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Those of us that have children under our care—parents, godparents, grandparents, kids’ ministry workers, and more—have been gifted a wonderful opportunity and privilege. We can ignite the spark of wonder in a child’s heart that sets them up for a lifetime of adventurous curiosity into all the things of God and his Word.
And I’m becoming increasingly convinced that books are one of the best routes into a child’s heart and mind. The combination of fun and engaging retellings of classic Bible stories, supported by beautiful, witty, and absorbing illustrations are powerfully evocative to a child. Well-chosen and inspiring books expose them to some of the expansive ideas from Scripture in ways that they can access and remember for years to come.
But as a parent of two kids under the age of five, I’m painfully aware that it’s becoming harder and harder to make storytime a mainstay of the daily family routine. Alternative forms of contemporary entertainment threaten to lure our children away from books, and the ever increasing demands of 21st-century living can tempt us to take the easier way out.
Consider a recent survey of 1,000 parents which revealed that while 49% of them aimed to read books to their children before bed, over a quarter regularly turned to Amazon’s Alexa and other technologies for storytime, with work and being “too busy” as the main culprits.
As a member of staff at a publisher of Christian books for children, I believe that storybooks are an important means of fulfilling the Biblical command to commend God’s works to the next generation (Psa. 145:4-6), as well as providing immensely positive effects on a child’s development.
That’s why we’re launching our Spark Wonder campaign to urge parents—and anyone else with children in their care—to see Christian storybooks as a key discipleship tool. We know that a love of reading in children will serve them for the rest of their lives, especially when they come to approach the bible.
The campaign features an inspirational short film to remind parents, grandparents, kids’ ministry workers, and others how precious and important reading to children really is. Alongside the video, we’re running special discounts on some of our most popular children's books to help caregivers of children get started with cultivating this life-long, life-enhancing, life-giving habit.
Go to thegoodbook.com/spark-wonder to find out more.
Joe is our Vice President of Marketing. He lives in South London, UK with his wife and two daughters and is a member at River Church Sutton - part of the Newfrontiers network - where he runs a small group and various outreach activities.
