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I have had the great joy of reviewing just about all of the ‘All God’s Children’ series from Lexham Press. So I was quite excited to get my hands on a copy of the newest: ‘The Ten Commandments for All God’s Children.’ My oldest is currently memorizing the Ten Commandments for a project, so this seemed like it would be a good supplemental resource to help with memorization and understanding. ‘The Ten Commandments for All God’s Children’ has a lot of good things going for it, though I definitely recommend adult supervision and discussion if choosing to use this resource with your littes.
Thing I Love
I love the darker skin tones represented in this series, and this book is no different.
They consistently show Jesus with dark hair and skin, and we need more books like that in Christian kids lit.
I also like that they show Jesus in connection to the 10 Commandments, referencing to Jesus fulfilling the law (Matthew 5:17). Each page illustrates Jesus fulfilling the law in some form. From His baptism, to the 5 loaves and two fish.
The prayers on each page also use the commandments to point us to Jesus, showing how Jesus perfectly fulfilled each commandment.
I especially love the illustration on the last page of Jesus leading the people through the Red Sea and into freedom.
I also really like that this book features a guide for parents and family liturgy in the back.
Things to Think About
The book starts out with the passage in Exodus 20 ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt…’
It then goes on to explain the parallels in scripture between the Passover and Christ’s death. I think this is really unique for a Children’s book. It showcases how the Passover lamb’s blood was placed on the door posts to save Israel from Egypt. In the same way Jesus’s blood on the cross saved us from our sins.
One thing to note is that the book features people preparing for the first Passover, along with a large, relatively graphic picture of Jesus in the cross. It’s the opening page, so it can feel a bit daunting especially if you were not expecting it. It may be best to discern whether your child is ready for such a scene, as well as the talking about the death of the first born and details around Christ’s death. My oldest is 8 and I think is just beginning to be ready to talk about this. My 6 year old is quite sensitive and I think the details of this may provide more unhelpful questions than guidance. So use caution and discernment before you share. I’m including a photo of this page so you can decide if it’s a good fit for your family.
Another page to note is the ‘you shall not make for yourself an idol.’ It also has another depiction of Jesus on the cross, and referencing the centurion at the foot of the cross saying ‘This man was the Son of God.’
Also I feel like there could have been another story they could have used to illustrate this point. One off the top of my head is that of the rich young ruler that valued his possessions over following Jesus (Matthew 19:16). It just seems for a picture book it may have been better to pick a less graphic scene to describe this commandment.
I also had questions about a few of the other stories they chose. Like ‘Mary and Martha’ for ‘Remember the Sabbath Day’ and ‘young Jesus in the temple’ for honor your father and mother. It so tricky to write a book like this and a really appreciate what they are trying to do. However, I have a hard time feeling like those are the points of the story, and it may not be helpful to introduce these stories in this way.
Another tricky one is the ‘You shall not commit adultrey.’ I think there are age appropriate ways to discuss this with kids. However, they use the word ‘chastity’ and talk about how in marriage you ‘share your body.’ I think for some kids this may bring up some questions parents need to be prepared to talk about if they read this book in a family setting.
Final Thoughts
This book has some great things going for it. However, I think parents need to discern if this is a good fit for their family. As well as be aware of some of the content to help guide discussion. I would definitely recommend if families choose this one to read it with older children, and be ready for some conversations.
Baby Devotions 