God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It

I teach in a Lutheran school, and this is one of the students' favorite hymns. The sing it with gusto in chapel, and I hear them humming it throughout the day. In fact, it is a favorite hymn of many in our congregation, of all ages. We have sung it on Sundays when we have a baptism, and we recently sang it, by request, at a funeral. It is also one on my favorite hymns, so when I heard the book was coming out, I was eagerly looking forward to it. It certainly did not disappoint! The wonderful words of the hymn are all there as the text of the book, woven through the story of one baby brought into the Kingdom of heaven through his baptism, living his life from childhood to adulthood as a child of God, and finally entering into his eternal glory at the end, secure in his baptismal faith. The theology is not too "heavy." I think a young child would find this both comforting and joyful. Because that's what it is. Jonathan Mayer did an absolutely marvelous job with the illustrations. They perfectly fit the story of the hymn, conveying both the comfort and the joy. This is a book that children of all ages will come back to over and over again. I hope to see more books illustrated by Mayer.

Neumeister's beloved baptism hymn sings the confidence that Holy Baptism gives to the Christian in the face of threats from sin, Satan, and death. The illustrations in this book tell the story of that confidence, faith, and comfort throughout the life of the baptized. Here a little baby boy is baptized, is taught to treasure Jesus over his toys, grows to receive a sprinkling sip of Jesus' blood in Holy Communion, learns to defeat Satan's accusations in young adulthood with the forgiveness of sins in Christ. Having married and become a father himself, he returns to the font to bring his own child to be God's own child. He receives comfort at the death of his mother by her baptism, symbolized by the white pall covering her casket. He points his own children, then grandchildren to the future hope of the resurrection for those who sleep in Christ. And when his last hour comes, with his family at his side, his pastor called to speak forgiveness and pray with them in this hour, he falls asleep and joins the saints around the throne of the Lamb.This book is a treasure, a marvelous tool to show how the benefits of Baptism extend to all of life. Great for children of all ages, for all who have been baptized into Christ!

My kids love the combination of being sung to and looking at a book. We have a very tattered copy of "He's Got the Whole World" that they all loved and prompted me to get some of our favorite hymns as books. They love the singing and looking at pictures and they are learning the hymns. Win win win. This one does have some end of life illustrations which felt shocking the first time or two we looked through it, but my kids seem unaffected, and really, what a great setting in which to discuss some of those end of life questions!

This has been one of my son's favorite book for quite some time. He's 2 years old and can sing the first 2 verses with me.It's an old hymn that is a relatively new translation for English speakers. It's quickly becoming a favorite in my congregation. The artist does a wonderful job of portraying the life of a boy being baptized at the font through his becoming a father, growing old and receiving the crown of life promised in baptism.My son loves finding the crosses on the altar at church, on the wall of a home and on the steeples. He sees Jesus on the cross and victorious over death in a stained glass window. He sees God's Word proclaimed and the sacraments being administered. The artist portrays this in such a way that when we have a baptism in church (which isn't all that often), my son recognizes it from his book and knows what's happening.Thanks Kloria Publishing!

Simple, yet profound!This is a fantastic tool in teaching the truth of the Bible, in a memorable way, to children! In clear, simple words, and in simple, ordinary images, the comfort of Baptism shines forth is great clarity! I thank God that this author brought the simple truth of the Word of God to children in the nursery!If you are a "Bible-believing Christian," and if you want to train your child in the truth of God's Word, then THIS is the book to buy! 1 Peter 3 says, "Baptism now saves you." Acts 2 says, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”What a wonderful idea, book, teaching, and presentation! I highly recommend purchasing this book!

We ordered this book immediately when we saw it on Facebook. We have always loved this hymn. I read it to our three grandchildren last week ages 6,5, and 2. I sang a verse out loud and then we read the book. We talked about the illustrations and and how God was with the man his whole life, from his baptism as a small child, in the weekly gift of Christ's body and blood in communion, in the death of his dear wife, and then as he approached his own death. They were engaged the entire time we read. There is so much richness here! I am very excited to share this my Sunday School class ages 3-7 years old. I am certain that they will have many things to talk about in regards to faith in Christ. I will be ordering more copies for all my grandchildren! I look forward to more books by this illustrator.

I got this for my one year old son as a birthday gift. I am so impressed! The illustrations are rich, beautiful, detailed and child-friendly. They lovingly point to the truth of God's Word about baptism and the precious treasure it is for His children. The picture story shows the benefits of baptism from a little boy's baptism to his death, clearly pointing to Christ and His saving work the whole way. This is a wonderful book for any child being baptized. My church actually ordered several to give as gifts. If you love this hymn and the truth it speaks, you will LOVE this book!