• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Big Books, Little Ears

Reading chapter books to toddlers, preschoolers, and beyond

  • Books to Read Aloud
  • Tips for Reading Together
  • Book Activities
  • Books for Moms
  • About
  • Contact Me
You are here: Home / Book Reviews / Theology Review of The Apostles’ Creed: For All God’s Children

Theology Review of The Apostles’ Creed: For All God’s Children

March 5 by Kristin Wynalda

Share this post:

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Email

The end materials of The Apostles’ Creed: For All God’s Children say, “Families are little churches.”

So true. That’s why we fill our book baskets with good books that help us disciple our children. That’s why we dutifully examine the theology in our picture books to make sure they line up with God’s word. So, let’s examine the newly published non-fiction Christian picture book The Apostles’ Creed: For All God’s Children by Ben Myers.

This post contains referral links for these products. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It does not cost you extra to purchase through my links.

I was provided with a copy of The Apostles’ Creed: For All God’s Children to review. However, this review is not paid for, and all thoughts are my own.

Cover of the Apostles' Creed: for all God's Children and cover of the matching coloring book

My overall thoughts on this faith-filled picture book

The Apostles’ Creed: For All God’s Children is great. On each page is a phrase from the creed, along with more text to dive a little bit into what it means. It’s not really an explanation on every page, more a lyrical (but non-rhyming) expansion of the creed’s phrase. I love it, and highly recommend it. I think it would make a lovely Easter gift, or a good gift from a church to all member families.

Of course, you know I’m not going to just leave it at that, so let’s talk about the details you want to know before you purchase!

Related: If you like the theology deep dives like this, be sure to check out my review of the theology in the picture book God Gave Us Prayer.

Halos in Illustrations

First, let’s address the elephant in the room – halos. I actually didn’t even notice the “aura” around Jesus in the illustrations until I checked out the coloring book that you can get to accompany the picture book. Then I was like, “Ohhhhhhhh, that’s a halo.”

comparison of picture book and coloring book image showing Jesus with a halo

 So, I went back through the book, picture by picture. There is an “aura” around Jesus’ head in every illustration. I definitely wouldn’t have called it a halo until I saw the coloring book and the clear line. Now some good news for the halo-averse: it is ONLY around Jesus, never around Mary or the apostles.

Since it’s a normal way to denote Jesus as being fully God even while fully human, I’m ok with it. But FYI, it’s pretty prominent in the coloring book, so buyer-be-warned if you have strong halo feelings.

Related: Halos in picture books are nothing new. I talk about them more in my review of the Baby Believer board books on this list of the best gospel board books.

Age Range

The publisher recommends The Apostles’ Creed: For All God’s Children for ages 4 through 8. I’d agree with that, although I think you could definitely push it up older because of the high word count. (It could be a really nice gift even for an adult who recently joined the faith, maybe with a copy of a simple devotional like New Morning Mercies.) Nobody’s too old for a good faith filled picture book!

I also think you could use this faith based picture book with younger kids with a little tweaking. There are A LOT of words, so if you’re reading it to the younger set, you could always read only the “creed” portion on each page, then work up to reading all of the explanation of the creed. The pictures are engaging, and I read it to our 2 year old (just the “creed” part) with absolutely no problem. (And it’s not like she’s my best listener…)

Also, if you aren’t familiar with the Apostles’ Creed, it does say, “…who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary…”

If reciting creeds is a new faith practice in your family, be ready to explain “conceived” and “virgin” if the kids ask. We all been there, go with God on that one…

Who is this picture book for?

This picture book is for any family who believes what the Apostles’ Creed says. Heads up that every page ends with “That’s what I believe.”

That “I” can make it slightly tricky, as it wouldn’t make any sense to have a non-believer reading it. I leave it to your discretion if you’re planning to give the book to unbelievers.

ALSO, heads up that there are a lot of questions in the text that the author doesn’t answer. For example, on one page the text said, “Did he deserve it? Did he ever do anything wrong? Why did he suffer so much? He suffered for us.”

Now, that’s true that Jesus suffered for us, but it doesn’t actually answer all of the questions. Did he deserve it??

Other times the author clearly answers the question. For example, the text says, “Was he really dead or was he just pretending? He really died.”

Great, got it.

Now, I don’t think the unanswered questions are a bad thing! It leaves space for response from the kids, which is great. However, I want you to know they’re in there in case you don’t feel comfortable answering yourself. Also, it might affect who you let read the book to your children. If you have questions about how to answer the questions in the text, definitely reach out to your pastor, or holler, I can recommend some good books.

Catholic Church and “he descended into hell” in the Apostles’ Creed

The Apostles’ Creed that my denomination recites says, “The holy catholic church, the communion of saints.”

This Christian picture book says the same thing, then the extra text that goes with the creed says, among other things, “God’s family is so big- and it’s always growing!”

There’s an asterisk in the back parent section that explains, “The phrase ‘catholic church’ means all Christians throughout time and space who confess the Christian faith.”

Now, certain denominations say “holy Christian church,” instead of “holy catholic church.” (Hello, Lutheran friends! Welcome.)

I think if you wanted to change the text from “catholic” to “Christian” on the page where it says it, you easily could. I did that with another Easter book this year that only used “Quiet Man” instead of “Jesus” – a tiny piece of card stock, a fine-tip sharpie, and a smidge of smooth packing tape and the kids will never know! I edited Pug the Elf the same way years ago because it had “darn.” Some books are just so close to perfect, and with a little tweaking we can make them say what we want for when Grandma or the babysitter is reading to the kids!

Also, The Apostles’ Creed: For All God’s Children does say, “he descended into hell.” Not all churches recite that line, so be aware that it’s in there. The additional text next to the creed statement doesn’t say anything that you would disagree with even if you don’t say that line, because it basically just says Jesus for sure physically died, and that he is stronger than death. Amen!

A Tiny Bit More Theology Discussion About the Picture Book

At one point the author states, “He [Jesus] took Eve and Adam, our first parents, by the hand and made them his sister and brother.”

Cue me furiously googling, “Are Adam and Eve FOR SURE in heaven?”

It feels just a bit odd to be ascribing salvation to anyone. Just a heads up it’s in there if you have strong feelings about that. And be prepared to answer that question if your kids ask. When I looked into it, most sources I trusted said something like, “Probably.”

Also, while we’re talking about theology, I thought that the author handled the trinity very well. That can be tricky in a children’s book, but it was all theologically on the up-and-up, no modalism in sight!

Illustrations

Gah, the illustrations are so theologically rich!! The text doesn’t even begin to cover all of the things you can catch in the illustrations. There are more obvious things, like soldiers casting lots for Jesus’ clothes, and more subtle touches, like Hebrew writing around God’s throne room. It feels like one of those wonderful moments when the illustrator really understood what the author’s main message was, and went all in.

cover of the picture book The Apostles' Creed: For All God's Children

Full disclosure, the publisher’s marketing material that says to “find the cat” is a stretch…because the cat is front and center in every picture. Not much “finding” going on.

If they really wanted to lean into the seek-and-find concept, it could have benefited from hiding a cat tail on every page, with just a tail peeking out from behind a tree, things like that. (Lexham Press, I stand by that idea for your next CATechism book. Have your people call my people.)

Overall Thoughts

The Apostles’ Creed: For All God’s Children is great. It is a great stepping stone for rich family conversations, but it also stands well on its own.

R. Albert Mohler, Jr. said in one of his books, “All Christians believe more than is contained in the Apostles’ Creed, but none can believe less.”

That’s why I’m happy to have this great faith based picture book in our book basket – it’s the minimum of what I want them to know about our faith. I think it should be in your book basket, too!

Related: You’ll find other great books like this on my list of Gospel books for Easter, and year round.

Share this post:

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Email

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Children's Books

More stuff to help you…

My Top 10 Picture Book Baby Gifts

Pug Pal read aloud

Pug Pals

cover of funny read aloud book

The Hoboken Chicken Emergency

Primary Sidebar

Hello! I’m Kristin.

It can be hard to find good Christian books, so I do the work for you through thorough Christian book reviews! That doesn’t mean I only look at Christian books – it means that I review all types of kids’ books through the lens of my faith. Let’s find you something to read aloud!
  • Join the conversation on Facebook!
  • Follow me on Instagram!

There's more to read!

Join the newsletter list to receive the latest content from Big Books, Little Ears. Get tips, book suggestions, and deals that are only sent out in my newsletters!

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

I won't send you spam, and I'd never sell your information. You can unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Looking for something?

More articles you might like:

  • The Absolute BEST Christian Kids’ Books Published in 2022 – The Golden Paw Print Awards
  • Who Won What? 2022 Christian Children’s Book Awards Roundup
  • Theologically Sound Advent Devotionals for FAMILIES

Footer

Legal Stuff

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

Website Disclaimer and Disclosures

Copyright Big Books, Little Ears© 2023

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT