It's Church Going Time

Reader reviewed by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, The Original H.I.R. (Historical Investigative Reporter)

The subject of religion in childrens books can be political and controversial, and many publishers shy away from it.

Sometimes, though, a religious book isnt trying to sell a belief or a way of thinking to the masses; sometimes its just a book that helps children celebrate their own particular faith and answer questions about where church and God fit in their lives.

In, Its Church Going Time, a precocious pre-teen marvels at the visible transformation in his Grandmother on Sundays. He also expresses his curiosity in her unusual devotion to Sundays and church going time.

The boy loves their Sunday ritual; the breakfast Ma Dear prepares, the songs she sings, and the smile she displays while the family prepares for church. And like any child, he has questions: Why is Ma Dear always so happy on Sunday mornings? What are the songs she sings, and why do they make her happy? Why does the family go to church in the first place?

Ma Dear, ever patient, offers the same answer every Sunday morning: The family goes to church to serve the Lord. Ma Dear loves to hear the choir sing, and she loves to hear the preachers sermon and draw strength from the message he brings.

Its Church Going Time, is a great way to answer many of the questions young children have about going to church and serving God. Families can use the book to bond and create an on-going, evolving question-and-answer period about God and faith, and parents can also use artist Peter Ambushs warm and expressive illustrations to explain the emotional and spiritual benefits of their familys particular religious beliefs.

If you are a parent who wants to nurture your child's burgeoning religious beliefs, this may be the book for you.