grief, disaster, emotions/feelings, the environment/nature, family, fear, generosity/giving/offering/stewardship, helping, home, labor/work, perseverance, possessions, protecting/protection, rain, renewal/restoration, security, storms, survival, tragedy, transformation, unity, victims, water, weather

Scripture Connections: Noah and the Flood (Genesis 7 & 8); the flood sweeps over me (Psalm 69:1-3)

Idea(s) for Application: Use this book in a lesson about the flood in Genesis. If your area suffers from a flood, read this to a serve team and consider how your ministry might respond.