This is a wonderful Christan story from an author we have highlighted before (check out how many books she has written for your young reader, including a devotional for animal lovers!). In this story she brings really interesting characters and settings to life. Ellie, the main character, is a young girl who absolutely loves horses. She has a younger brother who she genuinely cares for who is deaf and uses sign language. We hear about this brother “praying about everything” and telling Ellie that there are no coincidences, only ‘God-things’. Her parents are really neat characters as well. Even Ellie’s teacher is shown in a really positive light (refreshing considering how teachers are often shown in books today).

As far as the spiritual content, you know you are in a good place when you see a really thoughtful verse right up front (1 Samuel 16:7 - “but the Lord looks at the heart”). This particular story focuses on prayer, especially from a child’s perspective. Young readers hear Ellie say, “Praying isn’t like begging and crying. I don’t end up mad or sad. It just feels like God and I talk about the idea… Most of the time I feel better after I pray about it, even though I’m pretty sure God keeps saying, ‘Not yet, Ellie”. Along these lines, Ellie shows a very healthy approach to seeking God’s help on something she really, really wants (e.g., praying nightly). She even has a moment where she imagines Jesus smiling at her while she is praying. We also hear a reference to attending Sunday School.

To cap things off the book ends with the NIrV translation of Ephesians 3:26. Just a great book and start of a series. One we HIGHLY Recommend.