God Gave Us You
by Lisa Tawn Bergen
© 2000 by Lisa Tawn Bergen
Published by WaterBrook Press
Illustrations by Laura J. Bryant
One night at bedtime a sweet little polar bear poses the question "where did I come from" to her mother. As Mama Bear tucks her child into bed she lovingly assures Little Cub that both she and Papa wanted her very much and were overjoyed that "God gave us you".
This board book is about 20 pages from cover to cover. Each page includes text and beautiful illustrations. It is a cute story and imparts a moral that Christian parents wish to share with their children, that each child is desired and loved by both their parents and God.
Although this is a sweet story with a good message, it does have a few problems. The first is that it is inappropriately categorized for age. The book indicates that it is suitable for ages 0-3 but it is probably better suited for ages 3-5. The book has lengthy sentences and paragraph-long text on some pages which is far too much text for most children under 2 years old. The complex sentence structure is more appropriate for children in a slightly higher age group. The fact that it is a board book is the only quality that makes it appropriate for a younger age group.
This story is also somewhat restricted when describing the birth of Little Cub: "We raced to the hospital! And my how you screamed and yelled." In the years since the first publication of this book, the number of babies born outside of the hospital, in birth centers and at home, has increased dramatically. Publishers would be wise to consider this demographic trend when issuing books that involve such topics. Additionally, screaming and yelling are not positive words and seem to distract from the intended sweet nature of this book. Many parents are likely to be concerned with this poor choice of words and left to explain to their children that it was really alright that they screamed and cried (if, in fact, they did scream and cry).
Although this book offers a rather cute story it's illustrations are its champion quality. The book is not appropriate for the age group intended and the story leaves readers (and parents) feeling somewhat disappointed with poor word choice and descriptions.
To learn more about this book and the author check out these links:
Author's Site
More Info
Author Bio
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for this review.
