Wise Words [Paperback]

Peter J. Leithart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1995

Noticing the thematic parallels between many biblical stories and fairy tales and unable to find good, biblical bedtime stories for his children, Peter Leithart began writing his own. The result of that endeavor is this finely illustrated collection of 18 of his best stories. Peter writes, "My intention in Wise Words was to write stories that would appeal to children as stories; that would challenge parents who read to their children; that would illustrate biblical Proverbs; and that would borrow imagery, plots, characters, settings, and themes from the Bible." Achieving that, these tales will deepen every family's appreciation for the Book of Proverbs. Written in the tradition of Grimm's Fairy Tales, it is a fascinating storybook that will bring both pleasure and illumination to parents and children.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Leithart (Ph.D. Cambridge) is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and a senior fellow of theology and literature at New St. Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho. He is author of A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament, The Kindgom and the Power, and Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper. He and his wife Noel have ten children. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 169 pages
• Publisher: Holly Hall Pub (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880692236
• ISBN-13: 978-1880692233
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,078,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wise Words will be Read by Wise Parents!, April 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Wise Words : Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life (Paperback)

If you love to read to your children, like you were read to long ago when you were little, than you will love this book! Remember those Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories that were the moral little tales meant to make us better kids? Well, these stories are reminiscent of those, and others, like Grimm's Fairy Tales, only based on the Proverbs of life found in the Bible. Each little story is the perfect 'little read' to go with that goodnight kiss and can be read in about five minutes. Each story has a moral and great little black and white illustrations that my kids loved. Our family loved this 'once upon a time' book and it will become your family favorite, too!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good stories, but their Moral doesn't match, December 9, 2003

By 

Andy Sharp (Huntsville, AL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life (Paperback)

Wise Words is a collection of fables that, of course, have morals at the end. The stories are much better than Aesop. Leithart writes in a way that is easy to read aloud to your kids. My kids are totally captivated to the end of each one. I heartily agree that Wise Words is "Family Stories".

On the other hand, I had trouble using the stories in the book to "Bring the Proverbs to Life". The Moral (a verse or two from Proverbs) at the end of each story only loosely correlated with the story.

Nevertheless, this book is written from a godly perspective and is good for kids to hear and parents to read. There's nothing like a story to really teach the heart.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wise Words is a book of good stories for the whole family., March 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Wise Words (Paperback)

After reading the book myself, I found that Wise Words was not a book of stories written particularly for children, but for people of all ages. Each story includes a moral and a Bible verse that applies to the story. I enjoyed reading the stories and would suggest this book to anyone.