Psalm Twenty-Three [Hardcover]

Tim Ladwig (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Through poignant, heart-warming images of an urban African-American family, children experience the comfort and encouragement this favorite psalm still offers—the powerful message that they can rely on the Lord as they thread their way through the risk-filled maze of daily life in the city.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ages 4-8. The love, fear, and faith of one of the most beautiful psalms find expression in a picture book set in a contemporary urban neighborhood. Glowing, realistic paintings of two African American children in a warm extended family illustrate the lines of the psalm, taking the kids through one day from early morning to night. The children wake in a joyful, loving home ("The Lord is my shepherd"); have fun with their friends in the playground; receive devoted attention from their teachers ("He guides me in paths of righteousness"); and return to food and shelter ("You prepare a table before me"). But the scene is bleak. They must walk to school and back through "the valley of the shadow of death," where menacing figures lounge in wait in shadowy, crowded streets. While they eat dinner in the light, the darkness outside their window is filled with violence. The slightly modernized text is less poetic than the King James Version. The pages are so tightly bound that you miss part of the middle of each double-page-spread illustration, and that's too bad because the pictures make extraordinary use of light and perspective, showing that the children are being watched with loving attention. In a final painting, they are asleep, the window above their bed transformed into a stained-glass vision of the Lord who is their shepherd. Hazel Rochman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

When he was eight years old, Tim lost an eye in an accident. During his recovery, his father gave him oil paints, a couple of brushes, and a small canvas. He painted a clown with colors straight from the tube. Tim's first work was promptly framed, and his love of painting was born.

Tim earned a degree in graphic design from Wichita State University and also studied painting and drawing for a semester in Rome. Following school, Tim worked as an associate art director of an advertising design studio in Wichita, Kansas.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (July 7, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802851606
• ISBN-13: 978-0802851604
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 10.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #613,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredibly comforting, life-applicable book., July 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Psalm Twenty-Three (Hardcover)

This book is so special, after reading it I want to get a copy for everyone I know. This is a book not just for children, but for adults who need the constant reassurance and reminder of God's love for us. It is beautifully done, in a manner that should humble all of us.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ancient song comes alive in a modern urban setting., October 23, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Psalm Twenty-Three (Hardcover)

The beauty and power of these words originally penned thousands of years ago are fresh, relevant and alive again in the magnificent artwork of Tim Ladwig. This is not the Psalm recited in the pristine pasture of the Mediterranean region. It is the Song of the Urban Neighborhood and it will resonate in your soul. A must get for everyone whether you associate with kids and grandbabies or not.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have Children's Book for Every Family, January 31, 2010

By 

Clint Walker "Friar Tuck" (Hot Springs, SD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Psalm Twenty-Three (Paperback)

I remember the first time I saw this book. I loved it then. I love it now.

I discovered this book as I was working in a Christian outreach for inner city children in Kansas City. In the context of the ministry I was working in, this book made sense and rang true to some of the kids' lives.

I have used in since several times in all sorts of different cultural settings. The book is always appreciated. The illustrations in the book tell the story from a particular setting, but the way the illustrations are drawn have a universal quality to them. Any child from any background seems to be able to relate the pictures to the message and be able to understand Psalm 23.