Big Theology for Little Hearts "Big Theology for Little Hearts will engage our children and launch us into teaching our little ones about our Lord.” ― Christopher W. Morgan , Dean and Professor of Theology, California Baptist University Each book in the Big Theology for Little Hearts series introduces a big idea from the Bible with concise definitions and engaging illustrations to help young minds gain a foundational understanding of God's word. With each volume written to complement all the others, this series is designed to help children develop a cohesive framework of theology that includes God, creation, humanity, Jesus, and the gospel-allowing you to start having crucial conversations with your children as early as possible.
Who is God? Creator, King, Trinity, Holy, Eternal, Unchanging, Just, Good, Loving, Glory. Amen and Amen! Beautiful art and rich vocabulary for our littlest ones. I'm sad these came out after my children were babies. I had to resort to purchasing the set for my PK Sunday School class.
5/29/20 Read with Julia 6/12/22 Read with my preschool class 5/28/25 Read with the GTC kids
Big Theology for Little Hearts is a book series that believes you’re never too young to learn about our faith or the words we use to express it. Each book in the series focuses on one theme and several terms that Christians use about that theme. The goal is to explain in the simplest of words what these things mean. Written by Devon Provencher and illustrated by Jessica Robyn Provencher, Big Theology for Little Hearts is designed to engage even the youngest children in developing the language necessary to talk about our faith.
This volume of the series focuses on God, with the defined terms being:
Creator King Trinity Holy Eternal Unchanging Just Good Loving Glory Having read all three volumes in this series (the other two being The Gospel and Jesus) and been kind of harsh on both of them, it’s fairly obvious to me that that impetus for the series came from this book. Because here, with perhaps the exception of “glory,” the book does exactly what it says: provide simple definitions of theological terms.
The book is structured logically. You have the titles of God, attributes of God, and then “glory” which is our response to God. Most of the definitions are clear and precise. King: “God is the ruler over all things forever.” Just: “God will never let the guilty go unpunished.” You get into “good” and “loving” and it turns into declarations that God is these things, rather than a definition of what these things mean.
While it’s easily the best of the Big Theology for Little Hearts series, I hesitate to recommend it because of my misgivings about the other two books. Simply put, I think that more careful thought and planning needed to go into the word choice and making sure the definitions were actually definitions. This series had a lot of potential and did not live up to it.
What I like about the series: Illustrations, clear, warm, simple, and friendly kid-appeal. Also related to the words defined on each page. Plan- each book teaches a big theological word in child-friendly language. Accuracy to the Bible, to adult teaching of these terms, and yet still using phrases that are common for littles- like King, turn your back to sin, Jesus- Rescuer, ...
The other two books published are the Gospel and Jesus. Just as effective and well-chosen as the God. These books could teach a 3-year-old, a college kid, or a parent about the most essential doctrine of the gospel. Not all theologians will tolerate the simple definitions that perhaps don't convey the full doctrine- but for kids and most laypeople- it's more than adequate vocabulary and conceptual. Perhaps this foundational background will create those more able to grasp theological concepts as they grow and grasp more knowledge at a deeper level.
These books are books that I hope kids request over and over again so that the children memorize the concepts as does the reader. So valuable on so many levels.
What I wonder: Will children want these books without a rhyme factor repeated over and over? Will they make posters to go with the series for older kids in classrooms? These would be great word wall images in a learning environment- and if you changed the font, even at a Bible college. What other books will come in this series.
I purchased these books when they were released and haven't had a chance to read them with littles yet due to the pandemic. But that time is coming soon I hope. I love them- but will littles?
The first book is a primer on the doctrine of God the Father. As the first member of the Trinity, knowledge of God the Father is foundational to right theology. On a level young children can understand, the book walks through doctrines such as God the creator, God the king, Trinity, the enteral nature of God, the justice of God, etc. The illustrations in the book are a wonderful aid to children to help them better understand what is being conveyed. They are well done and age appropriate. This is an excellent resource to introduce young readers to deep theological topics, but in a way that they can relate.
The Big Theology for Little Hearts series are excellent resources for families to incorporate into intentional family worship time or even informal discipleship moments. Just as with learning a new language, the best way to learn the truths of Scripture is through continual exposure. I would highly recommend this series to families who are seeking a way to begin discipleship with their children. These books can help provide that opportunity for children through the joy of reading.
Devon and Jessica Robyn Provencher have written and illustrated board books to introduce theology to children up to age three (or maybe a little older).
One book is titled God.
Using colorful pictures (not of God Himself, of course!) and succinct text, the child is introduced to some key concepts about God.
God is the Creator of everything. He is the King of all. He exists as Trinity. He is Holy. He is eternal. He is Unchanging. He is Just. He is Good. He is loving. And to Him belongs all glory.
After each word is highlighted with a two-page picture, there is a sentence explanation, beginning to fill out what exactly is being taught.
This is a wonderful series. Orthodox and well-worded. This is a very approachable way to introduce theology to very young children.
I have a niece who is turning three in August, and I have bought a set of books for her.
[This review appears on my blog, my YouTube channel, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]
This is an excellent means to convey truth to little ears. The book is best read as "God is..." and then the word(s) that follow on the page. It helps to convey more of the truth of the theology behind the words rather than simply looking at the words. Otherwise, it may be a little more difficult to understand.
The book is a high quality board book and the illustrations are delightful. These will be used a lot in my house with two small kids.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange from an unbiased review.
This book does a great job of introducing the really big concepts of who God is to young kids. The definitions are carefully worded. While they can be complex (how do you truly simplify these matters?), my three year old seems to grasp it or we have a bigger conversation about what it all means. I find these conversations really valuable and am thankful for this entire series. I definitely recommend this book to those who are looking into introduce, well, big theology to little hearts!
This is the first of these books I have read, and I was pleasantly surprised. It contains a list of words about, and attributes of, God alongside kid-friendly explanations or definitions. On first read, it seems theologically sound and is a nice way to introduce some "big theology" to "little hearts". That said, I'm never personally a huge fan of books that are just definitions with no story (which is the best way littles learn anyway), so three stars is the most it can get from me.
An introduction to the theology and attributes of the God of the Bible for little kids.
A quick read with just one attribute or tidbit about God on each page in one sentence with minimalist illustrations to go along with them. Cute, Biblically solid, and bite size for short attention spans. Recommended to Christian families and schools.
Attributes of God defined in one sentence each for small children. The book has very nice quality, although I wonder if the pictures will be interesting to kids. Good as a simple introduction for all of lower elementary.
(4☆ Would recommend) Great book for kids. It defines theological words in a way that kids can understand. It doesn't go into a lot of depth, but it creates an opportunity for parents to introduce God and build upon the descriptions in the book.
A book that summarizes God's attributes that you can find in the Bible. I read it to my little children to introduce Him to them, but I think whoever doesn't know the God of the Bible will benefit from it. It's clear and simple, although a couple of illustrations can be done better.
Dada got Jack this whole book series. It breaks down huge theological concepts into small bites with bold, richly colored illustrations. Jack wanted to read them by himself right away after nap, but he let me read this one to him before bed.