Review of Snatched Up to Heaven for Kids

[Kelsey Cobbs]

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

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2 out of 5 stars

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This book offers a thorough and complete introduction to evangelical Christian concepts of heaven and hell with language accessible to children. The story is told as a conversation within a family unit made up of a mom, dad, and two sisters. One of the sisters begins to have dreams about heaven (and later, hell) and shares the content of her dreams with her family.

This book concerns me in some of its subtextual messages. First, the illustrations almost exclusively depict people with fair skin (only 3 have dark skin). Within the family structure, the dad is the only one who reads the bible and the verses that appear in the footnotes are singular cherry-picked texts, none of which come from the teachings of Jesus. The consequences of this as a model for biblical literacy is that children may learn that other people are able to interpret (or cherry pick) scriptures for them. One of the scenes depicts people in heaven receiving different-sized rewards according to their work on Earth that references Revelation but does not account for the parable from Matthew 20 where Jesus teaches that in the Kingdom of Heaven, God gives everyone the same thing because what other people get is not anyone else's business. The last concern is that the depiction of hell, while not excessively graphic in illustrations, is not an age appropriate lesson for deeply imaginative children. Children should not be taught that they must choose Jesus under the threat of eternal torment. The Good News of Jesus is good enough on its own. Scaring children into belief is not a biblical value.

Overall, this book is not something that I would share with my children or recommend to others. While it creatively lays healthy framework for children talking to their parents about their dreams and their faith, the lessons it imposes are too much of a negative for me in my context. 2 out of 5.

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Snatched Up to Heaven for Kids
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