In this engaging, illustrated children's book by Irene Sun, young readers learn how numbers declare the glory of God, discovering Bible stories and the truth, beauty, and goodness of our sovereign God through numbers and patterns. With countable illustrations and an easy-to-learn structure, children who are always seeking, finding, tracing, and counting numbers will be captivated by God Counts.
Through simple language kids will understand, God Counts shares theological truths and helps children become familiar with Scripture, exploring the patterns of creation, numbers in the plan of redemption, and the intimacy of a personal relationship with God. This children's book explores how God counts every fish in the sea, every star in the sky, every hair on their heads, and every tear in their eyes.
By discovering numbers in God's world and in his Word, parents help their children foster a deeper love and knowledge of who God is and how he counts them as his. Families will be enriched as they learn together how numbers magnify God—just as a telescope magnifies the stars—and each numbered lesson points to a larger redemptive story of Scripture. On each page, the illustrations engage readers, displaying not only a picture but a mosaic of patterns.
This playful children's book serves as a beginner's theology book for young readers who love numbers and patterns, introducing the Trinity, the God of order, the holiness of God, the problem of sin, the rescue and love of Jesus, and much more. Children who love to count will be filled with wonder, leading them to understand deeper truths about God, themselves, and the world around them.
"Every child who loves to count will be delighted to open God Counts and realize that God loves numbers too. Irene Sun helps children explore the deep truths of Scripture by observing the way numbers are used all throughout the Bible. Beautifully illustrated and ingeniously written, this book is a wonderful way for children to learn about God as they learn to count."
Melissa Kruger, Author of In All Things: A Nine Week Devotional Bible Study on Unshakeable Joy
"I've learned much from the writing of Irene Sun over the years, and I'm delighted that my young children will likewise learn about God from her in this wonderful, creative little book of numbers exploring the plan of redemption."
Collin Hansen, Editorial Director of The Gospel Coalition; author of Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey with the New Calvinists
"Irene Sun has laid out a lively number path that winds through the stories of Scripture. Through the numbers come glimpses of truth. The Bible references included will help adults explain the concepts more fully to little ones listening. This book is a great starting point not just for teaching numbers but for thinking about the Lord God who counts the hairs on our heads and the stars in the sky."
Kathleen Nielson, Author of Women and God
"Irene has written a book that not only speaks to the beauty of God's creation, but his order as well. If God reigns over all things, then surely numbers matter to him too! This book will capture your child's imagination, expand their view of God, and bring Scripture into every conversation—even the ones that are about numbers. I can't wait to read this to my sons over and over again!"
Courtney Reissig, Author of Glory in the Ordinary; mother of four
"I imagine many, many meaningful conversations about God will result from reading God Counts and exploring its imaginative artwork."
Nancy Guthrie, Author of What Every Child Should Know about Prayer
"This book creatively teaches children about God and his Word. If you have a child who is fascinated by numbers, this is a great resource to talk with them about God."
Andy and Jenni Naselli, Parents of four daughters; Andy is associate professor of New Testament and theology at Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis and elder of Bethlehem Baptist Church
"God Counts is a delightful book for both children and parents alike. Irene Sun makes biblical truths memorably compelling."
Christine Hoover, Author of Messy Beautiful Friendship and Searching for Spring; mom of three
"God Counts is a delightful children's book that every Christian parent and grandparent should have. This little masterpiece by Irene Sun explores the place of simple numbers in God's Word and in his world. Clearly and meaningfully written, drawing upon foundational themes and motifs in Scripture, interestingly illustrated, and biblically referenced throughout, this little book is a wonderful resource for those important first conversations about God and his creative and redemptive work in his world."
Dennis R. Magary, Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
"An Old Testament scholar and a godly Christian mother, Irene Sun is well suited to write Christian books for kids. God Counts teaches little ones some very big truths in language and pictures that make Scripture come alive for curious minds. My wife and I can't wait to share it with others."
Douglas A. Sweeney, Distinguished Professor of Church History and the History of Christian Thought, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
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I can’t make it through the entire book without choking up. It is a very sweet book and my 3 year old daughter loves counting along on each page. The simple truths in the book ministered to my heart greatly.
This book is a great way to not only introduce kids to numbers, but also connect numbers with the Bible and teach kids important points of theology. Great find! Would definitely reccomend!
God Counts: Numbers in His Word and His World by Irene Sun is a delightful children's book! Unique in its approach, the book takes key Biblical truths and relates it back to a number. While you can consider it a counting book, it isn't remotely 'babyish'. Instead, the focus on a number allows deep theology to be presented in a way a child can grasp. The book begins with the greatest truth; "One tells us that God is the first and the best." And the book (for what our part & our kids' part to learn) ends with infinity. Finally, the book ends with God counting....this page shows how personally God knows all that is within His world, and all that he knows about each of us. What a powerful way to display & teach of God's power and love! My four-year old enjoyed reading back to me the number and what each one represented. By seeing how 9 tells us to be like God, and seeing what qualities Jesus has, she is essentially learning the Fruits of the Spirit! We have enjoyed reading this book as a family, and I look forward to my kids becoming more independent in remembering what each number represents. Very sweet book, and I highly recommend it.
What a fun way for children to not only learn how to count, but learn more about the bible! The pictures are bright, lively and engaging. Each number represents a different aspect of the bible, and I love how the author was able to easily include bible verses throughout the book. Little readers will enjoy listening to the story of how God loves them. It’s also for readers that are a little bit older, as it opens the door for wonderful conversation about the bible! I encourage you to read this book with your young readers!
God Counts: Numbers in His Word and His World by Irene Sun is a new book that looks at different numbers (1-12 and infinity) and how they tie into the story of the Bible. I appreciate that the book begins with God creating and that everything, even numbers, comes from Him. There are many helpful connections that Sun makes throughout the book. The number three focuses on the Trinity. Five points kids the the fact that Moses wrote the Pentateuch (five books). I felt that nine was very creative as well, drawing the readers attention the the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5. Sun does a nice job of not trying to stretch numbers to mean something they do not. Instead, she points to places of Scripture where these numbers show up, not trying to super spiritualize some meaning into them. I enjoyed reading this book to my sons and they really enjoyed it as well. The illustrations are by Alex Foster and are very well done. They do a great job of illustrating the point that the author is making on each page. The only complaint I have is the portrayal of Noah’s ark. All of the people and many animals are out on an observation deck (of sorts) while the flood is taking place. Scripture speaks of God shutting Noah in the ark and that he opened a window after the flood waters decreased and “the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” While maybe not as visually appealing it would have been nice to see an ark that was to scale (even if no animals and people would have been visible). Overall, I felt that Irene Sun communicated some good truths in a very readable manner for young children. I
This book is super cute. My 5 year old was captivated by the pictures and story. He is in kindergarten and this book helped with his numbers. God has given us great beauty in his world - and this book is a great reminder of it.
A simple book for very young readers, using the very simple act of counting to engage your child and tie things we observe in creation with explicit acknowledgement of our creator. New Growth Press has recently published a variety of really good options along this line. They are delightfully illustrated, cleverly told, engaging books that my youngest daughter asks for repeatedly, and my second youngest now picks off the shelf to read on her own (she’s a beginning reader.) These books provide great source material for dealing with hard topics (failure, anger, fear, ethnic diversity, and marveling at God’s creativity!) and provides parents with guides for discussion along these topics. My girls also love the tear-out pocket bible verses included in each. The best part about these stories, is that they aim at pointing a child to Christ in faith, rather than simple behavior modification and moralism, in accessible ways. Oh, and the messages of the books are good reminders and encouragement for me, the parent, as well. :)
In this engaging, illustrated children’s book by Irene Sun, young readers learn how numbers declare the glory of God, discovering Bible stories and the truth, beauty, and goodness of our sovereign God through numbers and patterns. With countable illustrations and an easy-to-learn structure, children who are always seeking, finding, tracing, and counting numbers will be captivated by God Counts. Through simple language kids will understand, God Counts shares theological truths and helps children become familiar with Scripture, exploring the patterns of creation, numbers in the plan of redemption, and the intimacy of a personal relationship with God. This children’s book explores how God counts every fish in the sea, every star in the sky, every hair on their heads, and every tear in their eyes. This playful children’s book serves as a beginner’s theology book for young readers who love numbers and patterns, introducing the Trinity, the God of order, the holiness of God, the problem of sin, the rescue and love of Jesus, and much more. Children who love to count will be filled with wonder, leading them to understand deeper truths about God, themselves, and the world around them. There are a lot of children’s books that explore God’s creation through letters. I’ve not run across any that did so through numbers, not until now. In God Counts, theologian Irene Sun invites young readers and pre-readers to master their numbers through learning about the way God uses numbers in the Bible to teach us about himself. I have to admit that I was skeptical at first. Other than a few number combinations—3 for the Trinity, 2 for animals on the ark, 7 (or 6) for days of creation—I wasn’t sure what concepts Sun would use to fit the construct of counting. I couldn’t envision how it could be done and not seem contrived. I was wrong. So wrong. And Sun defies convention and expectation. 2 wasn’t about animals on the ark. 12 wasn’t about the disciples. Instead of searching for a number in Scripture and plugging it into her book, Sun gets deeply theological. The concepts she covers range from how God speaks to us, how we were not made to be alone, that we were created to reflect God’s character. This is not a counting book. This is a theology book. When I turned to the back cover, I found that Sun studied liturgy and literature at Yale. She definitely brings that academic background to this book, applying it at a level that your youngest readers and pre-readers will be able to follow. She’s also written a recent article called You Can Teach Theology With Picture Books, which you should definitely read.
I'm so in love with this book. If you only pick up one book on this list, make this one it. The illustrations are stunning. It's a beautiful mix of learning about counting and learning about Jesus, which I love and I think Charlie will love to as he gets older.
My youngest daughter is three and her favorite thing to do is read with her mommy. We are always looking for fun books that we can read together. I personally love those books that have a bit of Jesus in them. This is a new favorite of ours! God Counts: Numbers in His Word and His World. Numbers are so much more than just digits. Every number has a powerful purpose in the Bible. While that sort of teaching may be a bit too much for younger ones, this book has a beautiful way of showing even our littlest ones that numbers have great value for God. Every page speaks to a number and a lesson we can learn from it. As we read about the number two we are reminded we are not alone. We learn there are six things the Lord hates. God hates sin and sin is what keeps us separate from him. The pictures are so warm and inviting. I cannot tell you how many amazing conversations we have had. She is only three but every image is beautiful to her. And she loves every bit of each page. This really is a fun book to read. My daughter traces and counts; she loves seeking out animals and the stars. It really is an amazing book. artistically and literally. One we are enjoying over and over and over again.
