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Baby Believer
Let There Be Light: An Opposites Primer
Help Children Learn About God's World and Opposites Your family will love this unique board book! Using colorful, engaging artwork, Let There Be Light introduces little ones to the Creation story as a vehicle for understanding opposites, a crucial concept in early cognitive development. Children will delight in the imaginative illustrations and learn key opposites such as quiet/loud, light/dark, and above/below. These contrasting pairs are taught against the backdrop of Scripture chronicling God's creation of heaven and earth. You will appreciate the artistic design, theologically sound content, and helping your little one gain a greater understanding of the glory of God's world while mastering their opposites. *** Baby Believer primers are designed to grow with children, from early infancy through elementary school. In addition to basic Bible theology, Baby Believer board books are filled with quotations from the Bible, creeds, hymns, church fathers, and other articles of faith to help reinforce the content and provide intellectual handholds for older children who possess a greater capacity for learning and memorization.
20 pages, Board Book
Published October 2, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
September 24, 2018
This is one of the best board books for children that I’ve had the pleasure to read. Each page has a bold word on it, and the facing page has its opposite. The concepts on both pages are clarified with a Bible verse about God’s creation of the world. The illustrations are bold and help clarify the concepts very well. They are not overly detailed, but instead, are very striking.
I really liked the idea of teaching children the Biblical truth of Creation while simultaneously teaching them opposites. This book draws those two concepts together so naturally that as you read each page the verse is brought alive.
I would recommend this book to every child.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and Harvest House Publishers. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to express my honest opinions.
I really liked the idea of teaching children the Biblical truth of Creation while simultaneously teaching them opposites. This book draws those two concepts together so naturally that as you read each page the verse is brought alive.
I would recommend this book to every child.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and Harvest House Publishers. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to express my honest opinions.
February 10, 2020
The artwork is beautiful. Each page features two opposite words and a scripture verse.
4/30/19 Read with Julia.
2/9/20 Read with Julia
4/30/19 Read with Julia.
2/9/20 Read with Julia
September 21, 2018
4.5 stars
As a lover of literature, I've been intrigued by the BabyLit series of board books that uses aspects of classic novels to introduce young children to concepts like counting, colors, opposites, etc., as well as books in other series such as Anne's Colors. So I was excited to see that something similar had been done with Bible stories.
Let There Be Light is an "opposites primer" focusing on the creation story in Genesis. Each double page contains an opposite word on each side, and a Bible verse associated with that particular contrast. One thing I liked was that not every verse was from the Genesis story. By also using verses from books like Psalms and Jeremiah, the book takes on a grander scope, and emphasizes the creation from more than one point of view. Occasionally "primers" can become a bit contrived when they reach a bit too far to make a story fit a concept, but I didn't get that feeling from this one.
I also love the illustrations, especially the use of contrasting colors, and the way that even the concepts that are used a bit abstractly (quiet/loud, work/rest) are portrayed in simple, colorful ways that make sense. This would make a great gift for a baby or toddler!
(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)
As a lover of literature, I've been intrigued by the BabyLit series of board books that uses aspects of classic novels to introduce young children to concepts like counting, colors, opposites, etc., as well as books in other series such as Anne's Colors. So I was excited to see that something similar had been done with Bible stories.
Let There Be Light is an "opposites primer" focusing on the creation story in Genesis. Each double page contains an opposite word on each side, and a Bible verse associated with that particular contrast. One thing I liked was that not every verse was from the Genesis story. By also using verses from books like Psalms and Jeremiah, the book takes on a grander scope, and emphasizes the creation from more than one point of view. Occasionally "primers" can become a bit contrived when they reach a bit too far to make a story fit a concept, but I didn't get that feeling from this one.
I also love the illustrations, especially the use of contrasting colors, and the way that even the concepts that are used a bit abstractly (quiet/loud, work/rest) are portrayed in simple, colorful ways that make sense. This would make a great gift for a baby or toddler!
(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)
September 17, 2018
Another concept of bringing biblical verses to create a story for children.
In this book the purpose is to teach opposites. Compared to the animals primer. The quotes are not as implicit but again I welcome the christian desire to have a nurtured scriptural base for the book.
I also accept that the words are not always in the verse and that the suggestion of the subjects comprises the sentiments being addressed. This is a more realistic aspiration and perhaps enhances the subject matter.
The illustrations are again well crafted. The opposites are well chosen and some are integral to the gospel message which I believe is the central purpose for this series.
I would happily read this to a child; I believe that using the word of God is powerful and can be spoken as it is the only writing in these books.
In this book the purpose is to teach opposites. Compared to the animals primer. The quotes are not as implicit but again I welcome the christian desire to have a nurtured scriptural base for the book.
I also accept that the words are not always in the verse and that the suggestion of the subjects comprises the sentiments being addressed. This is a more realistic aspiration and perhaps enhances the subject matter.
The illustrations are again well crafted. The opposites are well chosen and some are integral to the gospel message which I believe is the central purpose for this series.
I would happily read this to a child; I believe that using the word of God is powerful and can be spoken as it is the only writing in these books.
September 14, 2018
What a fantastic way of teaching your small ones the opposites in creation. Learning about what God has done in contrasting words brings the gospel to the heart of your toddler. I have purchased these books for my grandchildren and will continue to do so as they are a great tool to know who God is and what he has done.
A great book to share with your children.
A Special Thank you to Harvest House Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
A great book to share with your children.
A Special Thank you to Harvest House Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
September 30, 2018
"Let There Be Light" by Danielle Hitchen, with illustrations by Jessica Blanchard, is a vivid and engaging board book to share the Genesis creation story with children. The illustrations are beautiful! The layout is very clever with how the double page spread is used to show the opposites in the same page. I had stumbled across "Psalms of Praise" by the author & illustrator this spring while looking for a children's board book to be used for a baby shower guest book. I look forward to picking up this book to share with that family & add to their collection of these beautiful and clear books.
An ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is available for kids and adults on October 2nd.
An ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is available for kids and adults on October 2nd.
October 14, 2018
This board books has it all! I'm a bit of a book nerd, so the first thing I immediately loved was simply the quality of the book. You know how some board books are kind of flimsy and easily tear up? NOT THIS BOOK! These book is thick, sturdy and more than ready for lots of little hands. My boys (ages 3 and 2) have handled these books a LOT and they still look brand new. Then there are the gorgeous illustrations. I find myself wanting all of the books in the Baby Believer collection simply because they are pretty of enough to be used for decor in a nursery or kid's room. But beyond quality and look of this book, the content of this board book is what sets it apart! In Let There Be Light: An Opposites Primer, Danielle Hitchen creatively tells the story of creation using opposites. As a former teacher and as a mama, I love everything about that! I love that I am able to use a story from the Bible to teach my boys a skill that is important. Another thing that I love is that for the opposites above/below and over/under, you have to turn the book sideways so the definition of these words are actually evident to the kids. (Little details like that make my heart happy!) This book is great for all ages because you can make it work for where your child is developmentally and spiritually. For instance, with my youngest (2) we really focus on the opposites words which are in big letters and we tell the story of creation. With my 3 year old, we continue to do that...but we ALSO read the scripture. I would highly recommend this book for parents....but I would also recommend this to churches. I help with the children's ministry at my church and this would be an amazing gift for baby dedications and it would also be a wonderful addition to the nursery bookshelf! This book is the perfect way to start planting seed of truth into the lives of little ones.
May 30, 2022
Let There Be Light uses Bible verses and short introductory text and colorful illustrations to illustrate the creation stories from the book of Genesis. It also purports to teach the concept of opposites. It does a wonderful job of illustrating Genesis and introducing Christian interpretations of the story.
It does a very bad job of illustrating opposite. Unfortunately, this good catechesis starts off on the first pages miserably muddling concepts with nonsense. Quiet and Loud are contrasted on the first spread with the verse, And God said, “LET THERE BE LIGHT.” Illumination has nothing to do with sound! The next spread presented is Dark and Light accompanied by the verses from the Gospel of John,
Fortunately, the rest of the book avoids abstract thinking beyond the comprehension of its audience. My plea to the author, illustration and publisher is a new revised edition that avoids these egregious flaws that spoil what is an otherwise excellent board book.
It does a very bad job of illustrating opposite. Unfortunately, this good catechesis starts off on the first pages miserably muddling concepts with nonsense. Quiet and Loud are contrasted on the first spread with the verse, And God said, “LET THERE BE LIGHT.” Illumination has nothing to do with sound! The next spread presented is Dark and Light accompanied by the verses from the Gospel of John,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him…In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”An important, but extremely abstract theological series of metaphors for an infant who perceives her or his environment literally and concretely. In other words, it’s a total failure as a concept comprehensible to a child’s sensation of dark and light.
Fortunately, the rest of the book avoids abstract thinking beyond the comprehension of its audience. My plea to the author, illustration and publisher is a new revised edition that avoids these egregious flaws that spoil what is an otherwise excellent board book.
October 4, 2018
We LOVE our Baby Believer books! Board books are a must-have in our house (with lots of drooling and chewing and sticky hands!), but finding a board book that can outlast the cartoon-pictures, sing-song rhymes, and childish (but also fun!) content are few and far between.
The author and illustrator of this series has taken extreme care over the details. The pictures are elegant, bold and colorful, and extremely intricate. But they are also still relatable to our youngest learners! Kiddos can read these books at different stages in development and focus on/learn different things. First, they will most likely be engaged by the gorgeous illustrations. As they start to acquire language, they may learn the big, bold words first, contrasting things like "light and dark," "above and below," etc. before identifying how these are opposites. But these books go beyond that and offer scripture that correlates to these opposites, showing how God was intentional in creating all things. Having the exact scripture is great as a parent to be able to teach the Bible in a way that is relatable to their young minds, but without "watering it down", so to speak.
You will not be disappointed with this book, or any in the series really! We have 3 of the Baby Believer books, and can't wait to add more to our collection!
The author and illustrator of this series has taken extreme care over the details. The pictures are elegant, bold and colorful, and extremely intricate. But they are also still relatable to our youngest learners! Kiddos can read these books at different stages in development and focus on/learn different things. First, they will most likely be engaged by the gorgeous illustrations. As they start to acquire language, they may learn the big, bold words first, contrasting things like "light and dark," "above and below," etc. before identifying how these are opposites. But these books go beyond that and offer scripture that correlates to these opposites, showing how God was intentional in creating all things. Having the exact scripture is great as a parent to be able to teach the Bible in a way that is relatable to their young minds, but without "watering it down", so to speak.
You will not be disappointed with this book, or any in the series really! We have 3 of the Baby Believer books, and can't wait to add more to our collection!
October 2, 2018
Let There Be Light: An Opposites Primer is one of the latest books in the Baby Believer series by Catechesis Books. I have really enjoyed being on the launch teams for all the books in the Baby Believer series thus far because these books are faithful to teach little ones the truths of God's Word. What I really appreciate about Let There Be Light is that along with teaching the basic concept of opposites, each illustration has a verse of Scripture that ties into what is pictured. I read this book to my toddler last week and when she saw it yesterday, she asked me to read it again. She had already memorized the title and was very excited to read it as she is drawn to the lovely illustrations. Although these books are designed to help the youngest hearts I love that they create a way for me to memorize Scripture as I share it with my daughter. If you are looking for a way to teach your child Scripture from an early age in a manner that is practical and exciting, I highly recommend Let There Be Light along with all the books in the Baby Believer series. I received Let There Be Light compliments of Harvest House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
October 4, 2018
I love this book! It's a decent sized board book, very sturdy pages, and BEAUTIFUL colors and illustrations. Each spread features a pair of opposites that were present during the creation week. But, my favorite part is that the scriptures used are not all from Genesis. There is a wide variety of quotes drawn from all over the Bible, and the natural poetry and majesty of scripture gives the book much more weight than your average opposites book.
My only 'complaint' is that, my 18M old is the perfect age for the "opposites" part of the book, and the bold pictures. But, he does not want to sit and wait for me me read the scripture on each page. While, my 4 (almost 5) year old will listen to the scripture, but already knows all his opposites, and wasn't that excited about reading the book more than twice. Maybe a 2 or 3 year old would be the perfect age? Here's hoping! In any case, I would highly recommend this for any parent who wants to introduce biblical content to their child's life in a beautiful, meaningful, engaging, truthful way.
My only 'complaint' is that, my 18M old is the perfect age for the "opposites" part of the book, and the bold pictures. But, he does not want to sit and wait for me me read the scripture on each page. While, my 4 (almost 5) year old will listen to the scripture, but already knows all his opposites, and wasn't that excited about reading the book more than twice. Maybe a 2 or 3 year old would be the perfect age? Here's hoping! In any case, I would highly recommend this for any parent who wants to introduce biblical content to their child's life in a beautiful, meaningful, engaging, truthful way.
October 2, 2018
I can't say enough good things about this book! I randomly found the First Bible Basics and Psalms of Praise books at Barnes & Noble a few months ago and immediately fell in love with how they're written and the illustrations! My son loves this book and I must say, it's quickly become a favorite of mine as well! The illustrations are gorgeous as you can see in the photos I've added and I love how the author uses Scripture from the whole Bible to tell the story of Creation while also using 'opposite' language as a learning tool for the kids! I also love how the book starts on the first page instead of having to turn through the title page to get to the main content. This book (and all the other Baby Believer books) are seriously a must-have for your family! You are able to simply speak truth into your little ones in a way that they can understand and engage with! Perfect as a gift for a new momma, a birthday gift, or for yourself!
September 22, 2018
Truly stunning visually, interesting conceptually, and wonderful weaving of different Scriptures to show both meaningful opposites AND the structure of the Genesis creation narrative. I'm heartily impressed that the excellent team behind the Baby Believer Primers managed to pull all of the different threads of this book together. That said, I'm not sure it will have quite the amazing level of intrinsic appeal as Psalms of Praise, the second in the series. Because Psalms of Praise involves movement, it is really, really easy to get a squirmy toddler into. This work is wonderful, but Psalms of Praise set a high bar to clear.
(Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.)
(Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.)
October 2, 2018
The beautiful, vibrant illustrations and and corresponding scripture passages make this book a work of art that is a joy to share with my children. Both of my little ones (almost 4 and almost 2) love looking at each page and noticing all the details. The concept of opposites is something that they both are learning, so to be able to pair verses from the Bible with ideas they are already learning (quiet/loud, dark/light, day/night, etc.) is wonderful. This has been an instant favorite and is on my Christmas list to gift to friends and family. So happy to have this wonderful resource that fills their hearts and minds with truth, beauty, and goodness!
November 23, 2018
I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This is such an attention-getting book for little ones. Through this book children can be introduced to how God created all. Each page has a little reading about God, then the colorful pictures have the opposite word written in big print. So one page may say "Wet" over the water that God created and then the next page will have "Dry" for the land.
This book makes my heart soar as I think about reading it to my grandchildren.
I recommend this to parents, grandparents, classrooms, to everyone with a little one in their lives.
This is such an attention-getting book for little ones. Through this book children can be introduced to how God created all. Each page has a little reading about God, then the colorful pictures have the opposite word written in big print. So one page may say "Wet" over the water that God created and then the next page will have "Dry" for the land.
This book makes my heart soar as I think about reading it to my grandchildren.
I recommend this to parents, grandparents, classrooms, to everyone with a little one in their lives.
November 5, 2018
I love all of the Baby Believer books! If you are seeking a beautifully designed and intelligently crafted book for your child, look no further! Together my daughter and I read the scripture, and she looks at the images like they are works of art. We love reading these books together. I personally enjoy the fact that these books have scripture, as well as teach my child basics of life- like opposites, animals, and movement. If I could, I’d frame these pages on her wall—they are THAT GORGEOUS! These books would make a great baby shower gift, birthday gift, or Christmas gift!
December 10, 2018
A generally thought out book with illustrations which I think will appeal to the young being read to, and children reading or exploring the book themselves. The focus on opposites within the creation story is a lovely idea. The only illustrations from the electronic version that were not so clear to me was the contrast of dark and light, and quiet to loud - the use of black for quiet seemed strange though the radiating colours to indicate increased sound seems effective to me as an adult - I am not sure it would be clear to a child....
These comments aside I do like the book.
These comments aside I do like the book.
January 7, 2021
A vibrantly illustrated board book in the Baby Believer collection. Each page has a verse about creation coupled with opposites that correspond to that verse. For now, Elliot and I are reading the opposites only, but as he grows and his concentration lengthens, I will start reading the Bible verses as well.
December 16, 2021
This isn't QUITE a Creation story told with opposites, although it includes lots of examples from the story of creation.
Each 2 page spread has a single illustration showing our 2 opposite words (quite/loud, light/dark, alone/together, empty/full, above/below, etc.) In addition, there's a Bible version from somewhere in the Bible that relates to the chosen opposites.
Each 2 page spread has a single illustration showing our 2 opposite words (quite/loud, light/dark, alone/together, empty/full, above/below, etc.) In addition, there's a Bible version from somewhere in the Bible that relates to the chosen opposites.
September 10, 2018
This is such a beautiful children’s book! I could not get enough of the beautiful illustrations. I know my daughter will love it as well! The author does a great job of breaking down the creation story for young children.
December 13, 2018
An absolutely wonderful series. This opposites primer uses scripture to illuminate differences. I think that this a great lesson for little ones as well as adults. I would absolutely love to see more books in this series! Fantastic book!
January 19, 2021
(5☆ Would recommend & would read again)
Great book for kids. It talks about creation, in a way that kids can understand, while helping kids learn about opposites. It creates an opportunity for parents to talk to their kids about faith.
Great book for kids. It talks about creation, in a way that kids can understand, while helping kids learn about opposites. It creates an opportunity for parents to talk to their kids about faith.
November 6, 2022
My two year old son memorized this book and quoted it back to me page for page (minus the scripture passages). We used hand gestures for each page and loved going through it together. A great introduction to the complexity of God’s good creation.
December 30, 2019
I am a huge fan of the Baby Believer series. This one goes through the creation narrative showing opposites on each page. As with the others, the illustrations are beautiful!
Want to Read
April 25, 2021Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
February 17, 2023
One of my favorites in the series. I love how the take the concept of the separating and filling of Genesis 1 and pull from other parts of the scriptures to illustrate as well.
September 28, 2025
3 1/2. Not bad, but I was surprised the text wasn’t all taken from the creation story. Overall, it still works, but it could have been even better.
Read
August 12, 2024This book is meant to be read to babies to teach them the meaning of simple opposite words (quiet/loud; dark/light; above/below; wet/dry; day/night; empty/full; large/small; alone/together; over/under; work/rest) with images that reflect these words, while teaching a biblical message. The bulk of the text in this book is worded beyond a baby or toddler's level of understanding, however little ones will likely love the colorful illustrations in this book.
I received this book from NetGalley and the book's publisher in exchange for my honest review, for which I am very grateful.
I received this book from NetGalley and the book's publisher in exchange for my honest review, for which I am very grateful.
January 1, 2026
This goes beyond even the primary teaching subject for little ones and helps them to learn concepts -- in this case, opposites-- using stunning artwork, and also working in the basics of Holy Scripture seamlessly. Sturdy and well made, these books are a worthy purchase for any child's library.
June 25, 2020
Gorgeous, modern graphic art packaged in a pleasing, educational board book. This is one that I enjoy looking at as much as my son will enjoy reading!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews