Nothing! Is written by Natalee Creech and Illustrated by Joseph Cowman. It was published by Worthy Kids in 2019.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is Christ Jesus our Lord.â€
Romans 8:38-39 is a comforting verse to many Christians. Natalee Creech’s picture book, Nothing! explores the heights and depths of this truth from a kid’s perspective. The illustrations are gorgeous, it’s true. But the writing is an equally beautiful study in lyrical language.
Creech’s rhythm and rhyme are perfect. Like this verse:
Not a rumbling volcano,
not an earthquake or flood,
not a swirling tornado
or a sinkhole of mud.
She peppers the verses with just enough assonance to make the text flow. Like this line:
not a rainstorm or hailstorm
Creech strategically uses consonance, too. Can you find the musical “s†sounds in this line?
If I dove in a submarine under the sea in a clever disguise,…
And she uses repetition masterfully by repeating key words. She also repeats this refrain in all the right places. Not too frequently, not too sparsely.
There is nothing so POWERFUL, nothing so STRONG—
GOD’S LOVE is too HIGH and too DEEP and too LONG!
Creech chose scenarios that tap into children’s imaginations, too. Scuba diving, airplane travel, a submarine ride, a storm at sea, and a trip to the stars. What fun for young children AND the adults who read this book aloud to them.
Creech even introduces a few new BIG words like outdistance to increase kids’ vocabularies.
I think you’ll agree that Nothing! uses these literary devices to both illustrate and reinforce the truth that nothing can separate us from God’s love. It’s a fun, beautiful book to share with your children, grandchildren, neighbors’ children and more! Nothing! is available wherever you buy books in person or online.
P.S. Does your church have a library? Get a copy for them, too!
If you’re a little confused about the terms I mention here, then you will enjoy our next Write2Ignite Master Class—Lyrical Language in Prose: Poetry in Every Line. Our teacher is none other than the fabulous Natalee Creech. And guess what? She is giving away a copy of Nothing! to a Master Class participant.
Information is available HERE.
Registration is available HERE.
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I love this book and its lyrical language! Can’t wait for the great teaching by Natalie at our Write2Ignite Master Class on September 28th!
It’s a great book and one that has beautiful rhythm in ab even more beautiful message teaching truth to our kids .
I am so excited to attend Natalee’s class. I love lyrical language and she nailed it in Nothing!
Beautiful, memorable text brings readers (both children and adults) back to read again and again.
I love the examples highlighted in this review!
This is great! I’m excited for the conference!
This sounds like a delightful book! Thanks for the engaging and educational review.