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Children’s alphabet book tells life of Christ
By John Gleason
As a title, “Jesus from A to Z,” might seem a bit daunting. After all, any book that is bold enough to proclaim a title such as this must be something one would find in a university, a thousand-page scholarly work which professors would use as a tool for their students.
Rather than being a long-winded literary work that only the bravest of souls would tackle, “Jesus from A to Z” is an exciting journey into the life of our Savior aimed at the group who find it exciting to learn—young children.
Author Kevin Graham believes that children are never too young to begin learning. And what parents of young children often find out is that sitting and reading with their child can have rewards that can’t be measured. So when this journalist with 11 books to his credit was talking with a friend about age-appropriate books about Jesus, something sparked.
“He told me he was looking for a children’s book for his kids to introduce them to the life of Jesus,” Graham said. “He wanted something in an A to Z format and hadn’t had luck finding one. It tweaked my interest; tell a series of stories in succinct fashion that could piece together his life.”
The result, “Jesus from A to Z,” is an illustrated history of Jesus and his message for all of humanity, designed for children ages 5 to 7.
The stories, accompanied by vivid illustrations created by Colorado artist Jennifer Yoswa, shares the story of Jesus in a child-friendly manner. “A” is for angels
“Angels are God’s helpers who appear at special times”; “D” is for donkey—the humble mode of transportation Jesus used to come back to the city of Jerusalem; “Y” is for Yahweh—one of the many names for God, who loves all on earth no matter what he is called.
The book took three years to go from inception to finished product. Graham said he believed the alphabet picture book, which was published in April 2009, would be well received. What he hadn’t counted on was how challenging it could be to confine the story of Jesus to just 26 letters.
“Take the events in Christ’s life and list them in ABC categories, making sure you include all the themes of his life—sounds easy, right,” he said with a laugh.
“Getting them down to just 26 wasn’t easy.”
For example, Graham said the image of Jesus washing feet would go under “F.” But then where would he put “fish?” Eventually the foot washing story, incorporated at the Last Supper, was told under “U” for Upper Room.
The book, soon to go into its second printing, was honored by Mom’s Choice Awards, which acknowledges excellence in family-friendly media, as best children’s picture book in both religion and distinctive illustration categories. It also was named in the best small publisher and children’s book categories from the Catholic Press Association.
Graham said although he is happy with the awards he hopes the book provides a more basic need to the families who read it.
“I hope it not only provides a fun and enjoyable way to learn about the life of Jesus,” he said, “but also acts as a springboard for kids who are learning to read.”
“Jesus from A to Z” retails for $17.95 and can be ordered at your local book store. Customers who order direct from the publisher’s website, www.jesusfromatoz.com, receive a 20 percent discount.
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