“Paul Writes (a letter)”
By Chris Raschka
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Grand Rapids, Mich., 2018, 32 pages, Grades K-3.
The Bible is the inspired word of God. Whereas all other books were written by human authors, the Bible finds God as its author. As the Second Vatican Council states in its magisterial document Dei Verbum, the Holy Spirit moved the writer to write, guided the writing and prevented the writer from error.
The writer of the most books in the New Testament is Saint Paul. In total, St. Paul composed 13 books in the New Testament and the Letter to the Hebrews is steeped in his thought and sometimes added to his works. This means that of the 27 books of the New Testament, St. Paul composed half. Chis Raschka has written a book presenting the Apostle to the Gentiles to young readers. In each of the illustrations, we see St. Paul laboring over some part of his epistles to his various communities. The name of this insightful book is “Paul Writes (a letter).”
After St. Paul’s conversion, he travelled throughout the Roman Empire spreading the Gospel. In his far-flung travels, he started many churches in the Empire. His preaching took him through many countries and to keep connected, St. Paul wrote letters to the local congregations.
In these letters (epistles), St. Paul gives instruction, hope, and occasionally, strong correction. Several of the churches he started have been quarreling and the apostle gives them specific instructions on what they must do. St. Paul admits that some of the churches need to change their behavior because it does not reflect the message of Christ.
Readers continue to progress on St. Paul’s journeys throughout the book. We see him going to Philippi, Corinth, Antioch, Malta, Thessalonica, Jerusalem, Damascus and finally to Rome. In each letter, the picture shows St. Paul laboring over the epistle, trying to encourage the particular congregation to a deeper love for Jesus.
St. Paul’s character can be seen throughout the book as he is shown at times to be thoughtful, angry, despondent, generous and joyful. Raschka portrays St. Paul’s wide array of feelings and thoughts that are so evident when reading the epistles. The book concludes with St. Paul’s imprisonment in Rome and his martyrdom.
The point of “Paul Writes (a letter)” is to introduce young children to the writings of Saint Paul, the great Apostle to the Gentiles. The pictures are simple and easily relatable to children. The biblical translations in the text are written to be understandable for younger children. As a result, they lack elegance but appeal to younger children becoming acquainted with the bible.
This book would make a fine read-aloud or a shared reading with younger members of your family. In this setting, the adult could explain the various looks on St. Paul’s face in the pictures and match them to the epistle. This type of simple writing is precisely what a K-3 student would understand. This is a fine starting point for introducing children to the Sacred Word. I hope you get a chance to check the book out of the library. It is both instructive and enjoyable.
