All in All Series

Picture Book Review: Elisha: a Man of Gentleness and Self-Control by Rediesha C. Allen

| Tibby

Elisha: A Man of Gentleness and Self-Control written by Redeisha C. Allen, illustrated by Hatice Bayramoglu

A watercolor leaf background with tan and pale greens. On it is a stack of three books, the top one is a muted teal square hardback. On the cover is a brown skinned kneeing boy in a white top with a red sash and blue shawl. Behind him are several other brown skinned people in Biblical dress. The title arcs across the top “Elisha: A Man of Gentleness and Self Control”. In the corners are gold filigrees.
Image description: A watercolor leaf background with tan and pale greens. On it is a stack of three books, the top one is a muted teal square hardback. On the cover is a brown skinned kneeing boy in a white top with a red sash and blue shawl. Behind him are several other brown skinned people in Biblical dress. The title arcs across the top “Elisha: A Man of Gentleness and Self Control”. In the corners are gold filigrees.

Book description: Journey with Melanin Origins as we share a short story about a mighty man of God named Elisha, and how his life lines up with the Fruits of the Spirit: Gentleness and Self-Control. Meekness may be defined as, “strength under control”, but when one knows he possesses great abilities within– it takes a dose of gentleness and self-control to rightly direct one’s efforts for the glory of God.

Elisha is the next book in the All in All series that shows the lives of Biblical prophets. This reads like a lot of the traditional saint stories detailing the early life of Elisha, his call to God, and his miracles. This is a great starting point for young readers, parents, and educators wanting to introduce these important religious figures.

But the series elevates the simple biographical format by incorporating a characteristic or skill that children can develop with practice and a role model demonstrating what it looks like. Here Elisha represents thoughtfulness and, as the title says, self control. Oh, self control. Such a hard skill for children and adults alike. Elisha takes his time thinking about questions he’s been asked and problems he’s been called upon to help solve. He prays, thinks, and then offers advice. While children won’t read this once and master thoughtful action and answers, they can easily grasp the concept which is gently presented here. And while many people worry about books that moralize to children or contain a Message (capital M), Allen has done a pitch perfect job balancing being clear about what Elisha represents and not preaching in an insulting and too-obvious way. Elisha is clearly someone to emulate, not someone who can be held over the heads of kids who sometimes (or frequently) act impulsively.

Illustrator Hatice Bayramoglu depicts Elisha, and even Elijah, as young boys following the tradition of Melanin Origins’ Snippet of the Life series. I wrote in my very first review of one of those books that I was surprised how it made the person and subject more relatable for my own daughter. Kids like to see themselves in stories and having famous figures shown as children gives them an entre.

This whole series is recommended for churches, Sunday schools, religious homeschoolers, parochial schools, and families looking to feature religious figures at home. Libraries also serve all of these populations and I would recommend they purchase these as well, especially for homeschooling families who frequently use libraries.

Purchase the book here (not affiliate links). Please, in this uncertain time, if at all possible, purchase from an independent/local bookstore. They need our help right now.

Final note: If you do purchase this book, please post a review of it on Amazon. This will help other folks find the book and know that it’s worth purchasing. If you use any other book services like GoodReads or your local library’s online catalog be sure to post a review there too! And if your local library doesn’t have a copy, request that they purchase one.

Picture Book Review: The Faithfulness of Daniel by Jalissa B. Pollard

A watercolor leaf background with tan and pale greens. On it is a stack of three books, the top one is a brown square hardback. On the cover is a light skinned smiling boy in a blue top. The title arcs across the top “The Faithfulness of Daniel”. In the corners are gold filigrees.
| Tibby

The Faithfulness of Daniel written by Jalissa B. Pollard, illustrated by Adua Hernandez

A watercolor leaf background with tan and pale greens. On it is a stack of three books, the top one is a brown square hardback. On the cover is a light skinned smiling boy in a blue top. The title arcs across the top “The Faithfulness of Daniel”. In the corners are gold filigrees.
Image description: A watercolor leaf background with tan and pale greens. On it is a stack of three books, the top one is a brown square hardback. On the cover is a light skinned smiling boy in a blue top. The title arcs across the top “The Faithfulness of Daniel”. In the corners are gold filigrees.

Book description: Journey with Melanin Origins as we share a short story about Daniel and how his life lines up with the Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness. Faith and dedication to doing God’s will were key ingredients to the “excellent spirit” that Daniel possessed.

Another standout in the All in All Series from Melanin Origins. Daniel distills the Biblical story of Daniel down for young audiences. Pollard, author of My Grandmother is a Lady, has hit all the right notes; good vocabulary words without over complicating the text, a simple story that still retains the essence, and a clear message that is understandable for the intended audience.

This story feels particularly apt at a time when the world feels scary, even, or especially, to children. Daniel, a wise man, kept his faith despite being tested and ultimately faced a literal den of lions for it. But it was also his faith that saved him. God delivers him from the lions keeping their mouths shut while Daniel was in the den. An exciting story on the outside, but it also points to the importance of putting your faith in God or in something that is bigger than yourself when you feel powerless and frightened. A letting go of the things you can’t control. The book does use religious terms and is, obviously, taken directly from the Bible, but even non-religious/spiritual families can find the message here encouraging.

As always Adua Hernandez has illustrated the story perfectly. Daniel is shown as a young boy making it easy for children to relate. The sets are peopled with the right amount of people and details to make the pictures inviting, but not overly cluttered. All of the books in the series depict the Biblical figures as Black or brown and not the traditionally inaccurate blond haired and blue eyed figures.

This series, and this book, is perfect for families, Sunday schools, parochial preschools and kindergartens. Homeschooling families looking for Biblical additions to their curriculum would also benefit from having these. Libraries too that serve any of these populations should consider them for their collections.

Purchase the book here (not affiliate links). Please, in this uncertain time, if at all possible, purchase from an independent/local bookstore. They need our help right now.

Final note: If you do purchase this book, please post a review of it on Amazon. This will help other folks find the book and know that it’s worth purchasing. If you use any other book services like GoodReads or your local library’s online catalog be sure to post a review there too! And if your local library doesn’t have a copy, request that they purchase one.

Picture book Review: Abraham’s Great Love by Louie T. McClain II

| Tibby
Image description: A watercolor leaf background with tan and pale greens. On it is a blue square paperback book. On the cover is a group of people in biblical robes. In the foreground is a boy with brown skin and dreadlocks. He is looking out at the reader smiling. The title arcs across the top “Abraham’s Great Love”. In the corners are gold filigrees.

Abraham’s Great Love written by Louie T. McClain II, illustrated by Xander A. Nesbitt

Book description: Journey with Melanin Origins as we share a short story about Abraham, the “Father of Many Nations”, and how his life lines up with the Fruit of the Spirit: Love. As a believer dedicated to doing God’s Will, Abraham lived a life that demonstrated love for all mankind.

Melanin Origins has launched a new series, the All In All Series, focusing on figures from the Old Testament. Faith communities take note, these sweet little books are going to be perfect for families, Sunday school, children’s chapel, and holidays.

The first in the series is Abraham. The story follows Abraham through key points in his life while focusing primarily on the overarching theme of his story. These books are perfect for their advertised audience, second grade and below. They feature bright illustrations with big-eyed people. Each page has a short sentence or two which will keep kids engaged through the story. And they don’t get bogged down in scripture, old-fashioned language, or the strange minutiae that can sometimes happen in the Bible.

The book also strikes a balance between telling Abraham’s biographical story and focusing on the message of his story. As you could probably tell from the title, love is the theme here, and even for someone like me who is not religious I can’t help but feel this message is an important one for children, especially in this time. Kids need to feel loved and they need to be taught to love. Moreover, the story demonstrates how love guided Abraham- through difficulty, in relationships with people and the Earth, and in faith. Abraham uses love to guide his decisions in putting others first and how he approaches God.

The illustrations are especially exciting. The people are adorable and very inviting with large cartoon eyes and big faces. Kids will be drawn to them. Many religious books depict characters of the Bible as blonde haired and blue eyed, not exactly culturally or historically accurate to say the least. Here we see a cast of characters that have a variety of brown skin tones and differing hair colors and textures (including the loc’d Abraham). Not only will these illustrations feel more relevant than the typical Biblical illustrations, but they’re more accurate too.

For all you non-religious families, I have a pet theory that Biblical references are everywhere in our culture and to be fully culturally literate it helps to know a little something about the major monotheistic religions and the stories of the Bible. If you don’t know Noah, you won’t understand when someone makes a remark about going two-by-two or building an arc. It’s maybe not totally necessary, but you would be surprised how often these images and references appear if you actually pay attention. If you want a fun way to introduce these stories to your children so they have a general frame of reference, these would be a way to get started.

Abraham, and the rest of the series, is highly recommended for churches, religious schools and preschools, and families alike. Libraries should seriously consider carrying them for their religious families and Christian homeschoolers.

Purchase the book here (not affiliate links). Please, in this uncertain time, if at all possible, purchase from an independent/local bookstore. They need our help right now.

Final note: If you do purchase this book, please post a review of it on Amazon. This will help other folks find the book and know that it’s worth purchasing. If you use any other book services like GoodReads or your local library’s online catalog be sure to post a review there too! And if your local library doesn’t have a copy, request that they purchase one.