A story based on the popular song “I Can Only Imagine” by Bart Millard of MercyMe. A child asks questions about the idea of heaven. What will heaven be like? What will it be like to be with Jesus? Will God have a dog?

The message of wonder, curiosity and the desire to know God more is so central to pursuing a relationship with Him. I like the emphasis that though we can wonder about our future with God, he is with us right now and we can know him right now.

This is a rhyming story. Sometimes this can feel a bit contrived, but it mostly works in this story.

I love the illustrations portraying evening/night time. They are awash in blues.

Thank you to #netgalley for giving me a copy of #IcanOnlyImaginepictureBook to review. I love the song that inspired the book. I thought this might be just the song lyrics with pictures to go along with it. I liked that it went deeper into what a child would actually imagine about heaven and God. This is not a book for my classroom, but one that I would buy for my kids to have at home in our library.

Explore an illustrative description of Heaven and all of the glories it bestows from the eyes of a child through the pages of this book. Any parent who wishes to portray Heaven as a magnificent place to which their child wants to go someday will want to share this story with them. Appropriate for children of all ages, the beauty of the illustrations and simplicity of the rhymes, along with thought-provoking questions about what Heaven may be like will spark discussions in Christian families. This is by all means a Must-Have book for your collection!

I received a copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was cute... it was in a child's perspective of what Heaven might be like! I recommend this for young readers. :)

I loved this story! Very cute story to make children understand that Heaven is something that we should look forward to and illustrate what it will really be like. My four year old enjoyed this story as did I!

I received an electronic ARC from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley.
Based on the song "I Can Only Imagine," this story takes us through what children think about Heaven and life there. The colorful illustrations bring the story to life. Young readers will relate to the story and the questions the young narrator asks.
A read aloud for Sunday School and Children's Churches.

Lovely book. Helps children to discuss heaven and how they may have a spiritual relationship with the father.

#NetGalley #IcanOnlyImaginepictureBook

This title is a re-conceptualization of the song (and now movie) I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe. It's authored by Bart Millard with Laura Neutzling. I am only passingly aware of the song by this title and I have not seen the movie - neither of which is necessary to capture the essence of this children's picture book.

First let's start with the artwork. The images are crisp, bright, colorful featuring joyful scenes centered on some of life's most cherished moments. The artwork is by Sumiti Collina which effectively captures the everyday moments of joy which (hopefully) are present in children's lives.

The story is told from the perspective of a child who is contemplating the question, "What will heaven be like?" These imaginings cover the range of human experience from eating, playing, sharing friendship, dreaming, worshiping, and simply being in God's presence. These all help to cast a hopeful and joyful look to the future of believers in Jesus.

The one caveat is the absence of the hope of resurrection. With the resurrection of Jesus as the first fruits, the Christian church confessed and held to "the resurrection of the dead." In an odd sort of juxtaposition the book imagines a myriad of physical experiences which are anticipated in an apparently spiritual heaven. This seems to reflect the present common hope of heaven which can be absent from physical resurrection. The physical restoration of the fallen and groaning creation is a central biblical theme.that could stand more contemplation and proclamation in our present times. This physical restoration and resurrection is perhaps even more difficult and astonishing to imagine, but God does not surrender his creation to corruption.

Even so, this book accomplishes the task of calling believers to imagine their joyous future.

4 stars

This picture book encourages the reader to imagine how life in Heaven with God will be. Using child-appealing illustrations and questions of wonderment, a reader of any age will begin to wonder and imagine how wonderful an eternity with God can be long after finishing the book.

I Can Only Imagine: A Friendship with Jesus Now and Forever by Bart Millard of MercyMe with Laura Neutzling
Illustrated by: Sumiti Collins
Publisher: Thomas Nelson: Children’s
ISBN: 9781400321339

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Thomas Nelson: Children’s for the ebook ARC of I Can Only Imagine: A Friendship with Jesus Now and Forever in exchange for an honest review.

I CanOnly Imagine asks questions a child might ask and invites families to wonder together: What is heaven like? What does God do? What would it be like to spend a day with Jesus? Children will see that although experiencing the glory of heaven may be far off, we can enjoy a friendship with Jesus every day - right here on earth.

I give this book a rating of 4 stars. I read it to my 4 year old daughter. She enjoyed this book and its colourful illustrations. This is a good book for encouraging children to have a friendship with Jesus. I also think it would be a good book for young children who are having questions regarding loved ones life and death. It shows that even though you can’t see someone they will always be with you.

This is a really cute book! When I first opened it, I thought it was just going to be the lyrics of the popular song, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it includes lots of fun text of kids asking questions about what heaven will be like. I enjoyed sharing this with my two pre-reading sons.

Based very loosely on the popular song, "I can Only Imagine" this is a beautiful children's book, written in rhyme, that tries to imagine what heaven is like and what God is like.

"I can only imagine what God thinks is fun.
We could jump in the lake and soak in the sun,
Splishing and splashing and shouting, 'Hooray!'
Would God like to float on a warm summer day?"

It starts out with "The more I imagine, the more I wish I knew." How true that is. Heaven, in so many ways, seems a mystery. We know it will be amazingly wonderful beyond anything we can imagine and yet it can feel so stiff and far off too. While a lot of the things in this book seem far fetched, who really knows? Quite possibly there could be pancakes in heaven, they would be the best ever, of course. The one thing I like about this is it makes heaven seem real and personal. It feels like something children can grab a hold of and imagine about as well. While we might feel we are beyond wondering if we will need to make our bed, that can be a real thing for children who are in the throes of learning to do these kinds of tasks.

I also like the idea of God playing with the children. Again, it feels far out there, like God will just be sitting on His throne, but who really knows? What I do know is He will be personal and approachable. So I think this can be a great book for triggering imagination and curiosity about heaven in little people's minds.

On top of the story line, the book is a very nice hardcover with a dust jacket. The illustrations are very well done. The children are not completely real to life, but neither are they caricatures that don't look like people. And the colors are vibrant and clean. It's just a well done book.

And as I already mentioned, it's written in rhyming form. Any children's book written in rhyme automatically gets a higher grade from me. I love reading rhyming books to my daughter. They don't get old near as quick when you read them over and over.

I received this book from Book Look Bloggers and was not required to write a positive review.

I Can Only Imagine
By Bart Millard
This book mimics the famed song, I Can Only Imagine, but filtered through a child’s eyes. “Do you wake up in Heaven with your hair all a mess?” “The more I imagine the more I wish I knew.” “If I spent the day with God what exactly would we do?”
This book is simple but has a big impact. A child’s mind is so curious, and this book addresses that curiosity by questioning right along with them. The end is significant though. “I don’t have to wait to spend time with you.” This was a great way to open conversation on how we can be close with God. I really enjoyed this sweet book, from the illustrations to the story, this was a great book.

I really enjoy christian books for children, This one is beautiful (inspiring colors and every page is a delight) Anyway, I must say I did not like the content that much. I like to read this kind of books myself first then with my kids.. I had highly expectations about this one because everyone was talking about it and the song and the movie. The drawings are beautiful as I said, but the content? I don't know. I expected a more biblical material. This book talks about some of the questions small children may have, and is a very clean book, The thing I'm dissapointed about is that it does not go deep into the content. I'm sad to think how shallow are some materials to let children know about God, I know that responsibility belongs to the parents, we just have to admit some just buy things like this and give it to them without realizing if it is enough or they need to go through it with them. I dream about beautiful books with deep content. More of His Word inside, and in this case, texts about God and heaven. I respect everyone's work, and I don't know why they choose to leave it like that, This one was not for us. I just reviewed I Can Only Imagine (picture book) by Bart Millard honestly. #IcanOnlyImagine(pictureBook) #NetGalley

The Christian worship song “I Can Only Imagine” touched countless lives with its glorious representation of being in the presence of God. Encourage your children’s sense of wonder and faith with I Can Only Imagine, inspired by the hit song by MercyMe. This beautiful picture book will capture your family’s childlike faith and imagination. This book was published earlier this year, I received a Digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
The book begins with the beginning lyrics of the song,
I can only imagine what it will be like
When I walk, by your side
I can only imagine what my eyes will see
When you face is before me I can only imagine
From the publisher: I Can Only Imagine asks questions a child might ask and invites families to wonder together: What is heaven like? What does God do? What would it be like to spend a day with Jesus? Children will see that although experiencing the glory of heaven may be far off, we can enjoy a friendship with Jesus every day - right here on earth.
Whimsical, playful illustrations and thought-provoking questions make this a book one that families will cherish for a longtime.
Being fans of the band, Mercy Me my daughter and I were familiar with the song lyrics and enjoyed how the book lines up with the message of what heaven will be like. In fact, my daughter said right away, "this is just like that song!" I really like this picture book and the way that it assists young minds with all of their questions about heaven. My children have asked similar questions that the book lists "Will we all live in our house together in heaven? Will I have a dog? Do I have to attend Sunday School?" This helps children know their questions are important and adds value to their curiosity. Giving them this validation gives them permission to speak freely and continue seeking answers. This skill is valuable for all of their learning throughout life; at home, at school, and at church.
The author, Bart Millard is a founding member and lead singer of the multi-platinum selling contemporary Christian band, MercyMe. He is married to his childhood sweetheart, Shannon. They reside in Franklin, TN along with their children Sam, Gracie, Charlie, Sophie and Miles.
I Can Only Imagine (picture book, novel, and movie) follows the life of Bart Millard who lost his father to cancer and was inspired to write the mega-hit song. I Can Only Imagine delivers a message of hope with those who seek reassurance in the face of the insurmountable.

I Can Only Imagine (Picture Book): A Friendship with Jesus Now and Forever

by Bart Millard; published by Tommy Nelson

It took a long time for me to like the song by MercyMe that inspired this book. I don’t always feel a strong connection to Bart Millard’s work and found this book just average. I was interested in my son’s point of view, but I think the book was just too old for him, although he may just not care for Millard’s style either. The illustrations are the nicest part of this book. If you have a little one who is asking a lot of questions about having a relationship with Jesus or maybe has just become a follower I could see this book being a good thing. But for now we’ll take a pass, maybe when they are older.

I Can Only Imagine is such a rich and colorful Picture Book for children. I would have loved this for my son. The story is quite pert to children. I enjoyed it for myself. We need these Christian themes for our children in the times like these don't you all think? I cannot say enough about this book.. Wonderful job! I received a copy of this book from the Publisher and Netgalley; all of the opinions expressed in this review are all my own.

I Can Only Imagine is another one that I recently received from NetGalley (my new favorite book source!!). This book is beautiful! There are parts that are direct quotes from the song by the same name, and the rest is along the lines of will there be pancakes for breakfast when I’m hungry, and what will we play. Would Jesus play and ride bikes? This book is so much fun and gets everyone thinking about how it will be in heaven. It definitely takes a child’s faith to imagine and believe!

Beautiful book with great pictures. I read this to my grandchildren ages 4 & 8 and they both loved it. This book gave them a better understanding of God. Thank you, was a pleasure to read!

"I Can Only Imagine" (picture book) is a wonderfully written and illustrated book. I love the message and fans of the song and the movie will love it too. This would make a great addition to your child or family's library. I see it as also a book great to use in ministry or preschool as supplemental material.