There are any number of faith-filled children’s books out there, but fewer resources for how to pray or reflect on God’s love in a manner appropriate for engaging young children. If you have a young child who loves animals, this is a perfect book to have in your home. 

Each page has a beautiful hand-painted image of a baby forest animal, along with a short one page entry that is part prayer, part animal facts, and part reflection on God’s love and the wisdom his creation can impart to us. Although the science facts aren’t very complex–the book is for young children after all–their presence will help parents engage a child’s faith and appreciation for science in the same conversation. The combination helps support a home environment where faith and reason are treated as complementary rather than in conflict with each other. 

I would recommend reading this book in multiple sittings. Much like a devotional, its usefulness comes from slow daily reading, reflection and dialogue between  parent and child. This is a perfect guide for engaging toddlers in quality conversations about God, wisdom and beauty: all through a child’s love for cute, fluffy animals. The key to its success, though, lies in the child’s interest in said woodland creatures, so if your kid is more the sort to note all the race cars or bugs outside his or her window, then this might not be the right book for them. 

Christians who share the Catholic stance of the unity of faith and reason will especially appreciate this book, but that theme is subtle enough that those Christians who don’t probably won’t have an issue with it. However, a secular family will probably find these meditations too preachy. Linda Etchison and Denise Plumlee-Tadlock have come upon a simple but effective strategy for raising children with a heart for God and a mind for rational faith.