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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written & drawn book answers kids' questions about heaven, August 19, 2008
This review is from: God Gave Us Heaven (Hardcover)
God Gave Us Heaven by Lisa Tawn Bergren is the latest entry in her God Gave Us series. The first book, God Gave Us You, is on Mia's bookshelf, but I can't read it, because Bergren handles the idea of impending parenthood and the love a parent has for a child, even before they are born, so well that I cry all the way through it. I've read most of Bergren's children's books, and I believe that she has an amazing talent for interpreting God and his love in a way that is easy for kids to understand without ever talking down to them and giving new insight to their parents as well. My daughter, Mia, has long had a fear of Heaven because the idea of something completely different from this world was frightening to her. Bergren, through Papa Bear, speaks of a Heaven where there are no more tears or pain or wars. Papa Bear answers the normal questions kids ask: what we will eat there? what will we do? with tenderness and honesty, even when that means the answer is I'm not sure. This book answers questions and soothes worries. Mia's fears have been allayed, and I am grateful to Bergren for writing this book and taking those fears away.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great resource to talk with children about loss, August 21, 2008
This review is from: God Gave Us Heaven (Hardcover)
The dedication for this book is to a child that died at the age of six, bringing a wistful pause before the book begins. This is a special story dedicated to the hope Christians have in an assurance of a future in Heaven. The story states that while physical death is unavoidable in a fallen world, God offers Christians the Hope of a bridge to Him through Jesus.
This is the kind of hope that sooths the parents of a deceased child or the small child left behind by the death of pets or relatives. It can even comfort the polar bear tribe, an endangered species facing extinction amid disappearing sea ice. Even in this danger, the polar bears show joy to their cubs, because all creation will sing His Name in Heaven, where ice is unnecessary.
A polar bear father teaches his she-cub about Heaven by using scriptural tenets. For instance, polar bears do not become angels when they die, because angels and polar bears have their own unique, much-needed purposes in God's plan. The circle of family can be unbroken in Heaven, if all have used God's bridge. There, sorrows are left behind and Heaven is full of joy and smiles. Thus, Jesus is a real gift from God, but we have to accept, believe, and use Him as the bridge to Heaven.
The polar bears go fishing, but don't catch any fish. The fish are wearing bibs, ready for the "all-day dinner" in Heaven that is sung and preached quite often. The bears delight in the thought of such a buffet and the undercurrent in the story it that while a lack of resources plagues the earth, such lack is nowhere in Heaven. The bears return home in the story, the little cub content that Heaven is real.
God Gave Us Heaven is a good resource for the Christian home for comforting young children about human and animal deaths.
Armchair Interviews says: Children from pre-school to mid-elementary ages will enjoy it.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gorgeous artwork, heartwarming story, September 26, 2008
This review is from: God Gave Us Heaven (Hardcover)
"Papa, what's heav'n?" Little Cub queries her father as her family rises in the morning, the opening of the story. Readers follow the polar bear family through their daily tasks and are privy to the explanations Papa bear provides and the conversation that develops as more questions occur to Little Cub. While answering Little Cub's questions Papa bear answers many of the queries similar to those your own little cubs may ask.
"When do we get to see heaven?"
"Will we eat in heaven?"
"Will we be angels?"
Some of the questions do not have clear biblical answers; not much is known about heaven when we examine the scriptures. Papa bear is never evasive, but speaks in terms that small children can understand. He tells Little Cub of heaven's goodness, how it is filled with love and everything that we long for, most especially God.
And the most important question:
"How do we get there, Papa? To heaven, I mean."
This launches Papa bear into a simple explanation of Jesus as the bridge to heaven, a mild children's gospel that simply points to Jesus as the Way. However, the theology offered is somewhat soft, with Papa bear positing that all of their loved ones will be in heaven - a statement made before he shares about Jesus. Parents may want to clarify that this is the case only if all of these loved ones are believers.
Bryant's illustrations are delightful, they are among my favourites in children's literature. The bear family is adorable in their wintry home, the snow reflecting all the shades of the sky and sun. The soft, powdery pastel shades are enticing, rendering the bears huggable and the landscapes somewhat ethereal. Never before has the Arctic been depicted so appealingly
Dedicated to a little girl who went home to the Lord at the age of six, God Gave Us Heaven provides a gentle way to speak to children about death. Whether preparing for the passing of a loved one, after the death of a child or simply to meet a child's curiosity; this book clearly expresses God's love and the riches of heaven, revealing that believers can look forward to a loving home as their final destination.
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