Gave as an Easter gift to my grandchildren.

This one sparks the imagination about heaven. lovely

Very pleased with it. It is for an 8 year-old who is struggling with reading. His mother looked thru it and liked it. Then, her son picked it up and looked thru it. I could tell he will enjoy reading it with his parents.

Written by Bart Millard and Laura Nuetzling, I Can Only Imagine follows a child's imaginings of what God must be like. What types of games does Jesus like to play? Does he like the same types of ice cream that I do? Would he like to race with me? The book goes through the fanciful questions that little children ask, addressing the everyday concerns and wonderings of a preschooler.

While I found the book to be sweet and light hearted, I struggled with how shallow it felt. On the one hand, it's important to teach our children that they can enjoy their everyday day delights with God now. That He's not a distant God, but one who is always with them. On the other hand, a friendship with God is so much more than ice cream and wagon rides. It's learning, growing worshipping. Where are those ideas? So while I thought this book was sweet, it was definitely lacking. I would recommend searching for a book that is less self-focused and has more substance.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

With the popularity of the I Can Only Imagine song which led to a movie and book, it's no surprise that a picture book for children has been added. I can Only Imagine for Little Ones is a larger board book at just under 8x8. It's well constructed to stand up against infant and toddler page-turning. The book has adorable, stunning pictures to go along with the story, and the story itself is engaging and thought-provoking for kids. It asks the questions kids are more likely to ask like "Does God like to play ball?" or "Does God have a pet?" There are ideas that we as adults may have grown out of, but this story engages kid's imaginations in a fun, interactive way. It gets them to consider heaven and what it would be like to see God face-to-face. It considers "knowing God" in a way that they can actually understand and think about. This was a fun read and one that I would consider a great addition to a home, church, nursery, or public library.

I read this book with my favorite little book enthusiast, 3-year-old Addy. She absolutely loves story time and interacting with what she is read. She really enjoyed this book and loved the pictures. She had a bit of difficulty in imagining some of the ideas the book shared. She said she wasn't sure what God liked to do because she didn't know what he had (balls, books, pets, etc). She was pretty sold on the idea of possibly having ice cream before lunch though. The book was able to hold her attention well and she was highly engaged throughout the story. She gives the story two thumbs up.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book through BookLook. I was not required to give a positive review. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine (and Addy's) alone.