ECPA 2021 Book of the Year Award Finalist.
Your children may know of the psalms, but with WonderFull by best-selling author Marty Machowski, young readers learn to use the whole book of the Psalms to pray, worship, and find help through the challenges life is certain to bring.
Oliver and his grandfather spend days sitting in front of an old Oak tree, reading through the book of Psalms together. As Oliver’s curiosity about God evolves into a deep and abiding faith, his grandfather continues to read to him and pray with him, discovering together the beauty of the Psalms.
Even when Oliver’s grandpa is no longer able to read with him, Oliver continues to cherish the Psalms—especially in times of trial—and he imagines what it will be like to see God face to face and his grandfather again in heaven.
Ancient psalms are made ever new in this beautifully designed children’s book, and kids will grow to love and appreciate this book of the Bible.
As a best-selling author to numerous books and curricula for kids, Marty Machowski draws on over thirty years of experience as a pastor to provide Scripture-based truth and hope for young readers.
Machowski doesn’t just help kids become familiar with the psalms. He helps them apply what they are learning to their own lives, which is a gift that will continue to deepen their walk with Christ as they grow older.
AUTHOR
Marty Machowski is a Family Life Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, where he has served on the pastoral staff for over thirty years. He is the author of The Gospel Story Bible, Long Story Short, Old Story New, the Gospel Story Curriculum, the Prepare Him Room advent devotional and curriculum, Wise Up family devotional and curriculum, Listen Up family devotional and curriculum, Dragon Seed, The Ology, Don’t Blame the Mud, Parenting First Aid, Parenting First Aid Study Guide, and WonderFull. He and his wife, Lois, have six children and two grandchildren, and they reside in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
ILLUSTRATOR
Andy McGuire is a writer, illustrator, and editor. He illustrated the book, The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New authored by Marty Machowski. Andy lives in Minnesota with his wife, Becky, and their two children, Charlie and Jane.
“In WonderFull, Marty Machowski skillfully presents the whole of the Psalter for a child’s easy access, with Christ himself appearing naturally as the overarching theme. As a bonus blessing, the illustrations are lovely to look at. I highly recommended this book for readers of all ages.”
Palmer Robertson, Executive Director, Consummation Ministries; former director, African Bible University, Kampala, Uganda; author of The Flow of the Psalms, The Structure of the Psalter, and Psalms in Congregational Celebration
“Martin Luther called the book of Psalms ‘a little Bible, and the summary of the Old Testament,’ while John Calvin caught the spirit of the book when he said it was a ‘mirror of the soul.’ In WonderFull: Ancient Psalms Ever New, Marty Machowski beautifully describes the Psalms in such a way that it will appeal to children’s minds and hearts, while Andy McGuire provides compelling illustrations. Children and parents alike will learn and grow by reading this illuminating book.”
Tremper Longman III, Distinguished Scholar and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, Westmont College
“This delightful, beautifully illustrated book not only helps children learn the Psalms, it shows them how to apply them to their own lives. It tenderly guides them to consider God’s Word for their own hearts and lovingly points them to Christ throughout. WonderFull is an easy-to-use, months-long resource for family worship or a winsome choice to read with an individual child.”
Donald S. Whitney, Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Associate Dean, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY; author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Praying the Bible, and Family Worship
“Here’s what you’ll get when you read Marty Machowski’s WonderFull: Ancient Psalms Ever New: Christ-exalting gospel truth, pastoral wisdom, theologically-rooted reflections, and grand visions of the greatness and goodness of God, all in a way that kids can understand. It’s remarkable. Marty will help deepen your passion to apply these God-breathed songs to your life and lead you to a more satisfying knowledge of the gracious Redeemer behind them.”
Bob Kauflin, Director of Sovereign Grace Music
“WonderFull is a valuable resource for guiding children in how to relate, pray through, and apply the Psalms to their everyday lives. Sprinkled with fun and charm, this beautiful blend of intriguing illustrations and simple commentary will usher young hearts into an intimate, life-changing relationship with God. I highly recommend this gem of a book!”
Ginger Hubbard, Author of Don’t Make Me Count to Three and I Can’t Believe You Just Said That!
“The Psalms are an amazing spring of comfort to the soul. They express and align with the inner workings of the human soul. WonderFull helps readers of all ages experience this divine gift as it was intended. The beautiful illustrations also reflect the soothing nature of the Psalms and help set the reader in a state of gentle reflection. Questions and insights guide the reflections to bring about genuine life transformation.This is truly an heirloom book to be read and passed down for generations.”
Curtis Solomon, Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition
“The Psalms are the heart of the Bible and pulse with the living heartbeat of God’s faithfulness. How precious is a book like this that teaches children to know and love the Psalms for the way they point us to Christ! WonderFull is tenderly written and beautifully illustrated, and will be a delight for grandparents and parents to share with their dear little ones.”
Joel R. Beeke, President, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan
“I love this book—a kid-friendly, gospel-focused guide to the songbook of the Bible! WonderFull: Ancient Psalms Ever New made my heart sing, not only over beautiful truths about our Lord, but also that future generations might better learn and live the Psalms through this book. Drawing from current scholarship, the style is clear, the design charming, and the lessons timeless. As children open the book, they’ll be drawn in by the story Machowski uses to introduce the Psalms, but when they’re done, what they'll remember is The Story that fills the Psalms with wonder.”
Champ Thornton, Pastor; award-winning author of The Radical Book for Kids; author of Why Do We Say Good Night? and Pass It On
“No other biblical book exposes the depths of the human heart and the beauty of the gospel quite like the Psalms. In this well-written and beautifully illustrated book, Marty Machowski helps the next generation understand the full range of human experience from a biblical framework and see how the Psalms point them to the hope they can have in Christ. Highly recommended!”
Matthew S. Harmon, Professor of New Testament Studies, Grace College and Theological Seminary
“In WonderFull, Marty Machowski opens up the treasure box of the Psalms and shines a light on the gems inside. Through the delightful story of Oliver and his grandpa and the timeless truths of Scripture, parents and children alike are shown an intimate picture of what it looks like to actually talk to God. It’s a book you’ll read frequently with your children or grandchildren.”
Drew Hill, Pastor, award-winning author of Alongside: Loving Teenagers with the Gospel
"The book of Psalms has long been central to the life of Christ's church. Here is a wonderful book that will help the Psalms become central to the life of your family as well. Let the accessible commentary, thoughtful questions, and beautiful illustrations draw your family into the unified message of the greatest songbook ever written."
Colin J. Smothers, Executive Director, Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
“WonderFull is a treasure map to help kids discover and delight in the Psalms, and ultimately, the glories of Christ. Marty combines a child-friendly narrative with beautiful illustrations and packs adult-level theology into a child-sized introduction. I predict WonderFull will spark in your children a lifelong quest to study the Psalms.”
C.J. Mahaney, Senior Pastor, Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville
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This book is a real treasure. I have taken so long to respond because I have so many stories to tell. I have given this to many families and we took 50 copies out to a sunflower farm last year and handed them out for free. The children have their favorite Psalms and will request their parents read it if they are young. One little 3-year old asked if he could have it in his bed. This book teaches even us adults how to read and use the Psalter since most of us did not have good teaching when we were young. One young mother just sent me a text today about how much her little girl loves this but that she wants a copy for her own sister who finds it hard to read the Bible. WonderFull is very approachable and should not be allowed to go out of print. Our church helps to plant other churches and so I have ordered boxes for as many of those small churches as I could afford and both pastor and parents are just amazed at the goodness of this book and also of the artwork. This is a real treasure and we have sent it around the world with parents who have visited our church on furlough. I gave a copy to one of the workers who came to do maintenance work on our neighborhood phone lines. My friend Connie Brown and I have made a commitment to getting this out. Grandmothers are now reading this to their grandchildren and seasoned teachers are using the copies Connie gave them. The lessons are rich in instruction and what I found amazing was the fact that the children wrote me thank you notes telling me how much they loved their copies and which Psalms were their favorite. I pray the Lord use WonderFull to sink the Word deep into little hearts and also to teach us older ones how to know Him more through the Psalter. This is real treat. Words cannot express my gratitude. ALSO, you MUST try to do better advertising as the parents will tell me that they never heard of it and wondered how I found it. How can we broaden the scope of your advertising ? In the meantime, Connie and I will continue to give them away unless you keep raising the price in which case I won't be able to continue to buy cases of books.
This is another excellent resource from Marty Machowski. This Pslams pages themselves are thorough and help children to understand what this song is pointing to or what it is trying to express. There are also great questions included to help children ask questions about their own life and faith. This could surely be used by adults with success as well for a lovely introduction to the Psalms. The fictional story about Oliver and his grandfather is not necessary for your children to glean great wisdom from this book. While I understand that the author wanted to instill a love of reading and praying the Psalms and to show an example of the transforming power of scripture, but this is not the strong point of the book. It could certainly resonate with the right child, but it’s not where the “meat” lies. Reading the Psalm from scripture and them reading the daily section will be quite a bit of reading, so make sure that your children are in the right frame of mind to listen for a while. This could be a wonderful tool for your children and your family! Find all my reviews at GoodBookMom.com.
Introducing the Psalms to children, Machowski includes all 150, simply yet profoundly displaying to children and parents alike the order of the five books, and the groupings within. Some Psalms are looked at it more detail, with a page or two of explanation. The majority are included within groups, with just a few sentences about each. This is a large book and a long term undertaking. Many of suggestions are responsive, such as writing a prayer, so the readers would want to have time without rushing. Woven through is a story of Oliver and his sick Grandpa, and their year as they read the Psalms together, showing how God’s word can expose, sustain, encourage and comfort. It is beautifully illustrated by Andy McGuire (like TheOlogy), and matches it in size and feel. I did wonder whether it was trying to do more than was possible. Every Psalm could have had more explanation, and some parents may be left wondering how to explain all the bits that are left out. And, it’s a lot of work for parents - not that it isn’t worth it, but some may feel overwhelmed. I am encouraged by Machowski’s desire to bring all the bible to life for children. WonderFull helps children to dwell in the Psalms, see God is ever present and caring in their lives, and how they point to Jesus, their true Saviour and Lord.
WonderFull: Ancient Psalms Ever New explores the whispers of Jesus that are found within the Psalms. Much like Machowski’s earlier work, The Ology, the primary audience for the book is children. That being said, young and old alike can enjoy and learn from this beautifully illustrated collection. While this complimentary book was provided for review by New Growth Press, no other compensation was given. All remarks are my personal and honest opinions
You will not want to miss this new release by Marty Machowski! WonderFull does a fantastic job connecting kids’ hearts and minds in the worship of God. I firmly believe children should be taught the unity of Scripture, how verses relate to other passages in the Bible, and how it applies to our lives. WonderFull delivered that in the same careful manner as you might expect from The Gospel Story Bible. This is a great resource and discipleship tool you will want to have!
I was so excited for this book! It takes the classic Psalms from Scripture and presents them in a clear and understandable way to young children. Machowski includes every single Psalm from Scripture – one through 150. Because of this, it’s a very long book at over 200 pages. But the presentation makes up for the length. Machowski introduces the book with Oliver’s Story. Oliver is a young boy who is discovering the Psalms just like the reader of this book. His story is introduced in order to set the stage for reading through the Psalms. Oliver’s Story is split into six sections that help set the stage for each part of the Psalms. The Psalms are split into five parts: - Psalms 1-41 - Psalms 42-72 - Psalms 73-89 - Psalms 90-106 - Psalms 107-150 Oliver’s story is a powerful set up for the reader to prepare their minds and heart to read through each section of the Psalms. Each Psalm is addressed with Machowski’s insights, questions, and thoughts. It is expected that the reader read each Psalm on their own as they are not always written out in the book. The book also includes sections called “A Closer Look”. These suggest additional reading or activities to complete in order to gain deeper understanding of the particular Psalm. The illustrations are gorgeous and captivating throughout the entire book. They have a very classic but modern feel that both children and adults would love. Machowski does a wonderful job of presenting the Psalms in a way that is clear, understandable and engaging to children. I received an e-copy of this book from New Growth Press in exchange for an honest review.
