A Spoonful of Faith

by Jena Holliday, Jena Holliday (Illustrator)

Overview

A sweet rhyming paper-over-board picture book that reminds young readers that to make their dreams come true—“a spoonful of faith is all it takes!”—from debut author-illustrator Jena Holliday. An encouraging and hopeful book, perfect for anyone nervous about activities such as going back to school.

Layla wakes up nervous to go to her new school, so she looks to Mama to help her feel better. The mother and daughter duo head to the kitchen and combine all the necessary ingredients—kindness, hope, warm hugs, and prayers—to create a new tradition of confidence and happiness.

Written and illustrated by Jena Holliday, this tender picture book serves as a boosting reminder to trust in God, to have faith, but, most importantly, to believe in your ability to turn a bad day around.

A fun metaphor for transforming your mood, A Spoonful of Faith is Jena’s playful rendition of turning comfort food into soul food. Share this family-friendly book for Easter, Mother's Day, or any time a spoonful of faith is needed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063017818
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/15/2022
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jena (pronounced jee-nuh) Holliday is a children’s book creator, graphic artist, wife, mother, and believer. While previously working in the marketing field, God showed up, and, in a beautiful way, merged her love of storytelling with her passion for art, and the Spoonful of Faith brand was born. Jena lives in Minneapolis.

Jena (pronounced jee-nuh) Holliday is a children’s book creator, graphic artist, wife, mother, and believer. While previously working in the marketing field, God showed up, and, in a beautiful way, merged her love of storytelling with her passion for art, and the Spoonful of Faith brand was born. Jena lives in Minneapolis.

Editorial Reviews

An uplifting, rhyming picture book offering food for the soul. — Kirkus Reviews

An evergreen topic of one family’s coping, with sweet illustrations. — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

01/01/2022

PreS-Gr 2—A story about what helps when you're feeling worried. Layla is nervous about starting school, but her mother gets out a recipe book to help her face her fears. Using phrases such as "dashes of kindness" and "handfuls of hope" (depicted as swirling stars, hearts, and flowers), the story depicts Layla's realization that the real thing that helps is God's love, which she already has. With this reminder, she feels empowered to do anything and heads off to school. The sweet and simple message makes the story better suited for universal self-help collections than the religion shelf. Although the book is intended to be shared aloud, some bumpy rhymes make it difficult. The best features of the book are the illustrations. The soft, pretty drawings are set predominantly in light pink and blue and fill the whole page spreads, with the stars, hearts, and flowers dotting throughout the scenes. Slightly wavy lines drawn for the background settings and characters add to a whimsical feeling. Layla (also the name of the author/illustrator's child) and her mother clearly display shifting emotions on their faces and young readers can bypass the wording to figure out what is happening in the story. VERDICT An evergreen topic of one family's coping, with sweet illustrations, this is an additional purchase.—Elissa Cooper

School Library Journal

2021-12-03
A mother teaches her daughter a special recipe to help feed her faith.

Layla, a young, brown-skinned girl, is ready yet nervous for her first day of school. Seeking a confidence boost, she goes in search of her mom—“’Cause mamas can help / when you need love and calm”—and finds her in the kitchen. “Hey, sweetie, sit here / Let’s make a quick meal / that’s full of good things / to help how you feel,” her mother suggests and fishes out a recipe book. The recipe for the meal includes many ingredients, but none of them are tangible. Instead, courage, “a spoonful of faith,” “dashes of kindness,” “handfuls of hope,” “pinches of prayers,” and warm hugs go into the mixing bowl. To concretize these virtues, the artwork uses a visual motif of hearts and flowers. Once the meal is ready, Layla hesitantly looks into the bowl, unsure what to make of the imaginary repast, but a word of wisdom from Mama helps her realize the true source of her emotional sustenance and strength. The illustrations, created using digital watercolor, pencil, and gouache brushes in Procreate, are soothing, with soft pastel colors. While God is mentioned, there are no references to any specific religion.

An uplifting, rhyming picture book offering food for the soul. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews