Children's Book Review: New Release for Pentecost -"The Day God's Helper Came"

Have you ever felt your heart pumping in your throat?  Or been so scared that you weren’t able to speak?  Did you ever turn and flee from a situation before someone threw a rock, or worse, at you?

Now imagine these situations happen because you are accused of following Christ, and you’re a young girl living in Jerusalem, just after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

This is the scenario described in The Day God’s Helper Came, a new children’s picture book from Ascension Kids. Written by Claudia Cangilla McAdam, and illustrated by Gina Capaldi, The Day God’s Helper Came retells the story of Pentecost from the point of view of Hannah, a young girl whose family has become followers of Jesus.

Because of her faith in Christ, Hannah is mocked by a group of girls her age and taunted by a couple of older boys. Encountering this persecution, Hannah is so scared that all she can do is run away.  She finds her father and confides in him her fear, as well as her disappointment with herself. Hannah wants to tell her persecutors about Jesus, but she just can’t find the courage.

Her father understands and tells her that many adults are afraid, as well.  It is a scary time to be known as a follower of Jesus.  Together, they join the other disciples to pray in the Upper Room, to await a special Helper that Jesus has promised them before his ascension. 

“Who will this Helper be?,” everyone wonders. What will he or she be like?  And what help will be given?  No one knows, so all the disciples stay together, praying for strength and understanding.

And then, one day, the Helper comes. Following Scripture, the book describes the descent of the Holy Spirit upon those gathered together in the Upper Room. Through the words of Hannah, we hear about the roaring wind and the flames of light dancing upon everyone’s heads, flames that chase away “the shadows from the corners of the dark room.”  We hear Peter, quoting the prophet Joel, exclaim “God has poured out his spirit” upon us! Hannah notices that the disciples are speaking in strange and foreign languages, all praising God. But most importantly, she notices a change in herself.

The next time she encounters the girls and boys who have mocked her, Hannah does not feel afraid. Instead, her heart feels full of love for them. She finds the courage and the words to explain Jesus’ teachings and life to them. She even takes them to see the empty tomb, where Jesus rose from the dead and encourages them to follow her on the Way.

This picture book does a great job of describing the change that happens to Hannah, and the other disciples, when they receive the Holy Spirit. Hannah grows from being a shy, terrified believer into a Spirit-filled disciple who is able to evangelize those who are her own age, within her own small circle. It emphasizes the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and how we receive these gifts in a special way at the Sacrament of Confirmation. 

The author includes a couple of pages at the end of the book where she describes each of these gifts in more detail. McAdam’s explanation of each of the gifts is written so that younger children can understand them, which is a nice touch. The book also includes a Reflection page, where children are invited to imagine themselves in Hannah’s time and place, and especially think about how the Holy Spirit has changed her. This is a gentle way of introducing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, a way of praying using the imagination so that Scripture comes alive and is personal, and is always a good idea to teach to children. 

Readers are also invited to reflect on how the gifts of the Holy Spirit are active in their own lives, as well as ways they can tell their peers about Jesus. Information on how to get some free resources and activities to use with the book are available  by contacting the author through her website: www.claudiamcadam.com. 

This book would make a great gift for younger children who will be Confirmed using the restored order, or for any parent, grandparent or teacher looking for an imaginative, age-appropriate way to tell the story of Pentecost to children of elementary school age. It would also make a great addition to an Easter basket, to remind us that Easter Sunday is just the beginning of a whole season of joyful celebration, ending with the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The one thing I would have liked to see in the book is a prayer to the Holy Spirit, especially something simple that children could easily memorize and use during different situations.  Such a prayer might be included in the free resources, but it would have been useful to have had in the book as well. 

The Day God’s Helper Came is 25 pages long and is now available for $16.99 at www.ascensionpress.com/helper. The full color, original artwork by Gina Capaldi ties in well with the text, displaying lots of the emotions that Hannah and the other characters feel. For an inside peek into the book, goto: "The Day God's Helper Came" Inside View. Order your copy today, and be ready to celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit on Sunday, May 19, with all the special children in your life.