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A Sad Little Dog

Christ for children

A SAD LITTLE DOG
By Jim Cromarty
Evangelical Press. 176 pages
ISBN 0 85234 463 5

False teeth, pig hunting, sad dogs and Wild West guns... promising material for a book of Bible teaching?

Jim Cromarty certainly tells some outlandish stories in this collection of 52 family readings illustrating important biblical truths. Each story follows a simple pattern - anecdote relayed in an engaging style followed by a link with doctrine, then application to the reader. A verse from the NKJV heads the section with a suggested chapter, and it is concluded by a short series of questions.

As is always the danger with illustrations, some of Cromarty's stories are so weird that they become more memorable than the teaching point, and in other places the link between story and application seems a little contrived. Nevertheless, the applications are carefully written, touching lightly on a number of issues to provide food for family members at different stages of understanding. Throughout the book the urgent need to turn to Christ is repeated alongside encouragements for daily discipleship. The questions at the end of each section are extremely helpful, taking the reader back to the Bible for more thorough investigation.

I would recommend this book to families with school age children, to those struggling with the weekly scramble to illustrate children's talks, or even to teachers seeking inspiration for assemblies.

Sarah Allen, Gunnersbury, West London