A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 96

Picture Book: I Wanted to Know All about God

Author: Virginia L. Kroll

Illustrator: Debra Reid Jenkins

Summary: This picture book is designed to encourage children to be attentive to how God’s creation might inform them about God's nature. Various questions and environmental contexts are offered. The sentences have a somewhat repeated pattern: I wanted to know if God…, then I …. Here are two examples: “I wanted to know if God likes music, then I heard a pond on a summer night." "I wanted to know what colors God likes. Then I met several children of other races.”

Hanna’s Comments: Two strengths of this book are the diversity of the children and experiences depicted in the illustrations. A book like this is to be integrated with conversation from the children regarding their questions as to what God is like and how their experiences might give hints to God’s nature. Don’t be afraid to encourage conversation about each double page spread.

Publisher & Date of Publication: Eerdmans, 1994

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

# of Pages: 32

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: None at present

PBT Category: God Book

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: attentiveness/observation/seeing,  awe, babies/children, beauty, creation, creativity/imagination/ingenuity, diversity, Earth/world, the environment/nature, God’s nature, God’s presence, image of God, listening, openness, prayer, questions/questioning, quiet/silence, reverence, truth, wonder

Scripture Connections: Elijah in the cave encountering God (1 Kings 19); The Lord is my shepherd (Psalm 23); Jesus’ "I am..." statements (John 6-15)

Idea(s) for Application: Read this book before going on a nature walk with children. On the walk, invite them to reflect on how God's creation informs them of God’s nature.