Kevin Scott Collier. Esther’s Channel. Tweener Press. 2005.

The story is based on the creatures that lived in the channel running between the Lake Michigan shoreline and Silver Lake in Mears, Michigan. It is told from the viewpoint of more than a dozen common animals living in this channel. Collier indicates in the introduction, that it is in reality a book about different human behaviors that either unite or divide us.

Esther, a very bitter turtle, is traveling down the channel because she was bored with her part of it. The story details her encounters with other critters such as the red-winged blackbird that wakes her up every morning. She is bitter because of having lost her mother early in life. Y

our young people will enjoy reading this story, enjoying the critters that star in it, and ultimately, learning the great secret Esther learns about her mother’s last day. They’ll see many Christian character traits illustrated through the critters’ behavior.

Kevin Scott Collier. Barthpenn@heaven.org. Tweener Press. 2004.

Jordon Mink is a ten year old boy that receives an email from Bartholomew Pennington, an Angel of the 2nd Order in Heaven by mistake. He is mildly shocked when he is told to report to Heaven by the next day.

This is a hilarious story of emails sent between these two unlikely characters. In the end, Jordon’s life is saved because of the emails.

Young people in late elementary will love this fantasy story. While reading the emails, they’ll also learn about life and Christian beliefs in general.

Recommendation

Do you have a son or daughter in the upper elementary school age range? These books will delight them while subtly teaching them about the Creator.

Copyrighted by Diana Pederson, 2005-2009