I Wanted to Know All about God

As children wonder about God, their questions are answered as they observe nature and interact with other people

PreSchool-Grade 2-Kroll defines aspects of God through the everyday experiences of young children. On each double-page spread, a simple sentence describes what a child is thinking and what provides an answer. For example, "I wondered what God's love feels like, and Grandma put her arms around me and gave me a big hug"; and "I wondered if God likes art, and I saw a spiderweb in my uncle's barn." Jenkins's realistic oil paintings depict a variety of youngsters of different races exploring nature, sharing, and experiencing other common situations. The paintings do a fine job of capturing the spirit and mood of the text, are well composed, and expertly portray faces and expressions. The page layout is effective, and pictures of the same garden scene on the first and last pages pull the book together. This title reflects the Judeo-Christian concept of God in a broad way that will appeal to people with a wide variety of viewpoints.
Jane Gardner Connor, South Carolina State Library, Columbia
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Featuring a multiracial cast generally younger than the target audience, Jenkins's gracious, full-page oil paintings illustrate this meager, at times strained, first-person narrative describing a child's curiosity about God. "I wanted to know all about God, so I went looking for Him in signs of His creation," begins the text, which goes on to suggest that answers to questions about God are found in nature and in other people. Sample observations: "I wondered if God is strong, and the ocean roared in my ears"; "I wondered how God's reflection looks when he smiles, and the snow glittered in the sun"; "I wanted to know what colors God likes. Then I met several children of other races." Though somewhat treacly, this book may appeal to those looking for a short, inspirational bedtime read. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

``I wondered if God is strong, and the ocean roared in my ears.'' ``I wondered if God is caring, and the new boy shared his crayons with me.'' Through a dozen such observations, Kroll builds the idea that God's attributes can be discovered in many ways in ``His Creation,'' in the natural world and in people's generosity and love--a kindly, all-embracing, nonsectarian view of a deity whose likes include children of different colors, as shown in Jenkins's lush, sun-dappled paintings of glowing kids enjoying a snowy day, admiring a spider's web, or wrapped in Grandma's embrace. An attractive discussion opener. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 4-7. Librarians looking for religious books with a Christian orientation should find this beautifully illustrated one satisfying. Emphasizing nature and human relationships, the expressive and colorful full-page oil paintings show children of various races playing on the beach, sledding down a snowy hill, sharing secrets, and being hugged by a grandmother who bakes oatmeal cookies. The spare first-person text muses on the nature of the Almighty: "I wondered if God likes art, and I saw a spiderweb in my uncle's barn." Julie Corsaro