Also by this author: God Made Me Unique: Helping Children See Value in Every Person, Joni: An Unforgettable Story, The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party: A True Story about Heaven, Jesus, and the Best Invitation of All, Jesus and the Very Big Surprise: A True Story about Jesus, His Return, and How to Be Ready, Jesus and the Lions' Den: A True Story about How Daniel Points Us to Jesus, Goodbye to Goodbyes: A True Story About Jesus, Lazarus, and an Empty Tomb, The Friend Who Forgives: A True Story About How Peter Failed and Jesus Forgave, God's Very Good Idea: A True Story of God's Delightfully Different Family, The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross, The Storm That Stopped, The One O'Clock Miracle, The Christmas Promise, The Prisoners, the Earthquake, and the Midnight Song
Series: Tales that Tell the Truth Board Books
Published by Good Book Company on August 23, 2022
Genres: Children's
Goodreads
This illustrated Bible board book will teach toddlers that heaven is eternal life with Jesus and it’s amazing!
Using simple sentences and stunning illustrations, this board book excites toddlers about heaven and eternity by teaching them that Jesus’ friends will enjoy a forever party with him in a perfect world.
There, we will enjoy new hearts and new bodies in a new place that we will never have to leave.
The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party Board Book features:
• a robust board-book format
• stunning illustrations by Catalina Echeverri that will delight young children
• simple sentences that will communicate truths in a way toddlers can understand
• content that provides a basic understanding of what eternal life is for children aged 1-3
This foundational book on heaven and eternity makes a perfect gift for toddlers.
I greatly enjoyed the picture book version of The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party, and this board book simplifies it for younger children. It leaves out some of the higher-level content from the other book, simplifies Joni Eareckson Tada’s full paragraphs of text to just one or two simple sentences per page, and offers zoomed-in perspectives on some of Catalina Echeverri’s artwork, highlighting what is age-appropriate for a younger audience to understand. Just like with the rest of the Tales that Tell the Truth series, this isn’t the same content in a different format, but is a simplified and altered version of the original book.
This board book is a colorful, vibrant, and joyful way to teach little children about heaven. I prefer the longer version because of its additional content and explanation of the gospel, but I don’t know of any other toddler-level book that would be a better resource. I especially appreciate how both versions emphasize that Jesus will bring heaven with him when he returns, joining heaven and earth together, instead of promoting the common misconception that heaven is a place in the sky that is totally removed from earth and our experiences here.
However, because this board book is so simplified, it doesn’t explain anything about salvation or Jesus’s triumph over death. Parents will need to fill in the blanks at an age-appropriate level, and I wish that the book had provided a ready-made pathway for that. The original book emphasizes that people must believe in Jesus “as their King and rescuer” to have eternal life, that Jesus died for our sin and rose again, and that we will no longer sin in heaven. The board book version says that we will be perfect and will live with Jesus, but leaves out the rest. Parents who don’t want to introduce heaven without talking about sin and salvation will need to supplement this book with their own explanation. I would encourage them to buy the book for older readers, choosing what to simplify instead of choosing what to add.