Review of Snatched Up to Heaven for Kids

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[Following is a volunteer review of "Snatched Up to Heaven for Kids" by Jemima Paul, Arvind Paul.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Snatched Up to Heaven for Kids is an easy read for young children that begin exploring their faith and understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It describes the miraculous dreams of young Emma, who repeatedly visits and sees Heaven for herself. Most of the observations Emma makes about Heaven are rooted in scripture; her father opens his bible to reference the scriptural passages that support Emma's claims.

Authors Jemima Paul and Arvind Paul make great use of both the simplistic, supporting illustrations that further the great work done in writing. The writing level is perfect for kids that have left behind picture books but aren't ready for chapter books. They use words that young children would understand, without stuffing so much text that they would lose interest.

Again, I appreciate that this story, which is focused on teaching about Heaven to young children, is rooted in scripture and includes its references. Without going into explicit detail or fully fleshing out all concepts, I believe this book will serve as an amazing starting point that a family could use for discussion (something the story's family does). The story provides enough detail to paint a picture but leaves enough open for curiosity and further study.

Something I didn't like as much, bringing my rating down to 3/5, is the brief explanation for these dreams. I think the story saying that God gave Emma these dreams and continued to give her many more experiences in Heaven via dream after she asked can set the stage for misunderstanding prayer and how God answers. How are children supposed to feel when, after reading this, they decide to ask God to help them dream about Heaven but don't have that experience? I think it is damaging to budding testimonies to read about how easily this relatable character gets all she asks for from God and then for children to turn around and not have that experience.

I also understand where the authors were coming from in introducing and describing Hell, but I feel like that was a poor note to end an otherwise positive and inspiring story. I think the description was just over what would have been age-appropriate.

Overall, I think this is an excellent book to give to growing children to kickstart their self-study into a major Christian topic, to be followed up with family discussion.

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Snatched Up to Heaven for Kids
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