A Book Review from Books At a Glance
by Kristin Stiles
Contrary to current popular secular thought, children are not innocent. They are born with a sin nature and they express that in sinful actions and words. Helping your child identify sinful thoughts, motives, words, and behaviors is an important part of presenting the gospel to them and helping them grow in their faith. They need to see their need for salvation and sanctification. Lucy and the Saturday Surprise will help your children identify sinful patterns in their lives, specifically relating to envy.
Lucy is excited to go grocery shopping with her dad and brother. The kids are allowed to pick a special treat. She chooses a chocolate square and her brother picks a lollipop. Her chocolate melts on the way home and is more mess than treat. Meanwhile, her brother leisurely enjoys his lollipop throughout the day which Lucy finds especially vexing since she envies him still having a treat while hers is long gone. Throughout the day Lucy begins acting out because of these feelings. She is rude to her other family members and overall irritable and sullen. When she finds herself alone with what still remains of the lollipop, she takes a bite out of it. Instead of savoring the taste, she feels sick to her stomach with guilt. Her father finds her hiding out in her room and after some prodding, she confesses why she’s acted the way she has and how she took a bite from her brother’s lollipop. Her father discusses the progression of sin: see, covet, take, and hide. He encourages Lucy to confess to her brother. Lucy does just that and feels the relief of confession and forgiveness.
While this book doesn’t overtly present the gospel, there are principles that clearly come through that are important for our children to learn. This book helps children understand that natural and even good desires can become sinful ones and that those desires can grow and develop into sinful actions. This book promotes contentment with what we have and an appreciation to God for all that He’s provided for us. The central theme, though, focuses on identifying sin in our lives and confessing it.
This is the kind of story that children can readily identify with. It is the common experience of fallen man to be envious of what others have. It is also the common experience that thoughts develop into desires which develop into actions. Helping your children to see these patterns will help them in their battle against sin as they yield to the Savior and seek His forgiveness through repentance and faith.
Kristin Stiles is a home-school mom, a Sunday School teacher, and helps lead the “Young, Reading, & Reformed” children’s ministry at Reformed Baptist Church of Franconia, PA.
Buy the books
LUCY AND THE SATURDAY SURPRISE, by Melissa Kruger