If Jesus Came to My House - Hardcover

Zondervan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060839422 ISBN 13: 9780060839420

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 2008

Synopsis

If Jesus came to your house, would he be your age and height? How would you treat him? Would you give him your nicest toys and let him have the longest turn on your rocking horse? In this simple, touching story, a young boy realizes that even though this could never really happen, he can treat others according to the lessons he would take away from Jesus if he really did come to his house.

About this title

About the Authors

Joan G. Thomas was an author and illustrator of several books, including The Christmas Angel and A Stands For Angel: A Book of the Alphabet in Picture and Rhyme.

Lori McElrath-Eslick is the award-winning illustrator of such books as DA Wei's Treasure: A Chinese Tale by Margaret and Raymond Chang; Does God Know How to Tie Shoes? by Nancy White Carlstrom; and Read For Me, Mama by Vashanti Rahaman. Lori lives with her family in a small town in Michigan.

From the Back Cover

If Jesus came to your house, would he be your age and height? How would you treat him? Would you give him your nicest toys and let him have the longest turn on your rocking horse?

In this simple, touching story, a young boy realizes that he can treat others according to the lessons he would learn if Jesus really did come to his house.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2—First published in 1951 and newly illustrated, Thomas's rhyming reflection on the place Jesus has in a young boy's life still provides inspiration and comfort to today's readers. The nameless narrator imagines greeting Jesus, a child "about the age that I am/and about the height of me," at his front door. He describes how he would make Jesus feel at home, giving him a "comfy seat," making him tea, and sharing his toys. The lad realizes that Jesus will never come to visit, but comforts himself with the prospect of going to church to pray, sing, and worship. He takes to heart the timeless mandate from the Gospel of Matthew to do for the least of Jesus's brothers what you would do for him. Painted in glowing jewel tones, McElrath-Eslick's luminous portraits mirror the old-fashioned charm of the text. She depicts Jesus as an appealing barefoot boy dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and in the latter half of the book portrays the young narrator offering a cup of tea to a friend, giving his toys to less fortunate children, and taking a bouquet to an elderly woman. The idyllic landscapes further emphasize the gentle message of the lilting text. Pair this fine addition to religion collections with August Gold's Where Does God Live? (Sky Light Paths, 2001).—Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA
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Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060839422
• ISBN 13: 9780060839420
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32