Review of Snatched Up to Heaven for Kids

[jazzygirl625]

[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 by Jemima Paul and Arvind Paul tells the story of a little girl named Emma dreaming about Heaven and Hell. The story is told mostly through dialogue as Emma explains her dreams to her family and asks her parents questions about the Bible.

The story incorporates information from the Bible in a way that is very easy for a child to understand. The illustration style is cute and colorful, which most children would find very engaging. However, the story itself could have been told in a more engaging way. Instead of taking the reader through the dreams with Emma, the story simply has her talking about her dreams. A younger child would likely be more excited about vivid imagery and storytelling than about a conversation between a girl and her family.

There are two main drawbacks to this book. One is that the illustrations are largely lacking in diversity. A couple of pages show one or two people of color in the groups of people in heaven, but many pages only show white people. The second drawback is that the story largely focuses on fear tactics, discussing God’s judgment, hell, and sin in a way that would scare children into obeying God instead of choosing to do so. Some Christian denominations do not favor this approach, so the reader should take their own faith into consideration.

As such, the rating of this book would be very subjective depending on the reader’s beliefs. However, I would overall rate this book 3 out of 5 stars, based on the book's ability to communicate with and engage young children. The language is simple enough for a child to understand, but the story itself is not as engaging as it could have been. Additionally, the biggest weakness of this book is the lack of diversity in the illustrations.

I would recommend this book to Chirstian parents and other family members who are struggling to introduce the ideas of heaven and hell in a way that their children can understand. Younger children would be able to follow the story if an adult read it to them, and school-aged children would be able to engage with the story on their own. However, these family members should be mindful of the weaknesses of the book and decide on a case-by-case basis whether the book fits their family.

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Snatched Up to Heaven for Kids
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