This was so cute 😭

I am entering my Christian books for children era and I honestly don't mind whatsoever. Even adults need to remember that God loves us, and be reminded of that fact from the mere existence of the world around us.

" God right here" was such a cozy beautiful read. It filled me with happiness and truly helped me feel even closer to God. The illustrations were also VERY well done.

An amazing read reccomended for people of all ages

"God, Right Here" was a mind-quieting, calming reflection. The illustrations were so cute, the prose simple yet deep, and the lesson so beautiful. As always, I read the author's note and this one made me tear up with how much I appreciated the Kara's intention. We need more children's books like this that point our littlest readers to the Creator!

"God's handiwork is everywhere."

What a precious story to teach children about all the wonders of God's glory through nature's seasons.

"The sun rises and sets...And in these quiet moments, we know God is still at work. God ever near."

It's never to young to teach children about the love of God and how you can see His handiwork in everything from the sun rising to the changing seasons to the flowers that bloom.

The illustrations are adorable. It warmed my heart to see a child in a wheelchair amongst the kids in the book. Often times disability isn't represented.

I read this book with my son, who enjoyed it as well. A darling story with a great message.

My thanks to Kara Lawler, InterVarsity Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book delights in the beauty of Creation as a way of praising God and recognizing His handiwork in the world. Christian families and Protestant church preschools would enjoy this title.

A cute book about finding God in nature in the various seasons. Filled with adorable illustrations, this book teaches kids that the earth is full of God's glory and that even through the changing of the seasons, God is always with us. This would be a cute addition to a home library.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This originally appeared in Grandpappy's Corner at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S GOD, RIGHT HERE ABOUT?

God, right here.
God, right there.
God's handiwork is everywhere.


With that as a starting point, Lawler takes the reader (and the read-to) on a tour of nature through a year's worth of seasons. The point isn't to learn about seasons or weather, or anything, but to see how God's nature (flora, fauna, weather) reveals His work and care.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ART FOR A MINUTE
It's warm and friendly. Even the scenes depicting a chilly fall and snowy winter make you feel cozy and toasty. There's a gentleness to the illustrations, too.

I'm failing at describing the art—as usual. Jennie Pho's Instagram has some really good samples (including a Lucy and Mr. Tumnus drawing).

It's not technically part of the art, but it's part of the visual impact of the book, so I'll talk about it here. The typesetting, or whatever you're supposed to call it (it'd be lettering comic books), is excellent. There's a variety of colors emphasizing words to match the theme of the page, it flows all over the page to follow the illustrations and add some movement. It's eye-catching and serves to augment the art.

HOW IS IT TO READ ALOUD?
This is not the kind of book you have fun with, it's not a fun read. It's one to read when you're trying to settle down—or better yet, have already settled down and want to snuggle up and get comfy.

It's hard to think of toddlers as thoughtful but this is the kind of book for that kind of time.

It's one of those where you will point to pictures as you read, and then go off on tangents talking about the ideas in the book. The book itself would take almost no time to read, but I can see this as the sort of thing the Grandcritter and I will linger over as we go through it.

* That's a horrible stereotype, and I should be ashamed of it. But I know too many of them.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT GOD, RIGHT HERE?
This is a nice and pleasant book. Pleasant is the best word to describe this, really (and now that I've used it, my brain is stuck and I won't be able to use another adjective for the rest of the post).

I feel like I should have another few paragraphs in me, but I don't. I've said everything I can find to say about it (and I think I've used 2x the words that the book does). This is a pleasant read that'll be good to use to talk and quiet down with.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from InterVarsity Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post, and my honest opinion—thanks to both for this opportunity.

Looking for a book to teach your child about the way God's providence works in each season? This will fit the bill perfectly. The colorful, whimsical illustrations are paired with artistic text details to show the glory of God is everywhere. A note at the end from the author is a good reminder to really look around and see the intricate details in God's creations. My grandson and I walked the dog this morning and took time to gather some leaves and talk about the different ways they grow. He also helped me review this book and gave it two thumbs up.

Thank you to InterVarsity Press and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

This book has a two fold message, the cycle of the seasons and the fact that our beautiful earth was planned down to every detail by God.

The illustrations are lively as they depict the four seasons and how the earth changes. Many children can relate by first hand experience or through media the fun going on as the children are jumping into a pile of fall leaves, making snow angels or erecting sand castles on the beach.,

While the main focus of the text was on the changing seasons, the author makes it clear, the beauty was all in God’s handiwork. After the story, ask children what they saw in the story that God made for us… flowers, the rain, the seashells, moon, snowflakes, the owl in the tree. Then go back through the book and invite children to state the things God made that weren’t mentioned initially. This practice points out how all things have been created by God.

Also, I truly appreciated the illustrators use of the diversity in the children… skin color, child wearing glasses and one little boy in a wheel chair, etc.

I recommend this book highly for the text and the illustrations that greatly enhance the text

God, Right Here by Kara Lawler is a sweet children’s picture book. The book goes through the seasons describing how God works in nature during that time. The Kindergarten teacher in me loves the tie in to the color words that are bold and highlighted in the correct color. I enjoyed the full page illustrations as well. They were full of color but in a soft way. Over all this is a beautiful book of nature and the seasons.


Thank you @netgalley for allowing me to review this book. The opinions are my own

A sweet and simple book with precious illustrations. However, it was a bit simple for us and not a book that captivated my childrens attention like many books do. I think it would be sweet for the youngest of children who enjoy being read to.

This book is so beautiful and a great encouragement for children and parents to read together. Beautifully illustrated.

This is a lovely Christian children’s picture book which has the most incredible illustrations that fill up each page. It’s really special. The book teaches children about how God is in so many things, with a focus on nature and the different seasons. To look for wonder in everything from the crisp Autumn leaves to the beautiful snowflakes of Winter. It’s a message I think important for adults too, to stop now and then in our busy lives, with or without children to just wonder at nature and what God has created. I was thrilled to find a child in a wheelchair in the illustrations. Often disability isn’t inserted in children’s books as much as it should.

A solid 4 stars from me and I’ll leave you with this wonderful scripture from the Authors message at the end of the book.

But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you; let the birds tell you what’s going on.
Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics.
Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories.
Isn’t it clear that they all know and agree
That God is sovereign, that he holds all things in his hand—
Every living soul, yes,
every breathing creature?
JOB 12:7-10

This book is a lesson, both in the seasonal cycle and the (pre-established by Lawler) fact that God's hand is visible throughout all creation, at all times. This isn't a typical seasons book, nor a typical Christian children's book; it brings the best of both styles under a more in-depth, profound narrative of the joys and pitfalls of every single year. God's handiwork floats in snowflakes, falls in leaves, grows in flowers, and shines bright in the beachy sun. The underlying theme—stated on the third page—is reveling in the natural changes around, while glorying in the unchanging God above. Endearing illustrations make God, Right Here as personal and attainable as He truly is, invisible though He may be.

The drawings truly make this book! They’re beautiful and vibrant. I love the overall message as well and the connection to the different seasons/nature. It’s a little too wordy for my 3 year old, but would probably be perfect for a 4-5 year old.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

The message is clear and beautiful. In our busy every day lives, it’s so easy to forget God’s love is all around, all the time. The illustrations are spectacular as well . I also enjoyed reading the author’s note at the end.

The illustrations are beautiful and the message of this book is spiritual and absolutely lovely. We can all find God in nature and the little things in our life if we just look.

In a time of confusion and doubt in the life of children "God Right Here" is an inspirational book for children. Why should we care? Through God reaching our children, we bring hope back to a world that really needs hope and faith. It was a pleasure to read this simple but wise book. It brought back memories of my childhood. I would recommend that my grandchildren read this book. We need hope and inspiration more than ever at this junction in the world our children face today.

I have often found that the simpler a story, the more lasting and impactful it is. This wonderful picture book does a great job of reminding us of a very simple truth: God is everywhere!

In the author's note at the end, she explains the purpose for the book. The goal is to remind everyone to intentionally see and experience God by celebrating Him in the nature that He has given to us to observe and care for.

The text is quite simple, as you would expect from a children's picture book. My favorite thing was that the text intentionally has some words colored for focus and artistic vibrancy. It made it delightful to read!

The illustrations were enjoyable and helped me to focus on what the words were truly saying. I also noticed there was a hidden owl in many pages. That made me smile!

I would recommend this book, because of its simplicity and ease of reading. It is definitely one to come back to in those moments that are harder to remember that God is with us, right here and everywhere.

Note: I did receive an advance reader copy of this book through #NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

God, Right Here by Kara Lawler

This book has my heart. As an adult I loved this book and the reminders it brings, that God Loves us so so much, and He is SO good to us. My daughter and son loved the changing seasons in the story and the beautiful illustrations. My favorite thing about this beautiful book is that it ties nature into how God shows he cares for us. We will definitely be adding this book to our bookshelf and gifting it as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ecopy of God, Right Here.

We really enjoyed this book, the illustrations were engaging and beautiful. The message of God was endearing and it was a nice way to introduce how God's existence is in everything we see.
I think this children's book is a nice little read even for those that may not be that religious