Children are loved beyond measure by God, who created them. This is the lesson this book teaches. The author, Max Lucado wrote in the dedication, “God couldn’t love you more than he already does.” This is the lesson of the whole story. The genre of this book is Christian children’s story. I often read stories like this in Sunday school and in my early years attending a private elementary school. In my opinion, this book is appropriate for children aged 4-7, but can be encouraging to children of all ages. The topic of which age group this book fits with will be discussed further on in this paper.
Max Lucado is self-described as “a preacher with a storyteller’s gift – a pastor’s heart and a poet’s pen” (About Max Lucado). He has written many children’s stories as well as devotional books for adults. He has co-authored devotional books with his daughter and other inspirational writers. He pastors at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. This story is related to his others works – the main character, Punchinello, has starred in other stories such as “You are Special” and “If I just Had a Green Nose” among others. His stories often revolve around the main character feeling pressured to fit in with the society around them, often to their own dismay. He or she feels inclined to go against what he or she knows is the “right” thing in order to make friends or gain the approval of others. The character then faces a situation which they have no options left; the only way out is confronting their fear; and coming face to face with their creator (or an authority figure).
The back of “You are Mine” summarizes the story this way,
“Boxes and balls. They were the latest thing! Fancy balls. Colorful boxes. All the Wemmicks had them. All, tha...
... middle of paper ...
...rall, this story is wonderful. It teaches children that they are loved. Teachers, parents and caregivers can use it to teach many important lessons to the children they take care of. God created us in His image and loves us so much – we cannot even comprehend it. This book teaches children that. The artistry that went in to creating this book paid off. It is both esthetical and aesthetically pleasing, in my opinion. “And so that night Punchinello slept on a bed of wood shavings. He slept well. It felt good to be in the house of his maker” (p. 31). One day, we will be in the house of our maker. Jesus is preparing a place for each and every one who believes in Him.
Works Cited
"About Max Lucado." Max Lucado. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. .
Lucado, M. (2001). You are mine. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., 31 pages.
Wilson, Nance S. “ZINDEL, Paul.” Continuum Encyclopedia Of Children’s Literature (2003): 848-849. Literary Reference Center. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Religious education and children's literature have enjoyed a long parallel history. The earliest children's books were little more than religious devotionals or bible stories rewritten with the express enjoyment of children in mind. As children's literature progressed, however, it began to move away from religious instruction and into works that focused more on story. This doesn't mean that the two became mutually exclusive as to this day many works that are still enormously popular with children are rife with religious allegory without sacrificing story. Two such children's works are George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin and C. S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Both considered classics, they have been read for generations by children enthralled by their fantastical plots, yet a deeper look reveals that the works contain some very noticeable religious imagery that serves merely to enhance the work and never takes away from the enjoyment of the plot.
Children literature is a term that refers to the texts written for children. The artist uses creative ways to ensure that children are provided with educational books, touching on a variety of themes. This paper will include comparison of two characters from the two texts, “Hana's Suitcase: A True Story,” authored by Karen Levine and “Charlotte’s Web,” written by E.B. White, with the aim of understanding ways in which problems are solvable as indicated by selected characters.
This movie is one that I have always enjoyed and watching it in class gave me a new appreciation for it. The storybook, introduced into the movie by the grandfather, was the first motif that caught my eye. At first you don’t think much about it but it’s a great representation of so many different things. First off, the boy’s reaction to unwrapping the book is one shared by so many kids in today’s society. A book is seen as somewhat of a chore rather than an indulgence or hobby. The grandfather sets the scene to transition into the actual story with the book. Starting the first scene in the boy’s bedroom gives the movie a sense of realism and one that is relatable. The book gave the movie a whole new dimension that I appreciate and commend the directors and authors for creating. The book also represents tradition in their family. It was read to several generations and symbolizes the love that the fathers and grandfathers have for their children. It shows great patience and the desire to spend time with a loved one to read them a book. That is a gift that is slowly being lost as time g...
Senick, Gerard J., and Hedblad, Alan. Children’s Literature Review: Excerpts from Reviews, and Commentary on Books for Children and Young People (Volumes 14, 34, 35). Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1995..
The target audience for this remediation is children around the ages of 5-8 at a reading level of 3. The purpose of this remediation is the idea that a classic story can be changed to suit the views of a child. This story tells about how children should not judge other children based on their gender, but on their personalities and similarities. The book mainly uses stereotypical versions of boys and...
What kid hasn’t heard of Dr. Seuss? From “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish” to “A person’s a person, no matter how small” to “From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere”, Dr. Seuss has filled the lives of children with whimsical stories and ideas. (8) Using casual dialect and everyday objects, he was able to spark the imagination of others. All the while, he instilled lessons into his writings. It is not a surprise that Dr. Seuss received an award for a “Lifetime of Contribution to Children’s Literature”. His work will be read and enjoyed for decades to come. All in all, no matter which Dr. Seuss story that the reader might select, his or her imagination will be sparked, and the reader will surely be entertained.
Being different can sometimes be somewhat scary because one may be considered an outcast. Being an outcast can be quite difficult especially when people can be cruel. In the short story “The Salamander,” the narrator is considered an outcast because she is different and does not follow society’s norms. The author from this short story, Mercè Rodoreda, can be compared to the narrator because she too did not follow the norms. Rodoreda’s short story includes some aspects that can be compared to her life, yet many other aspects in her story are inexplicable. “The Salamander” by Mercè Rodoreda can be described as a fantastic story because of the fantastic elements it contains, such as hesitation and liminality. The short story fits well into Todorov’s definition of the fantastic because it creates hesitation for the readers when the narrator experiences rebirth and it includes several examples of liminality. Liminality can be seen when the defined lines between human and animal, and life and death are blurred.
Anderson, Hans. Wonderful Stories for Children. London: Chapman and Hall 186 Strand, 1846. 64-75. eBook.
Few books, especially those meant for children, are as deep as this one. The fact that the book ends on a hopeful note should only add to its virtue. The Giver helps us realise why our world, with all its imperfections, is beautiful.
The statement that the emotionally strongest of the three presentations of the ‘To This Day’ poem is the picture book is fictitious. The poem ‘To This Day’, written and spoken by author Shane Koyczan, is about how children can be cruel to other children, making some’s lives miserable and others end. The poem ‘To This Day’ has been written from his perspective as a child, with personal experiences of how this cruelty affects the lives of others not just when they are children, but growing up as well, and it is represented unjustly in all formats apart the animation, for the impact both emotionally and creatively is far superior compared to that of the picture book and the TED Talk.
and illustrated by Eric Carle. Of course, I am much older than the children in my classroom, but I love this book. When Mrs. Kreider, the head teacher, reads this book, I feel like a little kid again. I say the words silently, as not to distract the children, as if the story is being read to me. The illustrations in the book are great because they use the primary colors, which are one of the first things children should learn at a young age. It uses animals that the children are familiar with. Some of the animals are not the colors that the children will witness if they were to see them in real life, but the author portrays them in a playful and rhythmical way. The pictures help the story to come alive. The children get a true visual image of what the author is saying and are in Ah at the same time. When watching the video of this story, I witnessed Eric Carle draw his pictures first, and then use glue and colorful paper cutouts to finish his drawings for this book. He put a lot of time and dedication into his
The Family Friendly Church by Ben Freudenburg was an interesting book that I was not entirely sure how I would react to it because I had heard mixed reviews on it from different people; in the end, after reading it, I ultimately liked it. The book talked about a lot of truth in family ministry how it is not that important in many churches. Ben talked about how at one of his first church’s, he and his wife, Jennifer, took on the role of parents in the youth group and once they took another call the ministry fell apart because they had made it all about them and not the actual parents (Page 18). I like that Ben admitted this about his past and got me thinking about my home church’s youth ministry which parents were not prioritized to be involved
A children book is an extremely substantial and significant form of literature. It educates, affects and amuses at the same time. Although its main audience are the small children, the majority of adults in fact enjoy this type of literature as much as children do. This can be explained by the capacity of children literature to deal with great themes and topics that are too large for adult fiction. (Philip Pullman) For its great importance, the style and technique by which it is produced, is a major concern for both of the authors and critics. One technique has a particular impact in the children book, that is to say, illustration. Bearing the visual nature of children in mind, we understand that their books should be delivered with
"The Value of Children's Literature | Education.com." Education.com | An Education & Child Development Site for Parents | Parenting & Educational Resource. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. .