God Inside of Me (Jump at the Sun Books) [Hardcover]

Della Reese (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Jump at the Sun Books

The star of CBS TV's "Touched By an Angel" weaves a warmhearted story of a feisty little girl who discovers God within herself and others.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Singer and actress Reese, seen by millions of TV viewers each week on Touched by an Angel, calls on her experience as a licensed minister to deliver this thoughtful yet uneven picture book. Young Kenisha loves going to Sunday school to hear the smooth Bible stories and the sweet gospel singing. But Kenisha doesn't realize that she's not practicing what she hears in Sunday schoolAtry to be patient, kind and loving like GodAuntil her talking toys point it out to her. Dolly Dear reminds Kenisha that she goes "into a tizzy" when her brother dawdles on the way to church or when her toy, Clown, can't decide which shoes to wear. By story's end, Kenisha vows to be ever mindful of the tenet "let go and let God," aiming to see the good and the God in everyone. Reese's universal and inspiring message unfortunately lies buried beneath a disjointed, meandering story. The reliance on fantastical toys serves as a distraction here, rather than a revelation. Buchanan's sunny watercolors depict a pleasant-looking small town in simpler times, but her renderings of Kenisha are inconsistent and sometimes disproportionate. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-Reese, a celebrity from the TV show Touched by an Angel, has spun a story that, despite its wonderfully oral voice, is long-winded and lacks child appeal. Kenisha knows that there's a piece of God in her, but it takes a lesson from her doll to see that there's also "...good in everyone, even those who get on our nerves." The girl's talking toys make up the main cast of characters and are not convincing. Also, Kenisha slips too often into an adult voice, revealing the storyteller's edifying intentions. The pastel and warm-toned watercolor illustrations are full of life and movement, but the human features are often so distorted that the girl and her brother not only look like different people on each page, but also appear elderly. Some schools or libraries may have an adult demand for this kind of Sunday-school story, but otherwise it holds little use.
Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Jump At The Sun; 1st edition (March 31, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786804343
• ISBN-13: 978-0786804344
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,323,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars When the biggest draw to a book is the author's name..., March 8, 2004

By 

Betty K (Denver) - See all my reviews

This review is from: God Inside of Me (Jump at the Sun Books) (Hardcover)

I read this book while taking a class on children's literature, and was asked to look at the lieterary elements in the story. I have found this book to be boring for a child, as the talking dolls in the story reveal the moral explicitly. The girl does not come to moral understanding through experience, which is the best way to present a moral to a young reader. The idea of this book is solid, but it's presentation is definately lacking. Good characters, even in children's books, stay with you for quite a while. I read this story yesterday, and hardly remember anyone or anything.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A story of cheer and insight, March 28, 2007

By 

DONALD G. FOX "Santee Sioux" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: God Inside of Me (Jump at the Sun Books) (Hardcover)

On her way home from Sunday school, a young African-American girl is put "in a tizzy" because her slow-poke brother likes to let his eyes wander to the beautiful world surrounding them. On returning to her home, her toys --which speak to a child as toys should--also make her a bit distressed by their habits of indecisiveness, laziness, and constant curiosity. It is Dear Dolly who questions the young girl as to why she goes to Sunday school when she doesn't believe in anything taught there. In objecting, our young protagonist reflects upon advice from the elder doll who reminds her that God is constantly within us and challenges us. God is in everyone and it is God who makes us who we are. In "letting go and letting God," the young girl begins to stop worrying about everyone else and rejoices in the God incarnate in each of us.

This is a simple and nice story with some serious ideas to ponder. The book's watercolor illustrations are wonderful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just a Touch Away, June 23, 2000

By 

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: God Inside of Me (Jump at the Sun Books) (Hardcover)

This gently written story is a wonderful reminder of God's nearness and of God's love. It makes God readily accessible and easy for children(and adults) of all ages to renew, reaffirm and reattest their love for God and their relationship to God.