"A lavish and loving exploration of the feminine facets of the Christian God that has the potential to appeal to secular readers as well." —School Library Journal
While meant for children, Mother God is the book that many mothers need: a reminder that in the midst of the chaos that is feeding, clothing, teaching, and caring for children, there is God. For anyone who reads it, this book is a beautiful and powerful reflection on who God is and how we are all reflections of the divine. —U.S. Catholic
"Mother God is a delightfully powerful book. Teresa Kim Pecinovsky's rhyming prose is rich and full of life, and Khoa Le's illustrations are page after page of magic and wonderment. Mother God is a quiet anthem, one that I can't wait to read to my kids." —Matthew Paul Turner, New York Times bestselling coauthor of What Is God Like? and author of When God Made You
"Mother God is a powerful and beautiful book with magic in its lyricism, its imagery, its faith." —-Qian Julie Wang, New York Times Bestselling Author of Beautiful Country
"This wonderful work is steeped in scripture and brings images from its pages vividly to life through the wonderful illustrations of Khoa Le, while affirming a God who is known by many names and seen in every face in simple, clear language." —Rev. Wil Gafney, PhD, The Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible, Brite Divinity School
"Our children need to grow up with many images for God so their faith is expansive and inclusive. With rhyming and colorful illustrations, Mother God invites a child to see the many ways God can be imaged as a woman." —Rev. Dr. Elizabeth F. Caldwell, professor emerita, McCormick Theological Seminary
"Mother God is a very needed attempt to translate this feminist theology into the language and imagination of a children's book." —Dr. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Krister Stendahl Professor, Harvard Divinity School
"If you are looking for scriptural ways to speak of God as mother—strong, tender, nurturing, fierce, feeding, wise—with kids or even your own self, this is a book to add to your shelf and your imagination. It is exquisite." —Sarah Bessey, author of Jesus Feminist (2013); Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith (2015); and Miracles and Other Reasonable Things (2019).
03/01/2022
PreS-Gr 2—"You know God the Father, but God is your Mother too." So begins this sumptuous picture book celebrating the feminine aspects of the Christian deity. Each spread presents a different feminine image. God is a birthing and nursing mother, offering comfort and nurturing love through the years. Other aspects of motherly love are portrayed through animals: God is a protective mother hen, a fierce mother bear, an instructive mother leopard. God is also a baker and a seamstress caring for others, a grandmother sharing stories, and the personification of Sophia wisdom. The overarching message of the text is that girls and women "are made in Her image, too." Four lines of rhyming text portray each aspect of God, paired with vibrant illustrations. Heavily saturated colors and pervasive floral and celestial accents create a lush and mystical atmosphere. A diverse cast of women portray the images of God, with numerous ages, races, ethnicities, body types, and personal styles represented. One woman appears to be wearing a medical arm monitor, and another nurses her child next to a book on postpartum depression. While the publisher, a Christian imprint, notes that the feminine descriptions of God come from scripture, the book lacks any references to biblical passages or a note detailing those links. This may widen appeal, but leaves the volume open to potential challenges. VERDICT A lavish and loving exploration of the feminine facets of the Christian God that has the potential to appeal to secular readers as well.—Elizabeth Lovsin
