'Pew-tested' books are such a blessing

Our young reviewer loved Noah's Ark and says: "It's the bestest." He likes the pictures (at least one per page, sometimes more), the lists of animals and the food they like and of course the story is one that appeals to most children. He read it twice in a single hour-long service and was so enthralled he was reluctant to break off to sing the hymns as he usually does. It is aimed at children aged five to seven.Every church-going parent knows the difficulty of persuading children to sit quietly for the whole service.

Here are two books from Orion Children's Books that could solve that problem by giving your child something to do. Both have been "pew" tested and are likely to bring an approving smile to the priest's face. God's Kingdom, is a much more substantial book, aimed at children from seven to 11. Again our young reviewer loved it and was happy to sit throughout the entire sermon quietly reading. By the time the congregation rose to say the Creed, he had read three stories. This book has the added advantage that sometimes the stories are the same as the Gospel reading set for a particular Sunday. Our young reviewer wanted "more pictures" (although each page has one) and had difficulty understanding the short Bible extracts in the margin to help children bridge the gap between Bible story books and the real thing. This is suitable only for the child who is fluent at reading and confident with pages full of writing unbroken by pictures.