Review of Snatched Up to Heaven for Kids

[Kisha Weatherbee]

[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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This book acts somewhat as a primer for conversation between parents and their children about heaven and hell in the context of the Christian religion. A young girl named Emma details deeply moving dreams she has been having in which she visits heaven, resulting in spirited discussion between herself, her older sister Bella, and her parents. While this book is an excellent companion to biblical study for young children, it does not translate well as a fictional storybook for children. The book is mostly question and response from each of the characters, highlighted by Emma's dream experience, and illustrated loosely as the story continues to the end. The reader is abruptly thrown into a day in the life of a family, and just as quickly is removed when the lesson has been learned. The illustrations throughout the book are visually engaging, but merely point to specific moments in the character's speech, rather than propel the story along their own creative path. There are no grammatical errors in the book, but occasionally the text has been placed directly on the illustration and backed with a lighted drop shadow, rather than placed on a consecutive page.
The subject of the book is a very specific perspective on heaven and hell from the point of view of a young child, and would not necessarily allow young readers to question the content or highlight the book with their own perspectives. Thus, the book creates more of a one-way conversation between children and an adult reader. I give this book a 3 out of 5 for its unique approach to a complex conversation about religion for young children.
This book could be much improved with illustrations that draw their own story alongside the text. The text should be removed from the illustrations, or else all should be placed within the illustration to create consistency. Transitions between events in the story are rushed, and should be more developed to create a more interesting story.

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Snatched Up to Heaven for Kids
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