Jesus' Day Off

For the record, I am a Christian and I was not insulted by this book. I remember years ago my little sister got this as a gift and she liked it. It's a cute story that little kids can relate to. Overall, a good message.

I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. This is a fantastic book to introduce small children not only to the BIG concepts of religion (eg: God & Jesus' parent/child relationship, the apostles, etc...) but to the compelling person of Jesus himself. FAR from blasphemic, irreverent or disrespectful - this book paints a picture of Jesus LIKE the children who read it - but with an even more special relationship to God! Aside from the positive religious message it teaches - the book also puts forward an important message about how - when you take good care of yourself - you can take better care of others. Christians and Non-Christians should be able - through their subsequent talk with their children - put the content into proper perspective for their kids (depending on their views). A fundamentalist could make it a great way to draw kids into their savior. A non-believer could use it to introduce their children to the important historical figure of Jesus. It's a win/win situation.

Jesus' Day Off can be a humorous way to make a point to adults who feel they must maintain control of their time and effort. Only when we all take time off to appreciate God's magnificent creation - both our own bodies and the rest of the universe - can we see that we are not in fact in control. God is. God rested after creation to celebrate the magnificence, and if God can rest, so can we! Amen!

This book is excellent to teach young children that religion can be fun. The illustrations are fabulous. They really draw the child into the story. In a word, fantastic!