Customer Reviews

Too Small to Ignore: Why Children Are the Next Big Thing

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I received much more than I expected from Too Small to Ignore: Why Children's Are the Next Big Thing, written by Dr. Wess Stafford, in collaboration with Dean Merrill. As president and CEO of Compassion International, Dr. Stafford knows firsthand how important the children of the world are, being raised in a missionary family stationed in a West African village.

First, I learned why our investments should be in the children of this world. How we can, as Dr. Stafford puts it, "change the world - one child at a time." Second, I was educated in what we really need to understand about poverty, in order to make a difference in it. Third, I received a good cry-well, actually I cried uncontrollably--when Dr. Stafford shared the horrific experience he had at a boarding school at the hands of wayward missionary teachers. I cried for all the children in this world who have had their own awful stories or experiences that are yet unspoken. Fourth, I saw how God can use children instead of adults at times and about the "ripple of influence." Lastly, I was touched that Wess Stafford asked that all royalties from the sale of the book go to Compassion International to minister to impoverished children around the world.

This man, Dr. Wess Stafford, is a children's champion and we can be, too. We need to wake up and take a hold of tomorrow through the world's children. This is the tomorrow that our own children will live in. We can do this. - Debra Murphy, Christian Book Previews.com

As president and CEO of Compassion International, a Christian child sponsorship agency, Dr. Wess Stafford is naturally passionate about children. But in his book TOO SMALL TO IGNORE: Why Children Are the Next Big Thing, Stafford goes beyond heartfelt excitement to build a compelling case as to why investing heavily in children will not only transform the face of Christianity but also our world.

It's well known that the majority of people who embrace Christianity do so while still young. In fact, two-thirds of people who give their lives to Christ make a personal faith commitment before the age of 18. Yet children are literally dying around the world as a result of the effects of poverty. Sickness, disease and starvation are stripping the world of one of its greatest resources. Stafford notes that every major movement in world history --- from the Nazis to the Communists to the Taliban --- has strategically mobilized children. If such a force can be used for darkness, it can also be used for good. Yet Christianity has not done an outstanding job of investing in and raising up younger followers of Jesus.

That's why Stafford argues that it's time for the church and believers around the world to wake up and begin investing their time and resources into the lives of children. He champions four sets of freedoms that every child deserves: a freedom from drivenness, materialism, competition and fear. He argues that these are some of the most precious gifts that we can give to the next generation in order to equip them to reach their full potential.

While TOO SMALL TO IGNORE begins much like a lawyer on a soapbox outlining a convincing case, the book becomes intensely personal and exposing about halfway through as Stafford shares his story of attending an abusive boarding school in Africa. He tenderly recounts the emotional, spiritual and physical abuse that he and the students endured year after year. He describes the classmates who never recovered and whose lives were marked by further abuse, divorce and hopelessness. And he recounts what happened when the former students who were still alive --- more than two decades after the school's closing --- finally confronted those who had committed the atrocities.

At this point, TOO SMALL TO IGNORE becomes more than just a book or a manifesto for children. It becomes a stained glass window into a man's soul that provides a distinct light and an understanding of why children must be protected, transcending all other arguments. As an author, Stafford did not have to go to this vulnerable place to write this book. He chose to go there anyway, and as a result, countless readers will find healing and a touch of restoration for their own soul. Others will find the strength to do what they are called and created to do: defend those who cannot defend themselves.

As if Stafford didn't give enough of himself in this book already, all author royalties from the sale of TOO SMALL TO IGNORE will be given to Compassion International. This is a book that everyone --- including you --- should read.


--- Reviewed by Margaret Feinberg (...)

I read this book to increase my knowledge of how to help those who are poor - especially poor children. While this book met this goal, I was amazed to see how useful these same lessons are to my relatively affluent family and to the children that I see everyday. This book will change your vision of children - almost as radical as looking through the wrong end of a pair of binoculars. Children can seem so small when you look at them the wrong way; Wess Stafford shows us how to turn our binoculars around so we can see how large they really are.

If your heart is weak it will be strengthened. If your heart is strong it will be broken. Reading this book could change your life if you let it.

I finished "Too Small to Ignore" yesterday and found it to be one of the very best books of it's kind I have ever read. Tears of joy and tears of sorrow were brought forth by the touching story of Wess' life. So many of the child enhancing ideas he puts forth can be used with your own children, grandchildren, neighbors, friends. It really makes you want to be a champion for children. They are the NOW generation. It will change our life (and hopefully the lives of many children.)

In Too Small to Ignore, Dr Wess Stafford writes of the plight of millions of children worldwide and teaches us that the solution to poverty includes love that leads to hope.

He writes of his upbringing in an African village as the son of missionary parents. His depiction of village life - the important responsibilities entrusted to children, the soccer game with the home made soccer ball, the togetherness after the evening meal - made me feel as if I had missed out on something rare.

The author writes of a dark period in his life during boarding school where he experienced tremendous evil. (Parts of his book would not be suitable for younger children.) That Dr Stafford is able to see how God used this evil for good is a truly inspirational story.

Nor do the inspirational stories end there. The author recounts how the love of a schoolteacher shown to her sponsored child through letters resulted in a bronze medal in the Olympic games.

Compassion, the organization that Dr Stafford leads, offers us a way to bring healing to a broken world. Over the years, we have had the privilege of sponsoring three children through Compassion. It offers us another way to reach out to other children in addition to the 2 boys from Vietnam we have adopted into our home.

Too Small To Ignore makes a compelling case for Jesus' heart for children - and by implication, our call to follow in Jesus' footsteps to care for these little ones.

Wess Stafford's new book, "Too Small To Ignore" is described as a "manifesto" on the back cover, and that it is. It is a wake-up call for the whole world to realize that children matter.
But the book is more that that-it is an amazing story of Wess's life, from the worst pain, to becoming an advocate for children everywhere. Read it-your life, and the world, may never be the same.

This book challenges the way most Americans view children and their role in all areas of society. Through examples taken from the Bible and from lives lived more recently, Dr. Stafford shows that God considers children a vital part of our lives and churches today, and not merely as the 'leaders of tomorrow,' or the 'church of tomorrow.' Stafford grew up as a missionary's kid in a small West African village. That background gave rise to his world view. He urges us to reach a better understanding of how God sees children and offers suggested changes. You will laugh at 14-year-old Stafford's handling of a brash carnival barker. You will cry over stories of abuse. You will wish you had known the people of his village. I know I do. This is an important book. Read, enjoy, share!

I had heard an interview with Wess Stafford on the radio, and so when I saw that he had written a book, I thought that I would give the book chance enough to read the reveiws. Skimming over the cover, I saw, in very fine print, that all proceeds were going to Compassion Intl. That's when I opened up the cover and began pouring over every word right there at the book store.

Mr. Stafford colorfully walks us through his adventures on the Ivory Coast. His writing is engaging and just descriptive enough to turn on your imagination. Nothing is overdone in this book. He pulls the reader into his childhood as a story teller weaves an audiences attention.

There are intermissions from his personal story telling that teach the reader how to be a better parent, and lover of children in general. Without pointing his finger and condemning, he urges the reader to find worth in children and shows us how to apply this in everyday ways within your own life.

Five stars! I wish that we all could feel the way that Mr. Stafford does in regards to children, and this book will open up your heart to want to try. The writer reminds us that Christ told us that we must first have the faith of children before we can enter the kingdom of heaven. He reminds us just how important that children are.

I can't thank Wess enough for helping me see the importance of encouraging children. I struggled with being "just a substitute teacher" and quit, frustrated that I wasn't making any real difference in children's lives. I went back into subbing and signed up for children's ministry at my church. I now feel like I am doing one of the most important jobs on the planet! I am also a Compassion International volunteer and very proud of our president for writing such a fine book. Thank you Wess!