PPBF: Coming Home

Welcome to Perfect Picture Book Fridays, where we review picture books which we deem worthy of mention.  This concept was created by Susanna Hill, and is a helpful resource for librarians, teachers and parents.  For a list of all books reviewed so far, along with activities to complement them, click here.

Here is a book by favorite author of ours, and one that we own:

Author: Max Lucado
Illustrator: Justin Gerard
Publisher: Crossway Books
Date: 2007

Ages: 8-12

Genre: Allegorical tale based on Biblical doctrine of Heaven, and Christ's second coming to earth.

Themes: Heaven, Christian doctrine, Biblical Allegory, shipwrecks, deserted islands


Synopsis from back cover and jacket flap:

Twin brothers Arion and Argo are scared. They have spent most of their lives shipwrecked on the lonely, gray island of Terrene with their ship's captain, and now he is leaving and they cannot imagine life without him. He is going to Bluestone, a place where the birds always sing and the grass is ever green. He tells them he is going to prepare a place for them in Bluestone. Then he will come back for them, and they will all go to Bluestone together....

In the Bible Jesus Christ tells us that he is preparing a place for us in heaven, and that he will come back for us someday. He tells us that this world is not our home and we must be ready for his return. But sometimes we grow weary of waiting...and get sidetracked by its (the world) fun distractions....

Through this allegorical tale about the second coming of Christ, children will learn powerful lessons about faith, patience, and God's great mercy.

First paragraph: The two boys looked at the captain with astonishment. "You're leaving the island?" they said in one voice, which they often did because they were twins and were always thinking the same thing. "You can't leave the island!" Argo proclaimed. "Without you here we would be so...so..." "Alone!" Arion completed Argo's sentence, as he often did.

Why I like this book: Sometimes it's difficult to imagine as adults what Heaven would be like. And I'm sure, even more so for kids. I love books that bring to life doctrine in an engaging way. "Coming Home" does this masterfully! It gave me a deeper appreciating for Heaven, and a longing for it in a new way.

Here are a couple of activity links to complement the book:

Treasures in Heaven

Preschool Lesson on Heaven