God, Right Here:
Meeting God in the Changing Seasons
by Kara Lawler, Jennie Poh (Illustrator)
DETAILS: Publisher: IVP Kids Publication Date: June 20, 2023 Format: eARC Length: 32 pg. Read Date: May 7, 2023
What’s God, Right Here About?
God, right here.
God, right there.
God’s handiwork is everywhere.
With that as a starting point, Lawler takes the reader (and the read-to) on a tour of nature through a year’s worth of seasons. The point isn’t to learn about seasons or weather, or anything, but to see how God’s nature (flora, fauna, weather) reveals His work and care.
Let’s Talk about the Art for a Minute
It’s warm and friendly. Even the scenes depicting a chilly fall and snowy winter make you feel cozy and toasty. There’s a gentleness to the illustrations, too.
I’m failing at describing the art—as usual. Jennie Pho’s Instagram has some really good samples (including a Lucy and Mr. Tumnus drawing).
It’s not technically part of the art, but it’s part of the visual impact of the book, so I’ll talk about it here. The typesetting, or whatever you’re supposed to call it (it’d be lettering comic books), is excellent. There’s a variety of colors emphasizing words to match the theme of the page, it flows all over the page to follow the illustrations and add some movement. It’s eye-catching and serves to augment the art.
How is it to Read Aloud?
This is not the kind of book you have fun with, it’s not a fun read. It’s one to read when you’re trying to settle down—or better yet, have already settled down and want to snuggle up and get comfy.
It’s hard to think of toddlers as thoughtful but this is the kind of book for that kind of time.
It’s one of those where you will point to pictures as you read, and then go off on tangents talking about the ideas in the book. The book itself would take almost no time to read, but I can see this as the sort of thing the Grandcritter and I will linger over as we go through it.
* That’s a horrible stereotype, and I should be ashamed of it. But I know too many of them.
So, what did I think about God, Right Here?
This is a nice and pleasant book. Pleasant is the best word to describe this, really (and now that I’ve used it, my brain is stuck and I won’t be able to use another adjective for the rest of the post).
I feel like I should have another few paragraphs in me, but I don’t. I’ve said everything I can find to say about it (and I think I’ve used 2x the words that the book does). This is a pleasant read that’ll be good to use to talk and quiet down with.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from InterVarsity Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post, and my honest opinion—thanks to both for this opportunity.
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
