21 Apr Review of “Around the World with Kate and Mack” with a book giveaway!!!

Around the World with Kate and Mack is a delightful book!

It is a published by Wycliffe Bible Translators, written by Melissa Paredes, and illustrated by Ben Rupp. I estimate this book would be the most fully enjoyed by children age 4-10 years but it can be engaging for 2 or 3 year olds when you are reading to older siblings. I enjoyed and learned from the book so it is by no means limited to those ages.

As represented in the above picture, the book is about Kate, whose parents are missionaries in Mexico, and her best friend Mack as they share their love to learn about the world especially the people and languages of the world (page 2). A few pages at the beginning and end of the book discuss the purpose of the book. At the end there is a world map and suggestions for moving forward. The majority of the book is split up into 2-4 page sections that highlight a people group within a country.

Subjects within each section include information about the culture of the people group, the progress of bible translation within that language, challenges the people face, and it is all told from the perspective of a child from the group. Also, fun facts and pictures about the country’s animals, people’s clothing and appearance, food, landmarks, and geography of the country the people group is in are discussed.

This book is visually pleasing. Bright colors are everywhere! There are maps with each section and the background at times includes pictures from the different countries. Such beautiful landscapes!

Before I share all that I love about the book I will share the very minor thing I would have done differently. The people groups are presented in alphabetical order so as you read you are moving all over the world. I would have preferred to see it grouped by continent – just how my mind works. But as you can tell this is totally personal preference…and really not a big deal!

What did I love about this book?

1. I love the portrayal of God’s love for people. Each people group is made up of individuals for whom God gave His life.

2. I love the way the author discussed God’s desire to speak to people in their heart language. He wants us to understand his Word with our heads and our hearts. When we read in our heart language, which is our primary language, it is the language we “dream in, think in, and talk to God in.” (Page 2). The Word can impact us the most in that language.

3. The book was a hit in my home. As I was turned a page at the end of the book my middle son declared he wanted to read it again! It is a gentle and engaging way for children to learn about a variety of subjects that relate to the world.

4. Many details in this book can be turned into prayer. I love the opportunity to present people from far away as people with desires and needs. Although it sounds so obvious I believe it is so much easier to tap into our empathy when we see people as individuals similar to ourselves.

5.  I was touched by the hardships and commitment of people in the book. One day, when we read about the Khaling people in Nepal, I had tears running down my face (I told my son they were happy tears) as we read about the years of work and perseverance a missionary couple gave helping these precious people get the Bible translated into their language. Others became involved and the project was finished 41 years after the missionary couple started to learn the language!

And there are so many people that still don’t have the Bible in their language or only have part of the Bible in their language.

If you would like to buy it:  Around the World with Kate and Mack

So where will my kids and I be heading next?

Wycliffe has a website geared for kids:  Wycliffe resources for kids

I have glanced at it and it looks great. There are more Kate and Mack resources and you can sign up to receive emails with activities. I look forward to exploring the website!

And I bet we will read this book again:)

I want to give a shout out to Wycliffe for sending me two free copies of this book – thank you! Who would like a copy of the book? To be entered into the drawing please “like” the Missionary Mama facebook page, sign up for our email list, or make a comment on my post on the Missionary mama website and let me know something that interests you about the book. I will announce the winner next Friday morning, April 28th.

Blessings!