Young children delight in picking out and carving their first pumpkins. Now help them learn about God’s love by comparing the experience to God’s choosing us and shaping us to his delight. Just as the candle glows, so does God’s light shine in us.
A Zonderkidz publication.
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The first thing I like about this book is that is about pumpkins, but there is no mention of Halloween. Hooray! (I wrote last year about my dislike of Halloween on my post Celebrate the Light.)
For me, pumpkins have been forever tarred with the association of Halloween. I see a pumpkin, I think evil. I would like to see children today have a different view when they see pumpkins, and this story helps with that.
There are some gems in here, simply told, but can be expanded upon, either now, or maybe when they are a bit older and able to understand the concepts better.
This story lays the foundation for building upon:
~ Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us, when the pumpkin’s insides are cleaned out and thrown away.
~ Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven, when the candle is put into the happy pumpkin to shine out in the night.
The one thing I would have liked included is the reason God was able to wash all my sins and throw them away – because Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us from our sins, and I have asked Him for forgiveness. However, as you are reading the story to the child, the reason why can be added in. Also once you are chatting over carving your pumpkins, if you follow the ideas Crystal writes in her post Pumpkins and Jesus, you can expand more on the story and its truths then.
Overall, I am really pleased with this book and its charming rhyming format, and so I am looking forward to sharing this story with my nephews.
So, thank you Crystal for writing a story that can be used at this time of year by Christians, and for showing that pumpkins can have a positive image for us, reminding us of how our sins have been cleaned out and thrown away forever (Hallelujah!) and how we can now let our lights shine with God’s love in this very dark world!
~ Wendy Sparkes ~