Caroline Haley reviews C.S. Lewis: The Boy Who Loved to Ask Big Questions by Laura Caputo-Wickham.
One of the latest books in the “Do Great Things for God Series” looks at the life of well-known author C.S. Lewis.
Although the book goes through the life of Lewis, perhaps more significant is the approach it takes of considering Lewis’s journey to faith.
Most notable in this is Lewis’s desire to ask big questions about God – such as “Why does God allow suffering?” and “Is God real?” – even as he experiences personal loss and suffering around him. Despite these sad circumstances, the book conveys the excitement Lewis found in reading and questioning things. It is clear that asking these big questions proved to be life changing for Lewis as he came to trust in Christ: there is a succinct and helpful summary of the gospel truth which Lewis came to understand. After the main story, there is a timeline of Lewis’s life, followed by questions for the reader to ask, which move them beyond Lewis’s life to think how the truths he understood apply to them. Further resources are also available to download which encourage the reader to interact with the story more. The way that Lewis questions gives the reader permission to do the same, encouraging them to look for answers in the Bible, or through conversation with a believer (as Lewis did with J.R.R. Tolkien). It makes clear that even the biggest questions that Lewis asked are answered in the Bible.
This book would be a good gift for an inquisitive child, perhaps one who is not a Christian yet, as it could give the opportunity to follow up by asking what questions the child may have themselves about God or Christianity. This may subsequently provide a good way in to reading other Christian books, perhaps even those written by Lewis himself, such as the Narnia series.
C.S. LEWIS: The Boy Who Loved to Ask Big Questions By Laura Caputo-Wickham
Illustrated by Keila Elm
The Good Book Co. 32 pages. £8.99
ISBN 978 1 802 543 193
