Monthly Special
World Religions: Christianity

Picture Books | Fiction | Nonfiction 

The books recommended below were published within the last several years. Grade levels are only suggestions; the individual child is the real criterion.

Picture Books
Suggested grade level listed with each entry

Sunday Week written by Dinah Johnson, illustrated by Tyrone Geter (Holt)
In this joyfully nostalgic depiction, one African American family’s week is centered around Sunday. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

The Colt and the King written by Marni McGee, illustrated by John Winch (Holiday)
The donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem narrates this reverent, restrained account of Palm Sunday. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

The Animals Watched written by John Warren Stewig, illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger (Holiday)
Biblical details abound in this animal alphabet book cum Noah’s Ark retelling.

Fiction
Suggested grade level listed with each entry

Clay by David Almond (Delacorte)
Two altar boys create a golem animated by stolen consecrated Hosts in this creepy musing on the nexus between faith and reality, good and evil. Grade level: 7 and up. 247 pages.

Evolution, Me, & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande (Knopf)
A battle between proponents of creationism and a stalwart biology teacher reflects Christian teen Mena’s internal struggle as she works to reconcile science and faith. Grade level: 7 and up. 265 pages.

Dark Sons by Nikki Grimes (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion)
In alternating passages, modern-day Sam and biblical Ishmael describe their rocky relationships with their fathers. Grade level: 7 and up. 216 pages.

The Book of Everything written Gus Kuijer, translated by John Nieuwenhuizen (Levine/Scholastic)
Nine-year-old Thomas, worried about his abusive fundamentalist father, creates a close relationship with a laid-back, compassionate Jesus. Grade level: 4–6. 101 pages.

Perfectly Chelsea written by Claudia Mills, illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers (Farrar)
Fourth-grader Chelsea experiences her first crisis of faith. Grade level: 4–6. 199 pages.

When We Were Saints by Han Nolan (Harcourt)
Archie’s dying grandfather’s proclamation that Archie is a saint sparks a personal journey. Grade level: 7 and up. 239 pages.

Nonfiction
Suggested grade level listed with each entry

Mother Teresa written and illustrated by Demi (McElderry)
Quotes from the Bible and Mother Teresa’s prayers complement a chronological biography of the subject’s life among “the poorest of the poor.” Grade level: 4–6. 40 pages.

Joan of Arc written by Josephine Poole, illustrated by Angela Barrett (Knopf)
This deeply spiritual, dramatically illustrated picture-book biography reads like a story. Grade level: 4–6. 40 pages.

The Secret World of Hildegard written by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Jeanette Winter (Levine/Scholastic)
The biblically styled prose and framed illustrations tell of a sickly girl in the Middle Ages who grows up to become a beloved abbess and visionary. Grade level: K–3. 64 pages.

Saints among the Animals written by Cynthia Zarin, illustrated by Leonid Gore (Jackson/Atheneum)
Matter-of-fact, folksy retellings of saint stories root the iconic figures firmly in the natural world, emphasizing their humanity. Grade level: 4–6. 88 pages.

Stories from the Bible written and illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger (Neugebauer/North-South)
Thoughtfully chosen selections from the King James Bible trace a reverent path from Creation to Resurrection. Grade level: 4–6. 160 pages.

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