God Made Me AND You: Celebrating God's Design for Ethnic Diversity

Helping kids (and parents!) engage with the beauty of God’s design for ethnic diversity. God is not “colorblind”, nor should we be. Though I’m no connoisseur, Shai Linne is one of my favorite hip-hop artists and to have him bring his lyrical artistry to my children is a delight. 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. :)

I am always on the lookout for children's books, especially ones that talk about diversity. My children range from 3-10 and they honestly don't talk about the differences in skin color or the different cultures. It may be that we've talked about it so much from their little years on up and even have a teen girl from a different culture living with us. Nevertheless, I still want to remind them constantly that God made everyone for the job He created them to do. This book fits the message I want my kids to know. For starters, I tend to look at the Editorial reviews of a book, especially a Christian book. When I see some of the names that I highly respect, I know it's a book I need to read. It's not always one I may agree with, but it's one I need to read. In this book, it was both....a book I needed to read and agreed with. The illustrations are cute and fun. The story is biblical. Shai reminds the children that God created a diverse group of people for unity. In a culture where disunity is taught and encouraged, he reminds them that's not God's plan. I love how he talks about how sin causes division. My kids have asked that question a lot lately, when trying to understand why people hurt others because they're different. What a beautiful answer on these pages. He even reminds the children of Jesus's words in Revelation about the bride and how we will all worship together as one. What a beautiful picture to leave in their young minds...and in my mind! In researching who Shai is, I saw that he has a companion CD, too. I haven't checked it out yet, but it's on my list to find.

This beautifully illustrated children's book invites kids to explore God's design for ethnic diversity and challenges readers both parents and children to learn and live out counter-cultural, biblical views, fostering a lifelong celebration of diversity for the glory of God. Designed for four- to eleven-year-olds, God Made Me and You by Shai Linne is the second book in the God Made Me series, starting with God Made All of Me by Justin and Lindsey Holcomb. For the first twenty-three years of my life, I lived in a small town that was 95% white and attended a church that was 100% white. Upon the completion of seminary, I moved to a larger metro area that was 56% white and a church that was less than 1% white. An older German lady. And now me. Suddenly I had to deal with ethnic diversity. Not only that, but in certain prominent contexts of my life, I was now undergoing the experience of a minority. And it was life-changing. Five years later, I still work in a predominantly Asian church and am the adoptive father to a Black son and we’re pursuing further adoptions. It wasn’t that I was uninterested in racial reconciliation before. Simply that I hadn’t yet really been confronted by those issues. I celebrated ethnic diversity, but I hadn’t experienced it. In the years since, I’ve actively looked for resources that celebrate diversity—children’s books especially. Let’s have a brown-skinned Jesus. Let’s see variations in skin tone or children with disabilities. Let’s let our literature reflect what our world actually is. Shai Linne’s God Made Me and You is exactly the kind of book our children need—particularly those whose cultural context might make diversity more of a struggle. (Though it certainly isn’t a substitute!) God Made Me and You The story follows Ms. Preston’s class. Ms. Preston is late and unsupervised children don’t always make wise choices. Two boys begin to tease other kids for a variety of reasons. When Ms. Preston shows up and learns of the situation, she uses it as a teaching moment. God Made Me and You teaches that the whole human race is descended from Adam and Eve. Ms. Preston begins with the diversity of God’s creation. He made so many different things! So, of course, he would make people to be different as well. Short and tall. Curly hair and straight. Light sin and dark. Different color eyes. Some born deaf or blind. The book pinpoints sin as the beginning of racism. And now, because of the presence of sin / People hate for silly things like color of skin. But it also offers a solution in Jesus. Shai Linne points to Revelation 7’s promise that the church of heaven would be all people of all nations and languages. Illustrations / Text Trish Mahoney’s illustrations are particularly eye-catching. In a book about diversity, she paints a well thought out picture that goes beyond just ethnicity and skin color. One little girl has a birthmark on her face. Some are in wheelchairs. Some have braces. It truly is a celebration of diversity. One of the weakest points, I felt, was that the book uses rhymes throughout. Rhyming books are fine, but this is a serious topic and it’s quite substantial. At twenty pages, this is a lengthy poem Conclusion God Made Me and You is a must have for your children’s bookshelf and your church’s library. Racial issues have always been relevant, but especially today in an age where many people think we’re past all that, this book stands as a resource to get your child to understand and celebrate diversity.

You may be familiar with Christian artist Shai Linne by way of the rap music he's produced over the years. My husband and I have enjoyed his songs are thankful for his being a light in a dark industry. We were especially thrilled when we found out that Shai Linne had a children's book coming out and couldn't wait to read it with our daughter. God Made Me and You: Celebrating God's Design for Ethnic Diversity tells the story of young students whose teacher helps them understand diversity from a biblical perspective. This book is fun not only because of the captivating illustrations but because, in true Shai Linne form, it is written in rhyme. I am thankful for the timely and important message of God Made Me and You which is that all humans have been created as image bearers of God and have equal value, dignity, and worth. This is an especially important resource because it allows parents to make diversity one of the earliest values they instill in their children. The way in which Shai Linne writes about diversity is easy for children to understand and his approach to the topic is unique as it points to God as the author of diversity. Prior to reading God Made Me and You I hadn't really considered diversity as a mark of all creation but looking at plants, animals, and people, it is clear that a caring Creator is at work and this is a fact that individuals of all ages can rejoice in. My family enjoyed God Made Me and You and I believe that you will too! I received God Made Me and You compliments of New Growth Press in exchange for my honest review.

GOD MADE ME AND YOU is a cute children's book celebrating how God made everything different. Place, animals, and people. It focuses mainly on people so to eliminate the racial divide. Or color divide. Like if every child is blond or dark haired and there is a red-head in the group, he stands out and some bullies might be tempted to call him names. This explains why each are representative of God's creativity while still being made in an image of him. Each ethnicity is represented in the book, with culturally correct coloring, and even some who are blind, deaf, or mobility-challenged. If you are looking for a book that emphasizes God's creativity with people or how God created all nations and nationalities, then GOD MADE ME AND YOU is a great book to consider. I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.

God Made Me and You – Celebrating God’s Design for Ethnic Diversity By Hai Linne, Illustrated by Trish Mahoney New Growth Press, 1301 Carolina Street, Suite 124, Greensboro, NC 27404 978-1948130154, $ 15.99, 2018 Reviewed by Richard R. Blake, richard330@yahoo.com “God Made Me and You – Celebrating God’s Design for Ethnic Diversity” is told using a poetic rhyming style. Trish Mahoney’s art and illustrations capture and significantly enhance and reinforce the application message for children. The book can be used as a read-aloud book or is an ideal opportunity for advanced readers to read to their younger siblings to and to help them develop their reading skills. A practical and helpful section for parents introduces Six Ways to Help a Child Appreciate God’s Design for Ethnic Diversity. A letter to parents at the opening of the book becomes the introduction of the book. Linne’s intent for writing the book is “To lead the reader to intentionally pursue and demonstrate a lifelong pursuit of appreciation for ethnic diversity to the glory of God.” Shai Linne’s book “God Made Me and You” is highly endorsed by pastors, theologians, Christian leaders, and educators. The book is designed to help children ages five through eleven and fosters embracing people of another color and ethnic differences. A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review purposes. The opinions expressed are my own.

God Made Me and You – Celebrating God’s Design for Ethnic Diversity By Hai Linne, Illustrated by Trish Mahoney New Growth Press, 1301 Carolina Street, Suite 124, Greensboro, NC 27404 978-1948130154, $ 15.99, 2018 Reviewed by Richard R. Blake, richard330@yahoo.com “God Made Me and You – Celebrating God’s Design for Ethnic Diversity” is told using a poetic rhyming style. Trish Mahoney’s art and illustrations capture and significantly enhance and reinforce the application message for children. The book can be used as a read-aloud book or is an ideal opportunity for advanced readers to read to their younger siblings to and to help them develop their reading skills. A practical and helpful section for parents introduces Six Ways to Help a Child Appreciate God’s Design for Ethnic Diversity. A letter to parents at the opening of the book becomes the introduction of the book. Linne’s intent for writing the book is “To lead the reader to intentionally pursue and demonstrate a lifelong pursuit of appreciation for ethnic diversity to the glory of God.” Shai Linne’s book “God Made Me and You” is highly endorsed by pastors, theologians, Christian leaders, and educators. The book is designed to help children ages five through eleven and fosters embracing people of another color and ethnic differences. A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review purposes. The opinions expressed are my own.

My preschoolers and I enjoyed God Made Me and You. The combination of colorful illustrations and lyrical rhyme make this book a lot of fun. Shai Linne communicates that His readers are image bearers who exist for God's glory, love, praise, etc. God Made Me and You primarily focuses on externals (tall/short, hair/eye color, disabilities, etc.) and would serve as a good starting point for further conversation(s) highlighting what it means to be made in the image of God. Most of all, I appreciate that this book follows the redemptive story line (creation, fall, redemption, consummation) and has a clear Gospel message. God Made Me and You is a useful picture book to help preschoolers appreciate the diversity of God's design in creation. *Many thanks to New Growth Press for sending me a complimentary copy of this book! This is my honest opinion.

An excellent book for 3-8 year olds showing how God enjoys and celebrates the diversity of his creation and how we also should appreciate all the variety found in people of the world. Written by Shai Linne in engaging rhyme, the scene is set in a school bible class where some boys start teasing others, but the teacher is quick to show how God created everyone with all of their wondrous differences. Sin is explained in terms of people hating difference, yet Jesus has come to die for the sins of mankind: “There’s no type of person that Jesus left out”! The illustrations by Trish Mahoney (who also illustrated God Made All of Me) are captivating – clear, precise and engagingly detailed. She has included a child with a cochlear implant, a girl with a facial birthmark, a man in a wheelchair, kids with glasses and braces, every type of hair imaginable (possibly with even a turban suggesting no hair), and a variety of skin tones. A lovely book for little ones which proclaims the truth that God calls people from every tribe, language, tongue and nation to himself.

How should we think about race and ethnicity? More importantly, what does the Bible say about these matters? We live in a time of cultural tension, and our churches need to speak up where there is silence against the sin of racism and we need to bring love and unity instead of contention. More than all of this, we need to have these tough conversations with our children. How can we even begin doing this? Thanks to Shai Linne’s new children’s book, God Made Me AND You: Celebrating God’s Design for Ethnic Diversity, we have an answer. Creative Teaching on Celebrating Ethnic Diversity In this beautifully illustrated book (illustrations by Trish Mahoney), Shai Linne uses his poetic style as a hip-hop artist to creatively teach kids through rhyme God’s design for ethnic diversity. Using the story of an elementary classroom incident, God Made Me AND You takes children and their parents through the story of the Bible to show God’s beautiful and good design in His diverse creation. The book uses the classroom incident between students as an opportunity to highlight Acts 17. From there, the book highlights God unity and diversity in the world He has made, displaying and celebrating the beauty of ethnic diversity. The book also dives into the sin of racism and how the only solution to this problem is found in the gospel as Jesus died for the sins of mankind and no type of person is left out. The ethnic diversity of the church finds its unity in Jesus Christ. Simply put, God Made Me AND You teaches ethnic diversity is something the Bible calls for us to celebrate as God saves a people from all ethnicities for Himself. A Gift of Grace for Understanding Race (for Kids) Shai faithfully portrays the beautiful display of God’s creation, the problem of man’s sin of racism, and the solution provided by the gospel of Jesus Christ. He even opens the book with a letter to the parent or caregiver and closes it with an article on “Six Ways to Help Your Children Appreciate God’s Design for Ethnic Diversity” to equip the parent as the wage their way through this complex conversation. In a time where tensions are high on tough topics like ethnicity and racism, this book teaches faithfully the biblical truth of God’s design for ethnic diversity in an engaging manner for kids. The book is ideal for elementary school-aged children but parents themselves will benefit from such a resource too. One line of the story sums the book well, “What some call ethnicity and others call race, We should celebrate as a gift of God’s grace.” This book is a gift of God’s grace to those who want to teach their children what the Bible says about race. Shai gives parents guidance on how to educate children on ethnicity through a biblical lens. If you are a parent of an elementary-aged child and want them to know the beautiful biblical truth of God’s design for ethnic diversity, then get this book! I received this book from New Growth Press in exchange for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and are my honest review of the book.