Big and Little Coloring Devotional — Written by Rachel Swanson & Illustrated by Jacy Corral
Both a unique devotional and a clever medium to spend intentional, quality time with your kid

Rachel Swanson, as she explains in the introduction to the Big and Little Coloring Devotional, was having difficulties finding time to both take good care of her child and spend adequate time interacting with and studying God’s Word. Between early waking hours and the general craziness that accompanies a toddler I can understand how that would be difficult. My wife has expressed the same feelings. Enter the Big and Little Coloring Devotional: a possible cure for that dilemma that is useful for so much more.
The layout for the Big and Little Coloring Devotional both simple and uniquely inventive. It is the same dimensions as a standard adult coloring book, but on one side is a coloring page for a kid while on the other side is a coloring page for an adult along with a short devotional. The coloring pages are faced opposite of one another, so it is easy to sit on one side of the book facing your child while you are both coloring your page. More than that, the children’s page contains at least a portion of a bible verse in fun-to-color font. This means there are multiple possibilities for use: 1) you can read a devotional while your child colors, 2) you can color alongside your child, or 3) you can color alongside your child while having a conversation about the Bible verse and the devotional on the page! This is such a cool resource for parents.

As a dad, I want to have important spiritual conversations with my daughter but I’m not ever sure how to bring them up. I use all the opportunities I see, including when she asks “Where’s God?” (no joke, my 3-year-old daughter really asked this), but that isn’t really being proactive and seeking out those conversations with her. This coloring book provides an opportunity to start those conversations and teach her what Mommy and Daddy do and believe in as followers of Christ. She is learning, and she’s even trying to “teach” her little brother the same truths: at least as well as a 3-year-old communicate that.

I love the ingenuity behind this book and the opportunities it creates for parents. If you have a child like mine who loves coloring, this book would be a great buy. It is available through Amazon, Lifeway, and coloringdevotional.com.
I received a review copy of this book courtesy of B&H Books and Lifeway, but my opinions are my own.




