Cathryn started reading The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House

"What a darling book! As a former third grade teacher and a self-proclaimed ‘cool aunt�, I could immediately see what a treasure this resource is for adults who long to help the children in their lives fall in love with God. In this world of video games and CGI, to be able to gently point little hearts to the wonders that He’s created (and make them actually want to lift their eyes from a screen to experience these ‘wonder-full� moments with you) is priceless.

Amanda Dykes is known for bringing fictional stories to life with poetic prose and heartfelt plots, each novel a thoughtful reflection of THE Story. In A Pocketful of Wonder, she channels that same poetry, heart, and insight into creating opportunities for caregivers to place children in the middle of that Big Story and help them recognize that Creation is a love letter written for each of us. The book is divided into 10 themed sections � Sky, Water, Earth, Wild Things, Growing Things, Along the Way, Seasons, Day, Night, and Journey’s End � plus a bonus ‘The Adventure Begins� intro. Within each section are entries covering specific topics (like ‘Sun�, ‘Mud�, ‘Creature Tracks�, ‘Life in a Crack in a Sidewalk�, ‘When Fear Comes to Visit�, ‘Frost�, ‘Morning�, and ‘Stargazing�), and each entry features five simple elements to engage young adventurers: Pause, Ponder, Pray, Play, and Pair. My personal favorite section is ‘Along the Way� which considers more abstract teachable moments like when encountering joy, fear, waiting, interrupted plans, etc, and encourages caregivers to make every one an opportunity for wonder.

I loved the sweet poems that help us pause and begin our sense of wonder with Dykes� delightful wordsmithing. As a child, I always loved poetry so this would have definitely appealed to when I was in the target age group (way back in the Dark Ages haha). The little devotional paragraph to ponder and the suggested words to pray position little hearts (and older ones too) to see and appreciate the wonder that the subsequent play activity will reinforce. These hands-on activities are blessedly no-prep or low-prep (with varying messiness levels lol), making them ideal to engage at the spur of the moment when the topic is particularly timely. The variety is fantastic too, and the activities are easy to adapt to your child’s interest, learning style, ability, or special needs. I also adored how the author provides a musical piece (I believe they are all classical) to pair with each entry’s theme � how marvelous to expose children to that kind of beauty as well. The Bible verse that closes out each entry helps children tangibly connect the wonders they’ve been experiencing with the living and active Word of God, and I loved that.

Bottom Line: A Pocketful of Wonder by Amanda Dykes is a valuable and beautifully crafted handbook to help caregivers encourage their young charges to see the wonder of creation and the God Who spoke it into existence. Its format allows you to spontaneously take advantage of teachable moments that come along unexpectedly or to intentionally create space for those moments to happen. I so appreciated the thoughtful construction of this book that allows for different learning styles, abilities, and sensitivities as well as a seamless blend of art and science and faith. This is the perfect resource for parents, grandparents, babysitters/nannies, teachers, aunts & uncles, etc. who are looking for ways to help their kiddos unplug, get outside, engage the arts and sciences, appreciate the evidence of God all around them, and connect His creation to His Word. Spring & summer breaks are coming up, and A Pocketful of Wonder can make them the best ‘unplugged� times yet!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

first reviewed at "