Children's Book Review "God Made Babies."

I received a free digital copy of the following book from New Growth Press in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

“Where do babies come from?” This common question all too often leaves parents perplexed about what to say and when to say it. Justin and Lindsey Holcomb tackle this tough question in a common sense, biblical way. They help parents start the conversation with their children about sex by giving them the basic tools to guide them—including specific biblical content and age-appropriate ways of talking to children at different stages. The Holcombs along with illustrator Trish Mahoney have been helping parents tackle difficult but important subjects with children for many years, beginning with the award-winning God Made All of Me: A Book to Help Children Protect Their Bodies as well as God Made Me in His Image: Helping Children Appreciate Their Bodies. Now they bring their expertise to the all-important conversation about sex in God Made Babies: Helping Parents Answer the Baby Question. Instead of leaving this conversation to “experts” or to the culture, they equip parents to answer questions about sex in the right way at the right time. Drawing from the story of creation and how God made the living world to reproduce, God Made Babies helps children to understand the gift of reproduction in the light of God’s goodness and care. Rather than waiting to have this conversation with their child at the “perfect” time, the authors encourage parents to answer questions at every stage with just the right amount of information. God Made Babies is part of the God Made Me Series which equips parents to have important, impactful conversations with their children, helping them to grow in understanding of God, themselves, and others. Each book in the series contains a special section just for parents and caregivers that provides biblical guidance and offers additional information and resources for talking about the topic addressed in the story (Releases September 19, 2022)

About the Authors and Illustrator

Justin S. Holcomb, PhD, is a minister and professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has authored, coauthored, or edited more than twenty books on numerous topics, including abuse, biblical studies, and theology. Justin and his wife, Lindsey, coauthored the award-winning children’s book God Made All of Me and God Made Me in His Image. Lindsey A. Holcomb, MPH, works in non-profit development and is an advocate for survivors of abuse. She is a former case manager at a sexual assault crisis center and a domestic violence shelter and is the cofounder of REST (Real Escape from the Sex Trade). Lindsey is also the award-winning coauthor of God Made All of Me, God Made Me in His Image, Is It My Fault?, and Rid of My Disgrace. Lindsey and Justin, conduct a variety of training seminars on parenting topics such as child sexual abuse prevention, body image, and how to talk about sex. They also provide training on how to prevent, recognize, and respond to child, sexual, and domestic abuse. The Holcombs live in Orlando and are parents of two daughters.  ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: Trish Mahoney is a graphic designer and illustrator in Salem, OR, where she runs The Mahoney Studio with her husband, Patrick, also a designer and illustrator. They have two children, both budding artists too. Trish is the illustrator for the God Made Me series and The Beginner's Gospel Story Bible. My Opinion and Review This is a delightful and helpful book for parents who have young children.  As we all know, little ones will eventually bring up the uncomfortable of topic that most parents dread of, "Where do babies come from?"  This book is a godsend, with biblical content, and an excellent resource on how to proceed in answering this daunting question. This is not about sex, that comes later, simply that your young child is curious on how they were created or born.  In simple terms it explains how God is the creator of everything the earth, the universe, etc. How each person born is a gift from God.  It also explains in simple terms that they were made by their parents a part of the mom and a part of the dad, but it was God that created them, I found that to be deeply profound, because it's true. There are wonderful illustrations on the stages of the baby being inside the mom's womb, and still written in terms a child can understand. This is a beautifully written book with so many illustrations the beauty of life being created by God, how flowers become flowers, birds laying eggs and of course animals that also have babies that carry their young in the womb as human moms do. I absolutely LOVED this book there is so much information but done is such a respectful and God honoring manner, with scientific information, written in the form as if a child were reading it. Simply brilliant.  I highly recommend this book for parents with young children who are becoming curious about how they came to be.