What do you think?
As You Grow
As You Grow is written by the legendary Kirk Cameron. This fun story with brilliant art teaches the Biblical truths of the Fruit of the Spirit. Follow Sky Tree's journey from a small acorn to a mighty tree that provides shade, sustenance, and lodging!
48 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2022
About the author
Kirk Cameron
53 books128 followersKirk Thomas Cameron is an American actor, director, and Christian evangelist. Kirk is best known as the lovable teen heartthrob Mike Seaver, of the award winning series Growing Pains. He entertained audiences worldwide as the charming troublemaker. He is also known to many Christians as "Buck Williams" from the Left Behind films -- based on the NY Times runaway best selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.
But much more noteworthy than his acting career was his conversion to Christianity. Kirk was not raised in a church-going home and describes himself as a devout atheist from a very young age. By the age of 14 he was so convinced there was no God that he laughed at those who thought there was. But that all changed one afternoon as he sat in his sports car pondering the first Gospel message he had ever heard. You can hear Kirk's testimony in his own words here: http://www.wayofthemaster.com/mp3/Kir...
Kirk continues to be actively involved in quality family entertainment and travels throughout the country, making the most of every opportunity to further the Gospel. He speaks in schools, churches and at community events. He is also a producer and host of The Way of the Master television series and radio program..
Kirk and his wife Chelsea have six children and live in southern California.
But much more noteworthy than his acting career was his conversion to Christianity. Kirk was not raised in a church-going home and describes himself as a devout atheist from a very young age. By the age of 14 he was so convinced there was no God that he laughed at those who thought there was. But that all changed one afternoon as he sat in his sports car pondering the first Gospel message he had ever heard. You can hear Kirk's testimony in his own words here: http://www.wayofthemaster.com/mp3/Kir...
Kirk continues to be actively involved in quality family entertainment and travels throughout the country, making the most of every opportunity to further the Gospel. He speaks in schools, churches and at community events. He is also a producer and host of The Way of the Master television series and radio program..
Kirk and his wife Chelsea have six children and live in southern California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 7, 2023
VIDEO REVIEW/COLLAB: https://youtu.be/XRVR1Lxqo5Y
All things aside, this just isn’t a good book for kids with them actually in mind during the writing of it. The platitudes and Christian jargon used is goi g to go right over their heads. Kids don’t understand what “brokenness” means in the Christian sense, they’re going to take that literally. I can tell that not a single person who is educated in child development was consulted during the process of creating this.
The art is good though so shoutout to the illustrator Juan Moreno and it gets 2 stars just because of him.
All things aside, this just isn’t a good book for kids with them actually in mind during the writing of it. The platitudes and Christian jargon used is goi g to go right over their heads. Kids don’t understand what “brokenness” means in the Christian sense, they’re going to take that literally. I can tell that not a single person who is educated in child development was consulted during the process of creating this.
The art is good though so shoutout to the illustrator Juan Moreno and it gets 2 stars just because of him.
December 22, 2022
As a librarian, I wanted to read this so that I could be able to speak to the controversy with the certainty I read it before making judgement. What I can say is that the narrative itself doesn't contain the religious component, but the book discussion workbook at the end does. I share this as an fyi, nothing more.The illustration is lovely, but bottom line, it's just not well written. At all.
December 28, 2022
Great book for introducing children about joy and gentleness. There's no "agenda" in sharing the Christian way. Christians believe in God and we believe in sharing Him with others. If it's okay to introduce your children to things like drag queens at such a young age then why is it such a problem to introduce them to God?
Learn to enjoy the life you are given and raise your children to appreciate the beautiful things God has provided in this world.
Learn to enjoy the life you are given and raise your children to appreciate the beautiful things God has provided in this world.
January 5, 2023
I was curious about this book with all the hype in the media about it and I didn’t know it was part of a whole saga, like Part 8 in the second saga about these animals who want to live well and bring glory to God but are under attack from a very violent enemy.
The books (from what I can tell online) each have activities for the family and try to train children in good values, I can honestly say the values are good; I know it is politically affiliated, but so are a lot of places we entrust the moral development of our children to.
this is designed to be in your own home. Seems ideal for homeschooling and worth opening up some conversations with your kids on where your family stands on these values.
For this book I was actually under the impression it was a fruit of the spirit book, so I was expecting each one of every page.
But it is actually more integrated than that and gives life examples in the pictures to go with a little wisdom that does seem to be fruits of the spirit in action more than a list.
It isn’t explicitly Christian, God and Jesus aren’t mentioned by name, it is about living a life well and helping others, loving even when it hurts, and rebuilding after destruction strikes.
I like it a lot.
The books (from what I can tell online) each have activities for the family and try to train children in good values, I can honestly say the values are good; I know it is politically affiliated, but so are a lot of places we entrust the moral development of our children to.
this is designed to be in your own home. Seems ideal for homeschooling and worth opening up some conversations with your kids on where your family stands on these values.
For this book I was actually under the impression it was a fruit of the spirit book, so I was expecting each one of every page.
But it is actually more integrated than that and gives life examples in the pictures to go with a little wisdom that does seem to be fruits of the spirit in action more than a list.
It isn’t explicitly Christian, God and Jesus aren’t mentioned by name, it is about living a life well and helping others, loving even when it hurts, and rebuilding after destruction strikes.
I like it a lot.
February 3, 2023
We ordered this from the library. Part of my dedication to read every book someone tries to ban, no matter which side is banning. Apparently this one has too many allusions to a greater being (God...shhh). It actually had an uplifting message and is a great story for kids with good advice to be good to others. Get it out of the library though.
January 11, 2023
Sometimes pictures can tell a story just as well as words. Let your little ones talk about what they see on the pages. The Brave Challenge at the end of the book will be fun for everyone.
December 26, 2025
A book of advice, in a simple way, things that are needed for a good life.
Beautiful illustrations that tell a story on their own, and mirror the message.
Beautiful illustrations that tell a story on their own, and mirror the message.
February 16, 2023
The illustrations are lovely, but the narrative is disjointed. Having a more developed story would have improved the book.
July 17, 2023
Even as a secular, non-religious book, this illustrates how values lived out have a multiplier effect. I really don’t see what the controversy and fuss was about to disallow the reading of this book in public libraries.
May 18, 2023
I had heard there were some challenges to the book due to the author and chose to give it a try just to see what was so inflammatory.
As You Grow is basically a story that is suppose to take place on an island named Freedom Island. The graphics look a bit CGI-ish with names for locations that copy basically almost any fantasy island that children may come across in books of the same genre. I was intrigued by this but it provided me with basically no additional information about the place I was going to read about while the sub-title mentioning that this was book 8 has confused me since I had heard nothing of any other previous books. Further there was a QR code, which I didn't do so I am not sure if there are other stories out there meant to provide more information than what can be found in As You Grow.
Anyway the writing confused me just a bit since there was a small intro about putting down roots and growing with the change of seasons while showcasing the Sky Tree as a acorn as the other animals are hibernating. Furthermore the writing for this was trying to rhyme but the length of the sentences and its imbalance made sure it didn't flow just right.
Meanwhile the rest of the book could be considered self-help/mantras that would fit any religion that talks about growing as a human, being good, reaching for something higher and being a better human than you started out even with all the ruts life may throw at you. These thoughts are provided as just basic platitudes that don't weave well enough to be an in-depth story across although it dose get the point across when you compare the thought to the actual story.
The main reasons that people may find this book confusing is since there is really so much going on with the actual illustrations that at first the reader may not recognize the actual protagonist of this particular story is the tree itself. Brightly colored and detailed various characters appear underneath or in the tree's branches while all participating in something that helps to get that page's message across such as the wooing of a young leopard couple, a family of mice with their little ones around them, a neighboring fox helping Sky Tree give up a branch for another injured neighbor to have a crutch, etc. And as a result a young reader may get lost although at the same time it may help for young readers to come up with their own stories if they need a change of pace.
Secondly the author of this work is Christian and the publishing company is conservative but in reading this book none of those ideologies are really pushed in the main body of work so it could be read by both sides. Instead the reader will find that Kirk Cameron does bring religion only to the included activities in the back but these can be changed to remove those thoughts if you want to do the games matching up with the book or can be ignored depending upon how you want to proceed with the story itself.
And finally to those who find racism in this book I cannot quite say that is the case since I just don't see it. Instead I must say that I was disappointed that wolves and hyenas are being stereotyped as ruthless villains yet again but they are greyish-brown in color with the exception of the tiger. Furthermore there are just as much brown characters in the deer, the buffaloes/bulls and other brown coated animals of Sky Tree.
All in all it was rather a decent read if you like platitudes and self-help reads with some wisdom that can be applied to one's life. But otherwise I can say that I am in no way enticed to seek out the other books to be discovered in this series just since this read was a bit on the under-pressing side.
As You Grow is basically a story that is suppose to take place on an island named Freedom Island. The graphics look a bit CGI-ish with names for locations that copy basically almost any fantasy island that children may come across in books of the same genre. I was intrigued by this but it provided me with basically no additional information about the place I was going to read about while the sub-title mentioning that this was book 8 has confused me since I had heard nothing of any other previous books. Further there was a QR code, which I didn't do so I am not sure if there are other stories out there meant to provide more information than what can be found in As You Grow.
Anyway the writing confused me just a bit since there was a small intro about putting down roots and growing with the change of seasons while showcasing the Sky Tree as a acorn as the other animals are hibernating. Furthermore the writing for this was trying to rhyme but the length of the sentences and its imbalance made sure it didn't flow just right.
Meanwhile the rest of the book could be considered self-help/mantras that would fit any religion that talks about growing as a human, being good, reaching for something higher and being a better human than you started out even with all the ruts life may throw at you. These thoughts are provided as just basic platitudes that don't weave well enough to be an in-depth story across although it dose get the point across when you compare the thought to the actual story.
The main reasons that people may find this book confusing is since there is really so much going on with the actual illustrations that at first the reader may not recognize the actual protagonist of this particular story is the tree itself. Brightly colored and detailed various characters appear underneath or in the tree's branches while all participating in something that helps to get that page's message across such as the wooing of a young leopard couple, a family of mice with their little ones around them, a neighboring fox helping Sky Tree give up a branch for another injured neighbor to have a crutch, etc. And as a result a young reader may get lost although at the same time it may help for young readers to come up with their own stories if they need a change of pace.
Secondly the author of this work is Christian and the publishing company is conservative but in reading this book none of those ideologies are really pushed in the main body of work so it could be read by both sides. Instead the reader will find that Kirk Cameron does bring religion only to the included activities in the back but these can be changed to remove those thoughts if you want to do the games matching up with the book or can be ignored depending upon how you want to proceed with the story itself.
And finally to those who find racism in this book I cannot quite say that is the case since I just don't see it. Instead I must say that I was disappointed that wolves and hyenas are being stereotyped as ruthless villains yet again but they are greyish-brown in color with the exception of the tiger. Furthermore there are just as much brown characters in the deer, the buffaloes/bulls and other brown coated animals of Sky Tree.
All in all it was rather a decent read if you like platitudes and self-help reads with some wisdom that can be applied to one's life. But otherwise I can say that I am in no way enticed to seek out the other books to be discovered in this series just since this read was a bit on the under-pressing side.
March 17, 2023
This book is not good. I guess in comparison to the other Brave Books it is not as horrible as some, but it is still not good. There is some not-so-subtle imagery of Black=evil (all of the animals who attack the "sky tree" have black fur/feathers, while the "good" animals are all lighter/whiter), and the whole "Freedom Island" thing is...well, frankly, creepy.
The "sky tree" is also dorky as all get out. What a name. Each page has like a sentence that vaguely relates to what the images show, the plot is confusing (what exactly is the importance of the "sky tree"? Why did they start building houses in it? Why is it called the "sky tree"?). At the end the tree is hollowed out and inside is replaced with steel beams and windows. That doesn't make the tree "stronger," as the book suggests, but WOULD make a tree dead. The end picture is extremely industrial, it feels very far away from God's creation. But now the tree has all sorts of opportunities to make the owners of it all sorts of money, which I'm sure Kirk Cameron can appreciate, as he is desperate to get a piece of that culture war pie, which comes with a decent paycheck.
If you want some Christian picture books that do not suck your kids into the propaganda hell, I would look somewhere else. The Story of the Saints by Carey Wallace is beautifully illustrated, does not contain anything as dorky as "sky tree," and talks about the stories of saints (real people we can look up to). Or, if you want something a little sillier, something like Brother Hugo and the Bear by Katy Beebe is a fun choice. And I've got loads of books that are grade school etc that I could share too.
This book is about America conservatism, not the teaching of Jesus. And as much as conservatives want us to believe those things are the same thing, they're not. They never will be.
Kirk Cameron came to my library and I saw his story time. All he did was book a room at my library, a thing any group can do. Even though his base will not realize this, I, and all the librarians and people who value intellectual freedom, won that day because we were protecting his intellectual freedom, something that his base is desperate to take away from other people. I will not stop fighting the slow removal of freedoms that America has been doing for the last couple of years. I will stand up for our right to read whatever we want.
This is a quote Cameron said at the story time, that is not in the book, but I think it gives you a good idea of why this book is not a good choice to read:
"Freedom is good. But some people cannot govern themselves so freedom is not good for them because they would make bad choices."
OOOF. Anyway, there are way better choices out there, go read those instead
The "sky tree" is also dorky as all get out. What a name. Each page has like a sentence that vaguely relates to what the images show, the plot is confusing (what exactly is the importance of the "sky tree"? Why did they start building houses in it? Why is it called the "sky tree"?). At the end the tree is hollowed out and inside is replaced with steel beams and windows. That doesn't make the tree "stronger," as the book suggests, but WOULD make a tree dead. The end picture is extremely industrial, it feels very far away from God's creation. But now the tree has all sorts of opportunities to make the owners of it all sorts of money, which I'm sure Kirk Cameron can appreciate, as he is desperate to get a piece of that culture war pie, which comes with a decent paycheck.
If you want some Christian picture books that do not suck your kids into the propaganda hell, I would look somewhere else. The Story of the Saints by Carey Wallace is beautifully illustrated, does not contain anything as dorky as "sky tree," and talks about the stories of saints (real people we can look up to). Or, if you want something a little sillier, something like Brother Hugo and the Bear by Katy Beebe is a fun choice. And I've got loads of books that are grade school etc that I could share too.
This book is about America conservatism, not the teaching of Jesus. And as much as conservatives want us to believe those things are the same thing, they're not. They never will be.
Kirk Cameron came to my library and I saw his story time. All he did was book a room at my library, a thing any group can do. Even though his base will not realize this, I, and all the librarians and people who value intellectual freedom, won that day because we were protecting his intellectual freedom, something that his base is desperate to take away from other people. I will not stop fighting the slow removal of freedoms that America has been doing for the last couple of years. I will stand up for our right to read whatever we want.
This is a quote Cameron said at the story time, that is not in the book, but I think it gives you a good idea of why this book is not a good choice to read:
"Freedom is good. But some people cannot govern themselves so freedom is not good for them because they would make bad choices."
OOOF. Anyway, there are way better choices out there, go read those instead
April 26, 2023
I'll get right to the point
Liberals hate this book because it is Kirk Cameron
Conservatives love this book because it is Kirk Cameron
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BOOK ITSELF!
As a librarian, I feel like I need to look at many books objectively. I believe a library collection should feature all sides, all different viewpoints. So when someone I know snidely said "I bet you don't have Kirk Cameron's book in your library....." I could report that there's did.
So I read it. And y'all, it's kind of garbage. It is not uber proselytizing (unless you read the back of the book and no one really does.). Even I, someone who is a Christian, had a difficult time connecting the dots to the Fruits of the Spirit. MANY PARENTS (including those who are not religious) want their child to love, experience joy, know there are difficulties in the world, and be gentle. That's just common decency.
Oh wait, we don't have common decency any more.
Many cannot be objective about this book. Assumptions are made based on the author and that alone. But come on, the book's font is far too small (do not get that stylistic decision) and the illustrations are far too busy. For that alone I am not a fan.....and if you have read my picture book reviews before, you would know this too.
Sigh. Try to be objective if you get this book.
Liberals hate this book because it is Kirk Cameron
Conservatives love this book because it is Kirk Cameron
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BOOK ITSELF!
As a librarian, I feel like I need to look at many books objectively. I believe a library collection should feature all sides, all different viewpoints. So when someone I know snidely said "I bet you don't have Kirk Cameron's book in your library....." I could report that there's did.
So I read it. And y'all, it's kind of garbage. It is not uber proselytizing (unless you read the back of the book and no one really does.). Even I, someone who is a Christian, had a difficult time connecting the dots to the Fruits of the Spirit. MANY PARENTS (including those who are not religious) want their child to love, experience joy, know there are difficulties in the world, and be gentle. That's just common decency.
Oh wait, we don't have common decency any more.
Many cannot be objective about this book. Assumptions are made based on the author and that alone. But come on, the book's font is far too small (do not get that stylistic decision) and the illustrations are far too busy. For that alone I am not a fan.....and if you have read my picture book reviews before, you would know this too.
Sigh. Try to be objective if you get this book.
January 27, 2023
This is Book 8 in a second series about Freedom Island. This particular book shows in the illustrations the growing of the Sky Tree from acorn to massive oak(?) tree, which is home to numerous anthropomorphic animals. The text, while on the surface refers to the tree, in depth refers to children growing in love, gentleness, and joy (based on the fruits of the spirit: Galatians 5:22-23). The back matter includes three games that families can play, each one featuring and indicative of one of the three fruits: love, gentleness, and joy. The illustrations by Juan Moreno are fabulous, and incredibly detailed, plus, readers can look for 10 owls throughout the story.
May 21, 2023
This book did not merit the controversy it is associated with—no particular viewpoint is endorsed or disparaged unless you read the author’s note at the end, which would traditionally not be read during storytime. It is just not all that well done—for a child, I can see the pictures not explaining the text very well. While the illustrations are creative and brilliantly colored, they are pretty cluttered, and one does not know where to focus, especially not on the text—it is way too small. The opportunities are there for teaching vocabulary words to children, but again, the illustrations do not mirror the text well, and no follow up text on future pages explain the vocabulary words either.
January 29, 2026
2.5 stars. Having only read a small handful of titles from Brave Books, and those being of mixed quality, this was kind of a strange book. It seemed to me through its illustrations to be referring to specific events within the Freedom Island world, all of which I do not know. Some of the lines in this book are good. For example, “You were made to point up to the One who loves you best.” Others were strange and cryptic. I don’t think the younger kids of the target age will grasp a number of the messages. The back of the book contains a study of sorts on love, joy, and gentleness with activities/games and discussion questions.
Ages 4-12.
Ages 4-12.
August 8, 2023
I read this because I work in a library and I wanted to be able to speak about the controversy surrounding the author. This book honestly sucks. It is just not good. The plot of the book itself doesn't contain any religious components, but the book discussion workbook at the end does (and it's like half of the book). The illustration were okay, even though they all looked like furries. The book is just not well written and doesn't seem like it was made for children.
October 12, 2023
My undying appreciation of Kirk Cameron aside, I agree with other reviewers that the book is very disjointed, with no clear story line and so much happening in the pictures that I really could not follow it. After I read reviews and realized what the story was about, I read it again and kind of understood, but an adult should not have to read reviews to figure out the plot. I'm afraid that it will not have much staying power in the children's picture book realm.
September 15, 2024
Wonderfully crafted quick statements about growing up to be the best you can be. With truthful wisdom, this story unfolds with topics for discussions, such as: kindness; brokenness; courage; compassion; gentleness and generosity. Simple sentences are supported with delightful illustrations by Juan Moreno.
This a must read-aloud at home... in the classroom... and at library Storytimes.
MrsK https://mrskbookstogo.blogspot.com/
This a must read-aloud at home... in the classroom... and at library Storytimes.
MrsK https://mrskbookstogo.blogspot.com/
December 30, 2022
The illustrations are beautiful and plenty of stories can be made up from all that is going on within them. Unfortunately the actual story is a bit disjointed with phrases seeming to be randomly presented. The end of the book contains some activities that focus on Love, Joy, and Gentleness; it is in this section that there are Biblical references.
March 18, 2023
Kirk whined his way into the libraries. In my opinion, the best guests are invited and they don’t try to force their religion or ethics on you. I imagine he belongs to the group that wants to ban books which do not meet with his approval.
I think this book will confuse young children and disturb others. Let’s not dissolve the boundaries of church and state.
I think this book will confuse young children and disturb others. Let’s not dissolve the boundaries of church and state.
August 29, 2024
This was like Seuss's "Oh, the Places You'll Go," only this was actually good and had a deeper meaning. I loved the author's encouragements to"point up to the One who loves you best," "care for others," and "grow in gentleness." As so much literature turns to "me, me, me," what a selfless and uplifting book!
January 1, 2025
Definitely not a stand alone. If read with the series, should be guided discussion because there is very little context. The idea is sound, if treated as a teaching tool. It is NOT for independent, pleasure reading, much more appropriate as a series of lessons. The ⭐ reflects its value as an independent choice, not instructional choice.
May 7, 2025
The illustrations in this book are great! I love the detail! This book is almost like a kid's book of proverbs. It focuses on some of the Fruit of the Spirit ... love, joy, and gentleness. It also has games at the end to help explain these concepts to your kids. Great faith based book!
July 22, 2025
My daughter handed this to me at the library and I read it to her to pass the time. I then saw the author’s name and realized it was that guy. Since I can’t give no stars and the illustration desires at least 1.
January 14, 2023
Nice book with good Christian lessons.
February 7, 2023
Read this so I could rate it one star, not just because I'm a hater, but also because Kirk Cameron doesn't know how to write children's books.
Read
February 8, 2023The only reason people are mad about this book is because Kirk Cameron worships Jesus and not baphomet.
March 31, 2023
What even is this.
June 23, 2023
Beautiful illustration. Nice message but no real story. Activities at the end of the book.
August 6, 2023
We need more of these books in our library's
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews