Song for the Maker is founded on Psalm 148, a call for all of God’s creation to join in a chorus of praise for the wonder of his works – and the book accomplishes this so well with a richness of vocabulary and beautiful illustrations.
The book is formatted as an ABC with illustrations which are full page and beautifully painted. On the opposing page there is a short alliterative description of the picture, which ends with a line of the psalm. The psalm progresses through the book with each subsequent letter of the alphabet. The language used in the description is extensive and draws you to the picture to identify the different elements within.
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How this book affected me:
Song for the Maker caused me to reflect on the diversity and complexity of God’s creation and how often we only see and hear a small fraction of what exists. It challenged me to pause and enjoy the detail.
Who would like this book?
The author states at the beginning, “I don’t know if this book is intended for children or adults. I hope that this ambiguity will not diminish its spirit.” In my opinion, this is primarily a coffee table book for adults who appreciate art and richly crafted poems. It could also be read to younger children who will enjoy finding the different elements in the pictures and a book for those older children who will enjoy taking on the challenge of finding the meaning of some of the more obscure words in the descriptions.
Our Christian Book Reviews:
The book reviews at Finding God Among Us focus on Christian books – adult and children, fiction and nonfiction. Our specialty is books on faith and new Christian book releases. We’re proud to be included in the Top 50 Christian Book Review Bloggers. Our publisher partners include New Growth Press, Shadow Mountain Publishing, and Revell and BakerBooks, divisions of Baker Publishing Group. I chose to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Meet the Author: Carrie Ellen Mohn
Artist Carrie Ellen Mohn wrote and illustrated Song for the Maker: an Alphabet. Her other projects include a series of fictitious 19th century trademarks of occupations and companies of Upper Michigan, and a collection of 52 mounted and framed pencil thumbnail sketches. Her paintings are in collections in the U.S. and Canada. She presently concentrates on oil painting, documenting the Keweenaw Peninsula Michigan landscape on site or in the studio from photographs.
You Might Also Enjoy:
If you like this book, you might enjoy these reviews for great books that are beautifully illustrated with thought-provoking Christian messages.
- This is the World that God Built Book Review (Creation story)
- God Always Hears Book Review (Illness/sadness)
- Why Do We Say Good Night? Book Review
What are your favorite types of Christian books? Let us know in the comments!