God Loves Me More Than That

My daughter already has much of this title memorized due to rolling cadences that beg to be read aloud and recited. How much love does God have for me? More than the letters between A and Z More than the bumbles in a bumble bee. God loves me more than that! Those are the words that I overheard my eldest `reading' to my 2 year old in the bed tonight. The quotation above is the first stanza which provides a repeating form for each following section of verse. Each quatrain ends with the line "God loves me - than that!" Fill in the blank with more than, deeper than, softer than, louder than, bigger than and others! God's love for us is immense, far larger than we can conceptualize. This title reminds me of a bed-time game I play with my girls, familiar to many parents. I call it "I love you more than." We take turns saying how much we love each other; "I love you higher than the tallest tree." I say. "Well, I love you to the moon and back." My daughter replies. Going on for quite some time, the conversation ends with my concluding remark, "But you know who loves you more than even I do?" "Yes, God!" my daughter answers joyfully, she knows the drill. Drawing from this same vein and tradition God Loves Me More Than That makes a perfect addition to family bedtime rituals. Hohn's illustration takes Mackall's not entirely uncommon imaginings of God's love: deeper than a treasure chest beneath the sea, higher than a space shuttle flying by, etc., and takes them in to the realm of the fantastic. Hohn places the little boy who is reflecting on God's love for him amongst hippo's dancing in the rain, on a bumble bee's back and as a cowboy on horseback on the range to mention only a few. We are clearly immersed in the realm of the imagination, and are treated to a fantastic voyage through this little boy's daydreams.

These charming rhymes and their sentiments will draw you and your child in. "When God created my toes, did he make them wiggle? Did he know I'd giggle? Did he have to hold his nose, when God created my toes?" The author deals with knees and hips and hair with more rhymes and illustrations of an active little girl, who plays dress up, skins her knee, and jumps out and surprises her dad. As the girl hugs her big white cat she says "Did I love him from the start, when God created my heart?" Dandi Daley Mackall has written 400 children's books, and David Hohn is a great choice as the illustrator of this book. Review by the author of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holidays

Another special book from Dandi Daley Mackall. Page one shows a little girl playing in the mud and wondering if God had to hold His nose when He created her toes? And then it moves up to her knees, hips, and so forth. A wonderful way to teach a child that we are a special creation made in God's image. This is a book to read and giggle over and I can't think of a better way to teach a child to enjoy reading that a book filled with the happy, rollicking rhymes of Dandi Daley Mackall, illustrated by David Hohn. Every child should have one.

When God Created My Toes is a fun approach for children to learn about different body parts and to imagine what it was like when God created them. Written in poetry form, the story includes lines like this: "When God created my toes, did he make then wiggle? Did he'd know I'd giggle? Did he have to hold his nose, when God created my toes?" The illustrations are vivid and well-done, and my six-year old and my three-year old were both fascinated by this beautifully done book. They wanted me to read it to them over and over. I even enjoyed the rhymes and pictures. Pick up a copy of When God Created My Toes for your favorite preschooler today. It is a beautiful book which is sure to amuse as well as teach the child. Armchair Interviews says: Another good book for your children's library

When God Created My Toes is another Dandilion Rhymes book by Dandi Daley Mackall. It's full of silly rhymes devised to get a laugh out of your little one: When God created my toes, did he make them wiggle? Did he know I'd giggle?Did he have to hold his nose, when God created my toes? The words are silly and the pictures are sweet, perfect for reading to your little ones. My daughter liked thinking about God creating each part of her and knowing that He spent time and thought doing so. This would be good for reading to infants and toddlers to teach body parts while cuddling.