Twice Yours
Ages 5-8. As Grandpa sits and wittles next to his grandson, he remembers a time as a boy when he had carved a toy boat, which he loved to sail. One day it disappears. He discovers that another boy has it, and he trades everything in his pocket, including a pocketknife, to get it back. Hugging it tightly, he says, "You're twice mine. . . . Once because I made you, and once because I bought you." Then Grandpa hands his grandson the tiny cross he's been carving as he told his story. The rather heavy-handed tale amplifies the biblical text of 1 Peter, quoted at the end of the book, in which the apostle Peter describes Christ's "buying" humanity, not with gold or silver, but with his blood. Lovely, sun-dappled paintings lighten the tale, which will stimulate adult-child discussion about the complex theme of being "twice bought." Without some adult input, children are likely to miss the powerful message.Shelley Townsend-HudsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved