found

For generations, Psalm 23 has been a favorite Psalm for Christians. It is perhaps the one Psalm that people can recite from memory. It isn’t hard to see why it is so well loved; the words of this Psalm speak words of comfort and peace. We can almost feel God’s arms around us as we read it.  

The new short board book, found (yes, all lowercase letters) by Sally Lloyd-Jones, with illustrations by Jago is a great way to introduce kids to Psalm 23. The text for the book is taken from The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones but with new illustrations by Jago. While the words are the same, each page gets much less text than in the Storybook Bible, allowing for more pictures and a slower pace through the Psalm. Jones’ paraphrase of the Psalm is wonderful, capturing the words of the Psalm but using words and ideas that young children can more easily grasp. The book introduces young children to the images and the work of a shepherd.  

I can see this book as a great bedtime book for a toddler. It could be given as a gift from a congregation to three year olds as they begin Sunday school or Children’s Worship, especially appropriate since many Children’s Worship programs use the story of the good shepherd as a centerpiece story. With older kids, you could compare the language that found uses with the words translators of the Bible used. All in all, this is a wonderful book with lots of potential for introducing young children to the joys of Psalm 23.