God Made You, Too! (Book Review)

Scripture Connection

And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.

Gen. 1:31

For we are his workmanship…

Eph. 2:10a

Spiritual Themes

This sweet little picture book embraces the truth that God designed each of us, in light of the fact that He ALSO designed all of Creation. The book emphasizes the humbling truth that, just as God saw fit to design the whole world, He also felt that it was important to make me and you.

There are also some other meaningful themes Tornetto lightly touches on, throughout:

• God knows what we need.
• In addition to creating everything, God is also the One sustaining it
• God guides our paths
• God hears each of our prayers

What I Liked

The author uses a lot of descriptive language to capture God’s acts of creativity. These strong verbs ( built, formed, carved, etc.) draw attention not only to God’s artistry, but also to the fact that God’s Creation is His handiwork, as in “made by His hands.” These verbs, in conjunction with equally descriptive nouns (architect, sculptor) point to the personal relationship God has with His Creation: earth, animals, and people. As has often been said, we can see His fingerprints, all around us.

The book’s main idea is that we are created by the same One who modeled these glorious, majestic things. It’s a reminder of the dignity of people and Creation, alike. It’s also a blessing on the creativity of young readers, made in God’s likeness. “Oh, you like to paint? That’s just like God! He paints the mountains with snow!” (My paraphrase).

I liked the inclusion of multiple themes, sometimes with just a line or two of writing. I especially appreciated the emphasis on His continued acts of creativity and governing of the seasons.

Illustrations

Barnes’ illustrations bring liveliness and fun to the book ! The covers are packed with color and activity. There are flinging raindrops, a soaring jellyfish, a fluttering peacock, assorted stars and even a planet (sun?). Throughout the book, colors continue to splash about on the pages: from the paintbrush of a child or in the swish of an ocean wave. Illustrations within the book are themed to match the text, which describes the glory of Creation. There are some gorgeous, imaginative landscapes, as well as some scenes depicting kids just having fun. Overall, illustrations hum with activity, whether it’s the swirling of autumn leaves or the whisking away of dandelion seeds.

Recommendation

This is a sweet little book for creative children. Excellent as a read-aloud, it also includes some fun vocabulary words. I could see this book paired with an art activity during family devotions, or for a Sunday School class.