Mostly What God Does Is Love You
By Savannah Guthrie; Illustrated by Morgan Huff (Zonderkidz)
As promised, in Mostly What God Does Is Love You, mom and NBC News Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie creates a charming children’s sequel to her best-selling Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere. Again based on Ephesians 5:1-2 in The Message version of the Bible, the Scripture appears prominently on the title page.
Outstanding picture book illustrators bring an author’s words to life in connected two-page spreads. Morgan Huff’s art and Savannah Guthrie’s copy perfectly complement each other. The delightful images of children and adults feature differing shapes, sizes, ages, colors and a few added glasses, broken bones or wheel chairs. And clearly, mostly what God does is love them.
The beautiful volume begins with the invitation to “Just look at what God does …” made more appealing by a purply-blue night sky teeming with shining stars, shadowy cumulus clouds and a bright crescent moon. The following pages explain: “He hangs the stars every evening, And every day, summons the dawn … But mostly what God does is love you.”
After sections on God’s creation filled with birds, bees, butterflies, animals, flowers, fruit and trees, the tone shifts: “He is big, And you are small … But never too small for him.” Words promise the child that God carries their hopes, dreams and fears since “mostly what God does is love you.”
Naturally, since God loves, his children begin to share that love, too. After all, “The world always needs more love and peace.” The girls and boys clearly receive the message as they play together, share art supplies and cookies, sing Christmas carols and visit the hospital. The title closes with the assurance that although they can’t see God with their eyes or touch him with their hands, they can feel him in their hearts and know him in their minds.
In the end, Savannah Guthrie’s Mostly What God Does is Love You is not only strong on biblical truth and encouraging children to feel God’s love every moment, but also is long on lessons of sharing love through goodness, kindness, forgiveness and faithfulness.
The uplifting book can be enjoyed in any setting, at bedtime or any time, by anyone of any age, and makes a perfect gift for any occasion: birthday, graduation, holiday or just because. Some books are “one and done.” This one is an investment.
Kathy Robinson Hillman, former president
Texas WMU and Baptist General Convention of Texas
Waco
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