Book Review: God Gave Us Two by Lisa Tawn Bergren

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God Gave Us Two by Lisa Tawn Bergren

4.5/5 stars

A Sweet little book for the Expectant Sibling

Often young children have many concerns when a new sibling is expected in the household. God Gave Us Two tries to answer many of the concerns that small children have when a new baby is expected. Momma and Papa polar bears handled Little Cub’s questions wisely with sensible answers that explain that children are a gift from God and now the family will have two gifts. The story follows Little Cub as she discovers Momma’s lap is getting smaller and the day she spends with her grandparents when Momma and Papa go the hospital to have the baby. There is even a little plot twist at the end when Momma and Papa come home with a baby sister AND a baby brother prompting Little Cub to declare, “God gave us three.” Sorry to give away the twist!

I liked the book overall. It is well written and contains a “hook” that I think young children often need to grasp the overall lesson. The illustrations are lovely and detailed with many cute animals playing in the arctic snow. The overall quality is really good. I did not give this book a full 5 star rating for a few minor reasons. The book is rather wordy and a preschool or younger aged child would easily loose track of the plot. My eight year old son confirmed this idea as well when he declared it ‘said too much” by adding lots of detail. I also think the book may be geared more toward girls than it being gender neutral. Little Cub is a girl so everything references being a “big sister”. I also believe that the illustrations are a little feminine with many bows and ribbons illuminated in the text, not to mention Little Cub’s toys are all adorned with bows. I also wonder if a child might get the idea they will have both a baby brother and baby sister if the book is taken to heart. These are all really minor critiques and I would certainly add this to my children’s library if a baby was expected in my house.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review and it in no way colors my opinion of this material.