A Time for Everything

From SPARK

One-sentence summary

A picture book for children who miss someone they love.

Description

Children sometimes have a death, sickness, or divorce in their families. They experience grief when they lose someone they love. Ecclesiastes, chapter three is a poem from the Old Testament. It helps children understand their feelings. It tells about tears and laughter, silence and speaking, sadness and dancing. Activity pages show children how to make a 'five-senses' box for remembering a loved one. It helps them think of people who will give them a hug. One page has space for a drawing of themselves when they were first born.

The final two pages show how much God wants to make people happy. He wants to give them a life that will last forever. Part of Psalm 1 is printed on one of the last pages. The last page lists activity ideas for the adults who are reading to the children.

Considerations

• Most of the text is taken from the Revised New International Version of Ecclesiastes, chapter three.
• As a picture book, this is best used for children in the western world.
• The paperback has 39 pages.

Limitations

• The pictures show a western lifestyle. This would not be meaningful in many cultures.
• The pictures show parts of people and scenes. These would have to be explained to children who are not picture literate.
• Some of the people and scenes are shown from an unusual view. These would have to be explained to children who are not picture literate.
• The activities expect that children will be able to draw pictures and write about their feelings.

Guidelines for Use

• As an audio book without pictures.
• As radio programs after natural or man-made disasters.
• For children 7-12 years old.
• in schools or churches.
• With children who are missing someone they love

Where to Obtain

Link to Producer or Source Organization

International Bible Society

Cost

$2.50 (USD) as of June 2008

Producer/Owners

Author/Artist/Producer

• Some of the text is from Ecclesiastes 3
• Text selections and activities author: Lisa Beth Anderson
• Artist: Jeremy Tugeau

Current copyright owner

International Bible Society 2004

Other Information

If you are interested in translating this picture book for a minority language group, contact the International Bible Society. They will help you work out a Creative Commons License agreement.

Reviewed by

Vida, VMS

Date

June 30, 2008