Wisdom and Grace

One thing I love to do is write a review about a book I enjoy!  Yesterday, I received a book in the mail that I've been looking forward to reading for two months.  

That book is Get Wisdom! by Ruth Younts.  I shared a few months ago that I'd begun to search for devotionals that I like for children.  I found a good one in God's Names by Sally Michael.  This is another good one.  It's very different than God's Names, though.  God's Names is much more of a read aloud book and is less interactive than Get Wisdom!.    


In the beginning of the book, Ms. Younts wisely begins by talking about what Christian wisdom is and how wisdom and the Gospel are related.  She explains that we can't be good enough and we can't earn God's love.  She also explains why we want to be good.  The scriptures in this page are ones that I want to memorize with my children so that they will be written on our hearts.  The next section gives a definition for each of 23 traits (like listening and orderliness), a Bible verse, a prayer, and a symbolic picture to help children remember what the words mean.  The next section includes a lesson plan for each of the traits.  There's a short introductory activity, the memory verse, discussion questions, and often role play suggestions for each trait.  


At the beginning of the book, Ms. Younts says that the best age range for this book is K-4.  I agree with that age range.  This book would be perfect for children's church or another time when you have children of these ages together.  I thought of my church and the times that we have been volunteering to help watch children while the parents are taking classes at a local shelter.  Most of the activities would work for home devotions as well.  Only one of 23 activities wouldn't.


What I liked best about this book is the appropriateness of both the questions and the definitions.  I know that my Kindergarten and Second grade daughters would both be able to answer these questions and understand the definitions.  When I was a classroom teacher, one of the most difficult things was to structure an activity so that all ability levels could participate.  Ms. Younts has done an excellent job with this book of making that possible with this book.  


If you're looking for a book to use once a week for homeschooling, for family devotion times, for Sunday school, or for children's church with K-4 graders and you have multiple age children, I highly recommend this book!   


Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Shepherd Press.