Saw this book listed as an option on BookSneeze and knew that I had to get it. The initial Heaven is for Real was brought up at Women of Faith this year and I added it to my "need to read" list. When I saw the children's version, I grabbed it right away to share with my reader. She loves reading about God and learning about how Jesus protects her.
Book description provided: Heaven is for real, and you are going to like it!
Colton Burpo came back from his trip to heaven with a very important message: Jesus really, really loves children. In effort to reach even more families with this eternally significant story, this runaway bestseller is now told from Colton—kid to kids! Children will receive the same comfort and assurance that so many adults have received from the trade book.
Beautifully illustrated, under Colton's direction, this book is uniquely written from a child for a child. Colton tells of his experiences in first person and comments on things that will be important to kids. A letter to parents is included to guide them in talking to their children about heaven. Scripture along with Q&A section with answers from the Bible are also included in the book.
I read through the book first and fell in love with it. The words are simple and powerful all at the same time. I really enjoyed the descriptions of heaven given; I could see it in my own head, all bright and glowing and happy. The art work in the book really put some of the ideas into perspective. Like when he's sitting at the foot of God talking to the Holy Spirit. The picture included shows God's knees being higher than Jesus's head. The other one was the description of the angel Michael's sword. "...is about as big as my dad. His sword is covered in flames and is really powerful."
My reader and I sat snuggled in the backseat of the car reading books for our date night. I know this may sound funny. If the girls go above and beyond what is expected of them, they earn bonus points. For every twenty bonus points they get to go on a date with either mom or dad. My reader decided that there were too many rowdy kids at McDonald's to stay longer than our sundaes took. We drove around town looking at the holiday lights until the car got warm. Then we parked in the driveway and read books on my Kindle until Daddy came out with the dog for the last walk of the night.
My reader loved the story. She can't wait to play with an elephant. She really enjoyed the story and the pictures. Now that I'm writing the review, she wants to read it again. Actually, she wants it read to her. I think she may be tired after her long day at school.
It's a wonderful book. I would recommend it to anyone who is dealing with loss and children. I wish I would have had this book last year or even three years ago when my grandma passed and my hubby's grandma passed. I remember searching for books at the library because we didn't want to hide it from them. The people closest to them were very sad and we agreed that they needed to know why. The only books I found were way out there or extremely wordy. This is perfect for that situation.
Now I can't wait to read the original book.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
