Children in the Hands of a Loving God
A Feature Review of
The Book of Belonging: Bible Stories for Kind and Contemplative Kids
Mariko Clark and Rachel Eleanor (Illustrator)
Hardcover: Convergent, 2024
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Reviewed by Rachel Lonas
As a person who dabbles in different art mediums, goes to art museums in any town I visit, and encourages local artists, the cover of The Book of Belonging told me I was in for an immersive experience when it arrived in my mailbox. One of the first things you notice about The Book of Belonging is that both author Mariko Clark and illustrator Rachel Eleanor put an incredible amount of thought and extra intention with the layout of their book. They shared their artistic and theological vision for The Book of Belonging with a Kickstarter campaign in 2021 and their backers raised $21,545 more than asked for. Clark and Eleanor certainly delivered on their promises of rich theology (footnotes for further study and exploration in the back), cultural considerations (showing accurate context, body features, and skin tones), compassionately representing women’s stories (with a depth beyond most other Bible storybooks), and marrying creativity in both the visual and poetic (both have quite a calming effect on the nervous system).
At the beginning of each story, it has original names noted and used (e.g. Moshe for Moses, or Yitzhak for Issac, etc.) and the illustrations depict Middle Eastern renderings of the people. I saw a subtle nod to this in a picture of Miriam from Exodus who in many storybooks is shown as a tall, thin, young woman with long, dark curly hair holding a tambourine, but Eleanor imagined her shorter with gray hair and an older woman’s body, which is more accurate to the text (she was older than Moses, who was 80 at the time). Clark also included the stories of Makhlah, Milcah, Tirzah, Jael and other women whose roles were important, but who get less airtime in sermons and Sunday School classes.
Other than a minor preference over wanting to see page numbers on every page, the art sometimes taking precedence over that, the book’s organization was extremely helpful. In addition to breaking it up into Old and New Testament, Clark includes what she titles “wonder moments” and “mindful moments”. These two features elevate this book from being a beautiful Bible storybook to an interactive, embodied theological experience for readers.
In the Wonder Moments, readers are asked to take a pause and ask questions (Clark reminds us that God loves questions!) or even invite curiosity when the Bible doesn’t say something explicitly or is written more poetically. This refreshingly un-didactic approach opens up opportunities for families to wrestle, dialogue, and go back to the original text together.
In the Mindful Moments readers are asked to check in with their bodies, doing activities like placing a hand on their heart to remember their belovedness, asking themselves kind questions about their anger, or collecting treasures around the house that make their body respond with warmth and gratitude. This is somatic therapy at its best, rooted in Scripture’s stories.
The thread of God’s unconditional love is woven throughout these pages. Clark reminds readers that while sin and brokenness exist, no one is outside the reach of God’s love even when they harm others or the earth, believe untrue names about themselves and God, turn away from or forget God (43). In “Walking on Water” she tells of Peter and his boundless energy saying, “since following Yeshua, he wondered if there was a place for his wildness with the peaceful teacher”. That’s a poetic line that resonates deep for children and adults alike who are wondering if there is a seat at Jesus’s table for them. Clark goes on to say that Peter reminds himself in that moment that Jesus renamed him and “always seemed to believe in him” (203). This is just one of many fortifying messages, the heartbeat of the stories of Scripture.
…But what do children think about this book? Normally, when I write reviews I have my routine. I sit quietly and read, underlining passages that will jog my memory. In between chapters I might jot down a few sentences that immediately formed in my mind, but I didn’t start there this time (or dare use a pencil on this beautiful book!). Instead, I first handed it to my 4 daughters—ages 15 all the way down to 6—to see what they had to say. After all, this book was written with people like them in mind.
Our oldest daughter, who as of now wants to go into graphic design, gushed over the artwork. She found it clever, inviting, and biblically accurate. Modern and yet timeless. She also said the book felt restorative, reiterating God’s love in a children’s book because it has been too often forgotten or downplayed by American Christians for a hyper-emphasis on sin, fallenness, and personal obedience. She felt the tone of this book was warm, caring, and healing, with substance that adults would enjoy, but also reaching the heart and mind of her 6 year old sister as she read to her. She noted and enjoyed that God is not gendered in Clark’s phrasing but simply referred to as “God,” and often portrayed in Eleanor’s art as a spirit or wind.
My husband (who holds an MDiv) chimed in saying that the way God is depicted throughout the book is quite biblical, like one Hebrew word for God’s spirit, ruach (רואח). Jesus is drawn looking like everyone else in the town, echoing Isaiah 53:2 by not having “an impressive form or majesty that we should look at Him, no appearance that we should desire Him.”
Our 13 year old said she was struck by the narrations of the women’s thoughts and was reminded of how God intimately cared and provided for all their needs. The 10 year old kept sneaking the book into her bed, staying up late to read it alone in the stillness of the nighttime hours. The 6 year old asked all sorts of questions. One of them included why this sounded different from the literal Bible texts she hears read for school each day. It was such a great opportunity to discuss wonder and questions we don’t have answers to. The Book of Belonging met each of my girls where they were at and I can picture this scenario happening in all the other houses this book has been and will be shipped to.
“Whatever you learn from the way the gem turns in these stories, the biggest treasure I hope you find is this: God is trustworthy, and God’s names for you are true. You Belong. You are Beloved. You are Delightful” (13).
After reading that statement in the introduction, I was considering my oldest daughter’s point that so many Christians did not and are still not growing up consistently hearing their belovedness in the sight of God, but rather a focus on an obedience/condemnation mindset or a message of “God loves you, but…” What a generational impact a book like this can have for children and their caregivers. What a redeeming representation of the Bible for those (particularly women) who have been hyper-aware of church messaging that said their acceptance was conditional and their existence was a threat, rather than a vital part of all ministry. What a joy for us to be reminded of how God cherishes us every day, is interested in deeply knowing our identity and worth without any of the caveats so often put on God’s love.
If the purchasing statistics and consistent 5 star reviews from Goodreads and Amazon after only a week of publication are any indication, The Book of Belonging is going to continue to make its way into many households as a special time of remembering God’s tender heart for his people. I will be heartily recommending it.
Rachel Lonas
Rachel Lonasis a writer and educator specializing in literature and composition. Several of her pieces can be found at Fathom Magazine. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband,
Justin, and their four daughters. She enjoys all things creative—watercoloring, nature journaling, landscaping, and being inspired by botanical gardens.
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