Review of Snatched Up to Heaven for Kids

[Louise Woollard]

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

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4 out of 5 stars

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I rate this 4 out of 5.

The story is about a Christian family. Emma, the eight-year-old daughter, has a series of dreams about Heaven and then about Hell. We follow the family as they discuss Emma’s dreams. They ask her questions and check if her dreams match the teaching of the Bible. They describe how they feel about each aspect of life in Heaven. This is a well-illustrated book. I particularly thought the illustrations of Hell were cleverly and sensitively done: not being too graphic, but conveying a sense of anguish.

My heart sank a little on the first page when I saw the story was about little girls. I thought my boys would find that an instant turn-off. Also, the idealised family seemed too good to be true. But I then read the story aloud to my sons and was pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed the book as a family. It was very easy to read, so ideal to read together.

The author includes useful Bible references as footnotes, so that you can check out the ideas portrayed in the Bible yourself. This is commending in the Berean Christians (Acts 17:11) to search the Scriptures after hearing a message to see if what you are being taught is truth. I liked how it sparked conversations as we read the book together. I found I was mulling over some of the ideas later, for example a mention of snakes that I had not come across before.

My son said that it made Heaven seem more real. I think he meant that it laid out some of the biblical teaching in a very concrete, clear way.
This is a great book to discover what the Bible teaches on the theme of Heaven and Hell, because it draws together teachings from across so many books of the Bible. It was great for a family of believers. The language is clear and accessible to any family, even with no prior knowledge of the Bible, but I don’t know how they might take it.

One criticism is that there is not really a story as such. Emma just has lots of dreams. Her little sister Bella is not jealous that Emma is singled out to have these special dreams. I don’t know if this book has enough appeal to become a family favourite, being read over and over.

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Snatched Up to Heaven for Kids
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