When God Made Light

Straight from Aunty LuLav

This book is a celebration of light and the God Who created it. The sunshine, stars, moon and even the light inside of each of us, fill the pages with wonder.

A whimsical rhyme carries us along throughout the day of a creative little girl and her baby sister.

HALLELUJAH!
This book is out in the general market place.  In fact, I was in Target the first time I found it. It is reaching out to a wide audience, opening up the conversation about the God of the scriptures and the light He created.

Scriptural Underpinnings & Positive Themes

Matthew Paul Turner weaves beautiful descriptions of God as Creator on many levels. The book boldly begins with Scripture:

“Let there be Light!”
Genesis 1:3

CREATOR OF LIGHT & UNIVERSE
The text portrays God, throughout the book, as the Creator of Light. This includes the sun by day and the stars, planets, moon, and other galaxies by night. Genesis 1

CREATOR OF NATURE
The sunshine helps the flowers, the lawn, wheat, berries, cherries, etc. to grow. It is for our enjoyment.

GIVE THANKS TO GOD
In the text, Turner urges us to stop and lift up our heads and give thanks to GOD for the sunshine. Psalm 100

GOD AS PROTECTOR
When the darkness of the night closes in, Turner urges the reader not to be afraid, because God’s Light is greater than any darkness. He reminds us we are safe, as shadows cannot stand up to God’s light! Psalm 139

FAMILY
Sprinkled throughout this story are depictions of love in family relationships. The little girl and her baby sister joyfully play and create all day long with their cohorts, the cat and dog.

We see Mom and Dad joining in, playing with flashlights at night and camping in the woods. We see them cuddled around the campfire with Grandpa, with songs, stories and s’mores.

CREATOR OF PEOPLE
Turner tells us that the Light that God created, lives inside of us. Genesis 1:26-27

One of the most satisfying moments for the reader, is when we learn that on the day we were born, God called forth the light in us. Genesis 2:7

THE LIGHT OF GOD & THE HOLY SPIRIT 
According to scripture, we are made in God’s image. Genesis 1:26-27 
AND
We have an eternal spirit of life inside of us, breathed into us from God. Genesis 2:7, 1 Thessalonians 5:23
The text accurately depicts this reality.

When the author refers to the light of God inside of us, it is not totally clear if this refers to the child’s spirit of life  or the Holy Spirit of God (given to us when we are born-again).

If I read it correctly, I think the part of us, referred to by the author is our spirit man. 

This lack of clarity is slight but may be a pause for some Believers. It can be easily taught through as we read to our little ones.

Overall for Rhyme – 4/5 on the Aunty Lulav Rhyme-O-Meter

Illustrations

David Catrow’s illustrations move and frolic with the rhythm of the text. He is more than an equal partner in creating the message of this book and portraying the joy and creativity of this little girl and her baby sister.

Catrow’s use of color and tone portray the changing light from morning through night, with perfection. I mean PERFECTION!   

You can recognize the time of the day, from the shadows cast by crisp, early-morning sun, to the long, soft shadows of late afternoon.

The night is rendered in hues of blue, turquoise and green, illuminated by the light from stars and fireflies.

My favorite illustration is the little girl peering into her jar full of fireflies.  It is truly ethereal!

LOVE the Cat and Dog!!

Representation

The family is African American.

A Pause

I am struggling over one aspect of this book.

I consider it to be Kid’s Theology, as it teaches truths about God. The book faithfully honors Father God as Creator and scriptures undergird the text. Hallelujah!

However, there is a bit of confusion that comes when the author talks about God’s light inside of us. He says it is the very same light that is in the stars in the universe. (pg 14)

Later he refers to us being just like the sun and the moon and stars. (Pg 35)

This may seem like a Picky Pause, but there is a lot of confusion in the earth over “the light” and who or what it is.

The God of the scripture is a person, not an energy force.

We are created by God as unique persons, in His image, with His spirit of life in us. But we are quite different than other elements of creation such as the sun moon and stars. No comparison.

It is just a TINY BIT off, and that is why I struggle. I mention it here so you can be aware of it.

Extra, Extra

Check out their other book - "When God Made You" - reviewed here on Aunty Lulav's Books for Life.

The End of the Matter

4/5 waves

Overall this is a great book for your child’s library.
We can all wave our Lulavs with the stars and sing, “Hallelujah!”