Review of: ‘He is Always With Me’ by Laval Alsbrooks Jr.

Childhood fears are no joke. Tears and anxiety over what may appear small to us. But to them it’s a big deal. That’s why I’m thankful for tools like ‘He Is Always With Me’ by Laval Alsbrooks Jr.

This book gently points fearful littles to Jesus through relatable storytelling and rhyme.

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What I love:

First of all, I love the gentle storytelling in this book, offering littles a relatable scenario and interaction between father and son. The story starts with the son being scared of a thunderstorm. But the father a song sing a song together that reminds them God is always with them. Then closes with a happy, at peace little boy. The song takes up the bulk of the book, and it is so sweet. It’s exactly the type of song parents sing with their kids just made up for their home. Like if Bluey or Daniel Tiger was Christian, I could totally see them singing this song. They talk about ‘God is with me when I pray at church,’ but also, ‘God is with me when I play with my puppy at the park.’ ‘God is with me when I talk to Grandpa’ and when I ‘read in the dark.’

I also love the representation of a biracial family in this book. It is the authors lived experience, so I know he probably understands how rare it is to see this in Christian kids lit. I absolutely love being able to have this to share with my own kids and the kids in my Sunday School class.

Finally, the illustrations were really well done. Sometimes when I see books illustrated by an LLC as opposed to the illustrator’s name, I brace myself a bit. In my experience they can often be a big mix of clip art, underdeveloped skill, or a lack of cohesion in the illustrations. None of that is present here. The illustrations are done very well with dimension to the characters explored throughout the pages, consistency in the charcter presentation without being a copy-paste job. All in all they are so sweet and the illustrator did a fantastic job of capturing the story in a way that will engage littles.

What my kids love

All my kids loved this one. I quote, my oldest said ‘this one is so cute!’ They loved the song, full of relatable moments. My middle originally did not love a line saying ‘God is with me when I go potty!’ Her reaction was ‘He better not be!’ Which is valid. We’ve been having lots of conversations about privacy lately. And we also talked about how little kids who are scared to use the potty might find it helpful to know God is with them then.

All in all this one was a winner over here, with a beautiful family, relatable moments, and sweet illustrations, ‘He Is Always With Me’ gives families a tool to pray over their littles to combat fears.