I Am a Child of God

by Greg Olsen, Michael Nelsen

extremely rare,very good condition

Genres: Religion, Picture Books, Childrens, Lds, Church, Art, Nonfiction

30 pages, Board Book

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Greg Olsen was raised in a farming community in rural Idaho. His paintings are deeply influenced by his life experiences and spiritual journeys and strive to convey stories that speak to the soul.

Olsen’s art has found a place in notable institutions, including the Pentagon, the NCAA Hall of Fame, the US Forest service, and numerous religious and educational settings.

In 1988, a transformative visit to Jerusalem deeply enriched his spiritual and artistic perspectives. This journey would lay the groundwork for his future works, especially in the realm of Christian art. In 1993, he signed a deal with Mill Pond Press, propelling his Christian-themed works into the national spotlight.

Reviews

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yes the paintings are beautiful. Yes this book teaches children they are children of God. Yes, my baby LOVES this book, she brings it to me every day to read.
Why 2 stars? Because of this line:

"I know God loves me because he surrounds me with people who love me and keep me safe."

If that statement were true then God wouldn't love a lot of people.

Even if it said "because god wants what is best for me" or because Heavenly Father watches out for me."

It is one of my pet peeves when people believe that absence of safety or loving family means either God doesn't exist or that he doesn't care. And I have known too many abused and neglected children, have seen that they are surrounded by violence and apathy, yet still know that God loves them. It's just a hard thing to teach children. And I don't want to teach my child that because God loves us life will never be lonely or sad.

Sorry about the rant.

[Shauna Ludlow Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, positive message about being known and loved by God. The paintings are beautiful but somewhat dated.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the illustrations (big Greg Olsen fan) but recently was exposed to a line in the book by a friend (see my comment on her review if interested) that though I am sure is well-intended does not seem to teach the correct truths about God's love since bad do happen to good people and people aren't always kept safe, but God does love them. I appreciated my friend's observation about this book, as I had never keyed into this before.

[Jerimy Stoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a new grandpa is a lot of fun. One of the things that is enjoyable about it is reading to my grandson. He loves it. This is a decent book with great imagery. The pictures caught my grandson's attention and kept it. He is six months old, but he can focus on things for several minutes. This book is short enough to fit within his attention span capabilities, and the pictures are warm and inviting. I would recommend this book to new parents, grandparent, babysitters, Christian nurseries, church libraries, and even Christian school libraries.

[Zoey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly after the last couple days I’ve had, I really needed this reminder. I think it is a great book to help all of us remember that we are all children of God. Even though life is hard, I know that God loves me and is helping me. It may not be the ways I want or expected, but He is there and comforts me when I need it. A great uplifting book for any age. You are a child of God, and He has sent you here, you have a purpose and there is a plan of great happiness.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful treasure!

[Little Seesaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a Child of God is one of my favorite songs. These pictures make this book extra wonderful.

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am donating this book to my church library. It is very good explaining to small children that we are all different but God loves each of us.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book. The text is simple enough for the youngest child to absorb, the pictures are stunningly lovely. It's the perfect introduction to God's love and will make any child feel warm, safe, loved and secure. OK, I take on board previous reviewers' comments that not every child is 'surrounded by people who keep him safe' - yet, for any child whose parents care enough to buy this book, that line WILL be true. There's plenty of time later in life for them to find out about child abuse. For now, this is the perfect anytime cuddle book. I give it 1000 out of 10.

[Savannah Stripling · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a great book to show kids how we are a child of God. It starts off showing how we know we are a child of god. He hears our prayers, he is with us, he listens to us, he is our father, he gives us people to love us and that is how we know he loves us. We are all children of God and this book gives warmth and the illustrations really do a good job at setting the atmosphere and it really shows just how close God is to us and shows how much he loves us.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book about the relationship with our Heavenly Father. The pictures of children at home and play by Greg Olsen are peaceful and heart warming. The words are simple and direct enough for even the youngest of children to understand they they are children of their Heavenly Father that are very loved.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. This book was actually read to me during a primary lesson. I thought it was a nice, short picture book for both young readers and older readers explaining that everyone is a child of God. And i really like the illustrations in this book.

I hope someday to purchase this book so I can reread it again.

[Tosca Wijns-Van Eeden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the beautiful artwork by Greg Olsen! Since I have to import them, they are luxury gifts I give to my baby girl, this one was for her first bday. I love translating the words and ponder about them myself. The pictures are supercute, but a bit dated indeed as some other reader mentioned in their reviews.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should say "currently reading" we take this book to church with us every Sunday. It is one of our favorites because of the many items on each page to point out and talk about with the kids. I have always enjoyed Greg Olsen's art. This book would make a great gift.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this book at least 2 nights a week the kids love it and often take turns reading each page. At the end we always sing the song and they always want to sing every verse which is on the very last page. The Greg Olsen Paintings in the book are beautiful and go perfectly.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the picture book version of this and it's a perfect bedtime story.

[Ariell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep this one in my diaper bag. We look at it at church a lot. My Mom gave it to me when I had Andrew I think.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have bought a couple of these for family and friends. A great Sunday book. Not the actual song lyrics though, so don't be surprised...

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and well-written book. The illustrations are break-taking and the prose is exquisite.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork and text.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Greg Olsen's art work.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book for sacrament meeting.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful words with beautiful illustrations!

[Terry Harp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book, and the art is superb.

[Don Gubler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice pictures

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful childrens book. My 1 year old brings it to me over and over again so I can read it to her!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought it for Mavis.

[Sherri Condie Sillitoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated book

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet text, but the star of this book are the gorgeous paintings by Greg Olsen. So beautiful!

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. The book has very simple text for a child to understand and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful. I think this book should be every Christian's bookshelf.