Title: God Plants a Garden: A Different Kind of Love Story
Author: Buck Elder
Publisher: Brilliant Books Literary
ISBN: 979-8-88945-265-2
Pages: 17
Genre: Christian Children’s
Reviewed by: Candace L. Barr
Pacific Book Review
Author Buck Elder’s book, God Plants a Garden: A Different Kind of Love Story, retells Genesis 1 in a more detailed fashion which emphasizes God’s possible thought process in creating the Universe and everything within it. It’s a short, illustrated read which would be easily appropriate in a Sunday school class or at bedtime.
The God that Elder presents is thoughtful, which is good because He has a lot of decisions to make: where to put His garden, how to shape His garden, what should be in His garden, and more. Elder walks the readers through each deliberation to show how carefully the world was crafted through both text and images.
The illustrations are lovely, and I especially enjoyed the flowers and hands carefully creating landscapes. The colors chosen work well with the contents of the pages and give a sense of the passage of time from the initial decision to create a garden through its various stages. That said, they are not distracting and do a wonderful job of framing the text.
The story itself is familiar to those who know the first chapter of the Bible. Each day, God deliberates then implements a new change to further his plan to build a garden. Elder shows what considerations God may have dealt with when putting His plan into action, and I like that there is emphasis on putting thought into what one creates.
However, there is some dubious etymology, such as declaring that “sky” is a portmanteau of “so” and “high” and the connection made between “son” and “sun.” The way these words were formed shows readers the complexity of language, and how they have roots from other words; these are used only as fictitious examples, and only are applicable in English.
As a curious adult, I was left with questions that curious children may ask, such as: Where was God before the creation of the Universe? How did God know He loved to watch things grow? Does that mean this isn’t the only Universe? Why create a whole wide Universe for just one garden, Earth? Of course, these questions come with examining the Bible, as well.
As with anything involving kids, as you read this, it may help to prepare yourself to thoughtfully answer questions. This is a great short book which will be a wonderful addition to any family’s library.
