When my first Grandson was born, a friend said to me, "May he follow Jesus all the days of his life." I was so deeply moved by this benediction. As a grandmother, I am always looking for teachable moments to share scripture with them. The author of this sweet book provides "Faith Imprints" of scripture to share with little ones throughout her book. In The flowering Cross, Beth Ryan says her book

"is a testimony of how a child can influence an adult for Christ."

Do you recall a famous singer B.J. Thomas? His daughter prayed for his salvation and it came to pass. Being Greek, I remember as a child my mother always coloring eggs red for the blood of Christ. It was our family tradition. Here Beth introduces to the reader a way to bring family and friends together by placing a flower in the cross and giving thanks to Jesus. Traditions can be a good thing.

The simple story line with the main character, a young girl named Katie and her not very friendly neighbor Mean Old Jack will capture your heart. Over time, with seeds of kindness and love shared with a neighbor, Jack's heart is changed and he wants to go to church with Katie. The love of God is all inclusive from Katie's brother, NoNo to the neighborhood of children as well.

My neighbor glued clothespins into a shape of a cross and glued flowers on it. I loved that present and still do to this day. In the back of Beth's book are instructions for adults to make a Flowering Cross so you can have your own celebration. If you are looking for a faith based children's book about Easter, The Flowering cross is an excellent choice! I love the book! ***** stars! ( )

Title: The Flowering Cross
Author: Beth Ryan
Illustrator: Renee Graef
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

From the back cover: "Mean Old Jack" was better known for his ill temper than the beautiful flowers he grew, but his grumpiness turns to kindness and love when his six-ear-old neighbor helps him see the real meaning of the Cross."

This children's book would be a great addition to any Christian family library. The story centers around Katie and her compassion toward her neighbor Jack and the tradition of the flowering cross.

I enjoyed the way the book put an emphasis on Katie's simple faith and love for her neighbor all in the light of Christ and the cross.

I read the book to my 5 year old daughter and 2 year old son. My son lost interest after the second page, but my daughter was enthralled through the whole story. Here are some of the comments from my daughter: "This is an important book", "The little girl was beautiful", "I liked the cross they made and the puppy Waggles."

Most of the pages also have a "Faith Imprint" sentence at the bottom (e.g. "Share how Katie did what her mother told her to do."). I didn't use these, but in subsequent readings I could see the effectiveness of them. Below the Faith Imprints are scripture references that pertain to that page of the book.

The last page of the book gives directions on how to make a Flowering Cross.

Highly Recommended!

4.5 / 5 Stars

Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review. ( )