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L'Engle
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From: cejone2 at ilstu.edu <cejone2>
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 10:27:50 -0600
L'Engle has several 'non-fiction' children's books on religion, but I don't know how readily available they are at this time:
Journey With Jonah (1978)--a play based on the Biblical Jonah story Dance in the Desert (1969)--a story of an unidentified family's flight into Egypt Anytime Prayers (1994)--with her daughter Maria Rooney's photographs to illustrate; it's just what it says: beautiful, meaningful prayers in simple language. The Glorious Impossible (1990)--illustrated with the Giotto's frescoes; this is the best life of Jesus for children I've seen. Ladder of Angels (1979)--Bible stories illustrated by children from around the world.
What I really appreciate about L'Engle's approach to writing about the ineffable for children is that she tells it as exactly like she sees and feels it as possible, without condescension, freely admitting that issues of faith are mysterious and that we don't (and shouldn't) have all the answers. Her theology is the best articulation of my own that I've found (including, often, my own attempts!). Her Christianity is truly about love and full-inclusion in life, not guilt, not conversion, not being saved or not. As James mentioned, she embraces readers' questions and doubts by acknowledging her own, and never tries to trivialize issues of faith or life or death with the pat "it was God's will" response.
(Amazon tells me all these titles are in print in one form or another, and available used as well. I doubt many bookstores would have them (independents would be more likely than Borders or B&N), which is a shame. But I'm sure most public libraries have them available.)
Caroline Jones
Received on Fri 19 Nov 2004 10:27:50 AM CST
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 10:27:50 -0600
L'Engle has several 'non-fiction' children's books on religion, but I don't know how readily available they are at this time:
Journey With Jonah (1978)--a play based on the Biblical Jonah story Dance in the Desert (1969)--a story of an unidentified family's flight into Egypt Anytime Prayers (1994)--with her daughter Maria Rooney's photographs to illustrate; it's just what it says: beautiful, meaningful prayers in simple language. The Glorious Impossible (1990)--illustrated with the Giotto's frescoes; this is the best life of Jesus for children I've seen. Ladder of Angels (1979)--Bible stories illustrated by children from around the world.
What I really appreciate about L'Engle's approach to writing about the ineffable for children is that she tells it as exactly like she sees and feels it as possible, without condescension, freely admitting that issues of faith are mysterious and that we don't (and shouldn't) have all the answers. Her theology is the best articulation of my own that I've found (including, often, my own attempts!). Her Christianity is truly about love and full-inclusion in life, not guilt, not conversion, not being saved or not. As James mentioned, she embraces readers' questions and doubts by acknowledging her own, and never tries to trivialize issues of faith or life or death with the pat "it was God's will" response.
(Amazon tells me all these titles are in print in one form or another, and available used as well. I doubt many bookstores would have them (independents would be more likely than Borders or B&N), which is a shame. But I'm sure most public libraries have them available.)
Caroline Jones
Received on Fri 19 Nov 2004 10:27:50 AM CST
