Where Is God?

This book explains in such a good way where God is. God is everywhere. It is explained in such a poetic way, so true. My daughter also likes this book a lot and I believe it has helped her to understand our world.

This is one of my daughter's favorite books. The premise of the book is simple - it asks the question "Where is God?" and then explores the variety of places God can be found. We read of God being in beginnings - in the first tomato of summer and in the hands of a baby. Of God being in ends - in the last bite of birthday cake and in goodbyes. And of God being in community - in hugs and in Band-aid fix-ups after falls. The language is simple, but serves to beautifully convey God being at the center of all things. From creation to community we can see evidence of God. The illustrations reinforce the concepts as they present multiethnic and multigenerational families doing life. From children running in gardens, to holding grandmother's hand, to snuggling together on daddy's lap ordinary life is represented in a way any child could relate to. If God is in all these everyday actions, then it is easy to transition to exploring where God is in our child's world. In our house we use this book as a nighttime prayer - helping slow down our thoughts to focus on God. Often we involve no commentary, but my daughter generally responds with a sigh and the statement "that was a good story" (which is her way of expressing contentment and general warm fuzziness). Recently as she enters a very concrete/literal phase, she has trouble wrapping her mind around the whole finding god in all things idea. After reading the book one night she informed us that in fact there must be many gods because if God is in a tomato he cannot be in a carrot as well. It's provided a chance for us to explore how big and mysterious God truly is.

Kushner's Where Is God is a wonderful introduction to the concept that God's presence infuses nature and all human exchanges and experiences. I actually prefer this board book to the full-size, older-children's book it is drawn from (Because Nothing Looks Like God), because the board book forces one to linger on the poetry of the text and the tenderness of the cropped illustrations. I get choked up almost every time I read this little book to my two-year-old son, simply because it is so simple and so true, and because I feel it expresses exactly my belief about God's immanance and the joys of being human here on earth.

Never thought you'd hear someone say that about a board book? Check this one out. This book is a great introduction to the concept of God for small ones. Rather than a man in the clouds or a grandpa-like buddy, God is presented in a poetic, pantheistic way. The illustrations are sweet too.

This book is a great way to introduce preschoolers to the concept that God is everywhere. I bought the book to use as part of a children's sermon and will keep it to read to my grandchildren.