When Zondervan Publishing gave me the option of choosing one of their upcoming books for review, I chose Let There Be Light written by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, because it seemed like something I’d love to add to my daughters growing book collection.
The majority of board books I have for my little one are thrift store finds, and they aren’t in the greatest condition. So I’m always on the lookout for quality reads I can get Tessa, (especially books that are faith based) that will be worth keeping as hand-me-downs for future kids. I was hoping this might be one I can toss in the “keeper” pile!
“In the very beginning, God’s love bubbled over when there was nothing else—no trees, no birds, no animals, no sky, no sea—only darkness.”
Let There Be Light combines the love and warmth of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu with the extraordinary talents of bestselling author and illustrator Nancy Tillman. This retelling of the biblical story of creation vividly portrays the wonder and beauty of God’s creation on each of the seven days. Using Archbishop Tutu’s lyrical text from the Children of God Storybook Bible and Tillman’s remarkable illustrations, Let There Be Light brings the story of creation to life for readers young and old.
My Thoughts on the Book
So when I saw “board book” I just assumed it would be age appropriate for my little 15 month old. I mean, board books are published in the board format because they are suitable to be dropped, tugged, pulled, drooled and gnawed on, right??
So I was a little confused as to the obscure illustrations by Nancy Tillman on each page. Don’t get me wrong, the graphics are very pretty, and very artistic. They have a bit of a watercolor meets photography style to them. But there are no cute figures, bold colors, bright contrasts, or anything that would perk up the interest of a young toddler. The images are subtle, mellow toned and extremely abstract. My 15 month old took one look, then moved on to another book. I had it read it AT her, and less TO her.
When I hopped online to write this review, as I pulled up the book description from Amazon, I realized it states that the age range for this book is “4 to 8 years old”. Now, I know some 8 year olds that are already starting in on Young Jedi Star Wars novels, and I seriously doubt this board book will be something that overly interests them. I’m not quite sure why this book is formatted for a toddler, but aimed at an older kid crowd.
But the whole “board book for an 8 year old” aside, the text is something I would like to read to Tessa when she gets a bit older. As expected, it’s a brief, paraphrased for children story of the Creation. I wouldn’t call this book a complete bust, but it certainly wasn’t what I was expecting for my little one. It’s still in the keeper pile… I might just have to wait until my little one is a tad bit older to pull it off the shelf again.
Do you have any favorite board books for your children, or favorite childhood books you’d recommend for a 15 month old? Share below!
Interesting review – I just ordered this from Zondervan for my 2.5 year old… We’ll see!! As far as books she has loved in the past year, do you have any of the BabyLit books? They’re based on classic literature (our favorites are Anna Karenina and Jane Eyre but they have quite the range!) but are actually numbers and colors books. Very fun! Good luck finding books for your daughter. We definitely utilize the library – ours has a specific board book section, which made it less overwhelming and we could change out the books as frequently as we liked.
No, I haven’t seen / heard of the BabyLit books! I will have to check those out.. our board book library is shamefully small at the moment, lol. And YES, I very much intent to utilize the library when my kids are a bit older.. I used to work as a Librarian Assistant for our local county library, and we do have a good childrens section here in town. You’ll have to let me know what you think of this book when you get it! Link to your review? ^_^
I am also a BookLook blogger. I have read through your reviews and they are all interesting and honest. It’s always nice to meet other BookLook bloggers, and it was a pleasure reading your blog. I have fallen way behind on my blog since our move but I’m getting back there slowly but surely, lol! It would be nice to connect with you if you would like to. You can find my button here: http://www.jodysbookreview.com
I look forward to reading more of your reviews.
Jody
Jody’s Book Reviews, Giveaways & Tours http://www.jodysbookreview.com
I would LOVE to connect with more Book Look bloggers!! Consider me your newest follower. I notice that my book reviews get the LEAST amount of love (view count and comment wise) on my blog, and I’d like to connect with others who share my same interests and passions in this area.. I’m heading over to your blog now to check it out! Looking forward to keeping in touch! <3
I agree Nancy Tillman’s books are pretty but you’re right—they’re not the typical bright books for the younger crowd. Even the text is usually poetic. I can’t remember if my kids LOVED any of her books, but I understand she has written a lot of favorites.
I need to get her some more books for here. She’s always pulling the books out and tells me all about them (some are incredibly hilarious according to her). As soon as the weather warms up I’ll try to hit some yard sales to get more.
It certainly sounds like a nice book, says me and adult. But, yeah, probably not too appealing for a little one and thus a good choice to put it on hold for a little while. Who knows, it may just turn out to be the big hit in a couple of years. That’s the nice thing about books. They can get as old as hell, and they will still be there for you.
Yeah, I love rereading books from my childhood and seeing how my perspectives change. For instance, I hated The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Now I LOVE it. But sometimes, they’re as bad as I remember, haha. For instance, I just finished rereading The Wizard of Oz… and yup. Still a stinker IMO… haha..
Okay, Umm… Billie the Unicorn by Brianne Drouhard, Thank you Bear by Greg Foley, You’re All My Favorites by Sam McBratney, and Always and Forever by Alan Durant. These are all wonderfully illustrated with good messages. I mean, I still enjoy them now :).
I appreciate your honest review. I think the artwork is beautiful from an adult’s perspective. My daughters enjoyed the Sandra Boynton board books, and Please, Baby, Please was the favorite. We owned the latter in hardback, but now it’s available in board. We actually went through two copies because I read it that much!
We love the Babylit books! Specifically Jane Austen 🙂 I’ve also gotten some Mini Masters which are really great- we have In the Garden with Van Gogh and Dancing with Degas as well as a couple others. They are beautiful, engaging little books that I think our 6 month old will enjoy for a while!
Hey, what is the web address to your blog again? I am only finding your etsy shop?? I want to visit your bloooooog and I don’t know where I saved it!!! lol..
Interesting review – I just ordered this from Zondervan for my 2.5 year old… We’ll see!! As far as books she has loved in the past year, do you have any of the BabyLit books? They’re based on classic literature (our favorites are Anna Karenina and Jane Eyre but they have quite the range!) but are actually numbers and colors books. Very fun! Good luck finding books for your daughter. We definitely utilize the library – ours has a specific board book section, which made it less overwhelming and we could change out the books as frequently as we liked.
No, I haven’t seen / heard of the BabyLit books! I will have to check those out.. our board book library is shamefully small at the moment, lol. And YES, I very much intent to utilize the library when my kids are a bit older.. I used to work as a Librarian Assistant for our local county library, and we do have a good childrens section here in town. You’ll have to let me know what you think of this book when you get it! Link to your review? ^_^
Interesting and honest review! Never heard of this book, I want to see it now
http://girlandthepolkadot.blogspot.com/
If you check it out, let me know what you think! <3
I am also a BookLook blogger. I have read through your reviews and they are all interesting and honest. It’s always nice to meet other BookLook bloggers, and it was a pleasure reading your blog. I have fallen way behind on my blog since our move but I’m getting back there slowly but surely, lol! It would be nice to connect with you if you would like to. You can find my button here: http://www.jodysbookreview.com
I look forward to reading more of your reviews.
Jody
Jody’s Book Reviews, Giveaways & Tours
http://www.jodysbookreview.com
I would LOVE to connect with more Book Look bloggers!! Consider me your newest follower. I notice that my book reviews get the LEAST amount of love (view count and comment wise) on my blog, and I’d like to connect with others who share my same interests and passions in this area.. I’m heading over to your blog now to check it out! Looking forward to keeping in touch! <3
Ah, I want these! How gorgeous. Big love for Desmond Tutu, as my son is named Desmond and it’s not a complete coincidence!
I feel like a complete boob, because I am not entirely familiar with who Desmond Tutu is.. haha.. *blush*
I agree Nancy Tillman’s books are pretty but you’re right—they’re not the typical bright books for the younger crowd. Even the text is usually poetic. I can’t remember if my kids LOVED any of her books, but I understand she has written a lot of favorites.
I am SO new to the world of children’s books that the name just doesn’t ring a bell for me. Yeesh, I need to get on the ball!
Looks like a nice book, hopefully your little one will enjoy it more when she gets a little older? Thanks for stopping by my blog 🙂
Yeah, I’ve no real complaints except that it’s not in her age bracket.. So I’ll keep it around. Hehe. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
I need to get her some more books for here. She’s always pulling the books out and tells me all about them (some are incredibly hilarious according to her). As soon as the weather warms up I’ll try to hit some yard sales to get more.
I need to hit the annual library sale…
It certainly sounds like a nice book, says me and adult. But, yeah, probably not too appealing for a little one and thus a good choice to put it on hold for a little while. Who knows, it may just turn out to be the big hit in a couple of years. That’s the nice thing about books. They can get as old as hell, and they will still be there for you.
Yeah, I love rereading books from my childhood and seeing how my perspectives change. For instance, I hated The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Now I LOVE it. But sometimes, they’re as bad as I remember, haha. For instance, I just finished rereading The Wizard of Oz… and yup. Still a stinker IMO… haha..
Hmmm… I can’t think of any recommendations for board books, but I have several recommendations for children’s picture books.
Share!! Share!
Okay, Umm… Billie the Unicorn by Brianne Drouhard, Thank you Bear by Greg Foley, You’re All My Favorites by Sam McBratney, and Always and Forever by Alan Durant. These are all wonderfully illustrated with good messages. I mean, I still enjoy them now :).
Man, I haven’t even heard of any of those!! I fail at kids book! lol.. I’ll have to check those titles out!!
I hope you do. They’re great!
I’ll let you know when I order them! I trust your judgement hehe..
I appreciate your honest review. I think the artwork is beautiful from an adult’s perspective. My daughters enjoyed the Sandra Boynton board books, and Please, Baby, Please was the favorite. We owned the latter in hardback, but now it’s available in board. We actually went through two copies because I read it that much!
I will have to check that title out! I am pretty much constantly on the lookout for new books for my little one..
We love the Babylit books! Specifically Jane Austen 🙂 I’ve also gotten some Mini Masters which are really great- we have In the Garden with Van Gogh and Dancing with Degas as well as a couple others. They are beautiful, engaging little books that I think our 6 month old will enjoy for a while!
I haven’t heard of those either! Man, I fail!! I need to hit up my fellow bloggers for book suggestions more often!
Hey, what is the web address to your blog again? I am only finding your etsy shop?? I want to visit your bloooooog and I don’t know where I saved it!!! lol..