God Gave Us Love Children’s Book Review

By Summer:

With Valentine’s Day only a day away, you may be getting the question from your child(ren), what’s love? For me this question is easy to answer, God is love. For Christians it’s all in 1 John 4:7-21 (and throughout the Bible, but that pops into my mind first). However explaining this to my children is something else. We read the Bible and do a family devotional. My oldest son is in our AWANA program at church and memorizes verses, but I wonder how much he really understands at age 5. So, this Valentine’s Day when we cuddle up with all our holiday books we’ll be reading God Gave Us Love by Lisa Tawn Bergren, illustrated by Laura J. Bryant.

You may remember Lisa Tawn Bergren from our Mom Start review of God Gave Us the World released in January 2011 and God Gave Us You which was released in board book form July 2011. The original God Gave Us Love book was released in September 2009 but the board book was just released in December (2011). We don’t own the original book, but we were given the board book for this review. AND AGAIN, a HIT! We LOVE it!

I appreciate the message in God Gave Us Love about the difference between like and love, and different kinds of love. Little Cub is upset with the otters and my not like them right now, but Little Cub can still love his friends the otters and same with his twin siblings who may annoy him. There is a love of friends; then there is love between family members including a special love between moms and dads. Then there is the extra special love from God.

The dialogue of the book is Little Cub and Grandpa Bear having a conversation about the different types of love:
“Because we want to love others as God loves us, but we don’t always feel like loving them. Choosing love is always right. God gave us love so we could see goodness in others, even when they make us grumpy.”
“I know, I know,” Little Cub said with a sign. “God gave us love”

If you haven’t read God Gave Us Love or don’t own it, you can still go grab a copy as a Valentine’s Day gift for a child in your life. This is a super cute way to share God’s love with someone you love. In addition to making a great Valentine’s Day gift, God Gave Us Love is great for a baptism or first communion gift, or for a child who has just become a Christian.

You can get a copy of God Gave Us Love on Amazon and at retailers nationwide.

You can find God Gave Us Love and other WaterBrook Press books on their website. Keep up with other new WaterBrook Press releases and learn about contests and prizes on their Facebook page and by following them on Twitter @WaterBrookPress. Other WaterBrook books reviewed on Mom Start (other than the aforementioned Lisa Tawn Bergren books) have been The Dragon and the Turtle: Go On Safari.

Follow the God Gave Us Love author, Lisa Tawn Bergren on her web page, the Lisa Tawn Bergren Facebook page, and on Twitter @LisaTBergren.

Disclosure: The publisher not only supplied me with a copy of God Gave Us Love to facilitate this review, but Mom Start was given an extra book for donation.

About Summer:

Summer is very active in our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living while cooking up a storm.