Wherever we go God is with us. And that is the key message behind Wherever You Are by Glenys Nellist. God is in the little things of our everyday. God cares about the small things.
What I Love
The message of this book is simple, but lovely. God is with us. From freshly falling snow to the firefly twinkle. We can see the goodness of God in the little things. In the beauty of everyday we can see the hand of God.
This book can lead littles to contemplative prayer to recognize where God is in their own lives. Not only does the text capture the imagination, but the pictures beautifully complement the message. They speak just as much as the poetic words. I love the illustrations of changing seasons, showing God is with us in the summer and in the snow. I love seeing the different skin tones represented as well as different abilities. God is with all of us. One detail I adore is a little boy being cared for by and older woman. There is no indication on if she is grandmother or foster parent. But she sits with him, comforting on the steps of their home then later we see them baking in the kitchen. It’s subtle, but is just a lovely way to show different types of family in our faith communities. Not all families look the same, and it’s good for our faith-based kids lit to show this.
What my kids love
My kids loved the message: God is always with us. It is a comfort, and a truth I hope they always cling too. They also LOVED the illustrations. The text of this book is simple, but the illustrations are captivating and full, giving lots of room for commentary from little learners. And that’s just fun, because we get to hear what they are picking up from the book.
Baby Devotions 