Jake's Brave Night: Biblical Values

by Crystal Bowman, Crystal Bowman

Jake is excited about having his own bedroom, but when it comes time to go to sleep, he is afraid of the dark and afraid of being alone. Jake tries to conquer his fears by turning on the bedroom light. When that doesn’t work, he takes his animals to bed with him. Then he tries crawling under his bed. When none of these methods work, he crawls back into bed and finally falls asleep. The next morning, when Jake tells his parents what happened, they get him a night light and remind him that God is with him all night long. The next night Jake has no trouble falling asleep.

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 22, 2007

About the author

Crystal Bowman is an author, speaker, and former preschool teacher. She graduated from Calvin College with a degree in elementary education and studied early childhood development at the University of Michigan. Her writing career began in 1990 as a lyricist for children's piano music. She began writing children's books in 1993 and has since written more than 100 books for children and 3 for women. She has written books for many popular children's series, such as Little Blessings, BOZ the Bear, MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), Berenstain Bears, and I Can Read! She has also written two books of humorous poetry for children, numerous magazine articles, Bible study materials, and educational resource books. As a speaker, Crystal enjoys sharing her stories and poetry with students in the classroom and also with adults at teachers' conventions, writers' conferences, and women's seminars. "Writing and speaking can be intimidating because in order to connect with your audience you need to be personal and transparent, exposing what's in your heart and soul. But when readers or conference attendees respond positively to something I've said or written, it is humbling and rewarding all at the same time!" Crystal and her husband, Bob, have enjoyed 44 years of marriage and are the parents of 3 grown children and 5 grandchildren. They spend summers in Michigan and winters in Florida.

Reviews

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book meant for kids falls under the heading "Biblical Values." Consider yourself therefore warned. A bunny named Jake is sleeping on his own for the first time, only he's scared of being alone in the dark. Next morning he tells his parents his fears. The response: "God is watching over you. God never sleeps." The truth is God never does hear his own snooze alarm. Today's kids are smart enough to see right through the bullshit of using Bible verses as a teaching tool. It's wrong to do so, and I was once a Christian for a long time before reality opened my eyes. There are better ways to conquer fear at night. The Bible is not it. Yea, we walk into the valley of the shadow but we fear no evil, for we have tossed the Bible into the trash dumpster. Where it belongs.
One star
Jake needs another way, another truth, another life.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to read to children who are afraid of the dark. It has a Christian theme and is simple for beginning readers.