Reviewed by Susan E. Richardson
God Gave Us Family by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Author Lisa Tawn Bergren chose the perfect opening line for the newest entry in her popular “God Gave Us” series for children ages 4 to 7. Little Pup asks, “Mama, how come our family only has one kid?” That’s not exactly “why,” but in the spirit of young children’s most popular question, Bergren goes on to use Mama and Papa Wolf, on their way to a family reunion with Little Pup, to explain how families can be different.
Some families only have one child. Others have many children. Some adopt children just like God adopts us into His family. Then you have families with only one parent or where grandparents raise their grandchildren. Each family is a gift from God.
As the wolves gather for their reunion, Little Pup has to accept that sometimes families can even be annoying. He’s glad to see his favorite cousin show up to play, but then two new cousins join the fun. Three cousins who used to get on his nerves turn out to be okay. Families can also have noisy fun times and quiet fun times. Little Pup decides he loves the family God gave him.
Children will enjoy how the charming artwork by David Hohn adds details to the story. He also hits just the right note with humanizing touches: just enough without making them people with fur. Pick up a copy of God Gave Us Family today to help your little ones understand that families are God’s gift to us.
