Also by this author: Held: 31 Biblical Reflections on God's Comfort and Care in the Sorrow of Miscarriage, What Are Hands For?, What Are Eyes For? Board Book, What Are Ears For? Board Book, How Do We Know Christianity Is Really True?, What Happens When We Die?, Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?
Series: Training Young Hearts
Published by Good Book Company on June 1, 2024
Genres: Children's
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
Practical, fun parenting resource for raising kids. Encourages good behavior motivated by the gospel.
This charming rhyming book celebrates God’s good design for our hands, motivating children aged 3+ to use their hands to glorify God.
Children will be inspired by all the creative and interesting things their hands can do―they can even use them to bring comfort and joy to others! They’ll discover that Jesus had hands just like ours and that he always used his hands in the most amazing ways, including to save us.
Not only that: the way that Jesus used his hands means that we can be forgiven when we use our hands in the wrong way. Children are invited to pray for forgiveness when they make mistakes, and for help to use their hands in the ways God intends. The book’s fun rhyming style and colorful illustrations make it easy to engage with this life-altering message of repentance, forgiveness, and grace-fueled obedience.
Previously, this author and illustrator have published board books in the Training Young Hearts series, and this picture book aims a similar message at a slightly older audience. In Your Amazing Hands, Abbey Wedgeworth teaches preschool-aged kids to appreciate what God created their hands to do, such as clapping, building, creating, squeezing someone’s hand to reassure them, and doing everyday tasks like getting dressed. Then she names things that we shouldn’t do with our hands, such as hitting someone to hurt them, throwing things in anger, pointing to blame someone, stealing things, and pushing people because we want to be first.
After that, Wedgeworth says that God knew that we wouldn’t always use our hands like we should, and that this is why God sent Jesus. She describes ways that Jesus used his hands to help people, and she writes about how he stretched out his hands to die on a cross. Then she writes about Jesus’s resurrection, and she explains that the same power that rose Jesus from the dead lives in us, and that the Holy Spirit enables us to fight our temptations and do the right thing. She tells children that when we sin, we can pray to God for forgiveness and for help to obey. The book ends on the hopeful note that Jesus will make us like him one day, and encourages kids to remember what Jesus has done for us.
If someone is trying to decide whether to buy this picture book or the original board book, they should know that even though they follow the same general formula, they are distinct and different. The board book is significantly shorter, and it includes a lift-the-flap feature, which the picture book does not have. The picture book is longer and more detailed, includes age-appropriate examples for preschoolers, and shares additional truths about Jesus. The picture book is also clearer about what makes a behavior sinful, since it focuses on the motivation, not just the action. One of the downsides of the board book is that it doesn’t clearly differentiate between willfully hurting someone, versus making a childish mistake. The picture book resolves this issue by highlighting the sinful motives behind problematic behaviors, not just the actions themselves.
Your Amazing Hands: A Training Young Hearts Rhyming Book is a great teaching tool. The rhyming text flows well, the illustrations from Emma Randall are cute and colorful, and the book offers a surprisingly thorough gospel message in a small package. The author explains concepts related to justification and sanctification in a simple, kid-friendly way, and offers hope and encouragement instead of only telling kids how to behave. This book is ideal for parents to use with their children, and it will also be great for many churches and Christian schools. Overall, I am very impressed with this book. I would recommend it to people who have found the board books helpful with younger children, and to people who are brand new to the series.