God's Big Plan

By Elizabeth F. Caldwell, Theodore Hiebert and Katie Yamasaki

The world is full of so many different things: animals, plants, foods, languages, people. But it might not have been that way if it weren't for God's big plan . . .

This vibrant picture book illuminates a new understanding of the story of Babel in Genesis, revealing God's plan for wonderful diversity throughout the world. God's Big Plan includes a note for parents and educators.

God's Big Plan is a Junior Library Guild Selection.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Flyaway Books
• Release date: Apr 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781611649185

Elizabeth F. Caldwell

Elizabeth F. Caldwellis Professor Emerita of Pastoral Theology at McCormick Theological Seminary and Visiting Professor in Religious Education at Vanderbilt Divinity School. A noted Christian educator and author, Caldwell was an editor for the Common English Bible translation and Daily Feast: Meditations from Feasting on the Word. She was named APCE Educator of the Year in 2004.

Book preview

Reviews for God's Big Plan

[bettytaylor56 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In a retelling of Genesis 11: 1-9, after the flood Noah and his descendants all moved to the city of Shinar. Here, everyone was alike and they spoke the same language. They liked all being the same. God looked down on them and said “If I do not do something, everyone will be just like everyone else forever.” God wanted the world to be full of many kinds of people. Thus, they were given different languages. The people were then dispersed throughout the world. God’s big plan resulted in the world now being filled with different languages, different peoples, and different ways of living.I thought this was a beautiful retelling for children to understand the beauty of a diverse world. They can grasp the monotony of all being the same and the wonder of experiencing and sharing our differences. The illustrations are lovely, the language simple. In the back of the book are discussion questions and a note to parents and educators.Some will find the story disturbing as it discards the Biblical story based on the idea that God is punishing the people for wanting to build a tower that reaches to the heavens. However, I especially like the retelling in today’s climate of divisiveness.Thanks to Flyaway Books for the complimentary review copy. Opinions are my own.

[catfan69 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I received this book from Library Thing's Early Reviewers. It is a picture book about the Tower of Babel. The story of the Tower of Babel is told in chapter 11 of Genesis. The illustrations are colorful and would be appealing to young children. The story, however, varies from Biblical truth and depicts God in a way that could be frightening for children. As a second grade Sunday School teacher of 10+ years, I would not recommend this book.

[mrsreadsbooks · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I am not entirely sure how I feel about this book. The message is a positive one, but the author has changed the story from the Bible. If you read the author's note in the back of the book, the author explains why this was done and again, the message is positive. However, I will not be sharing this book, especially with children, as is changing stories from Scripture. The illustrations are vibrant and colorful, but it doesn't change the fact that the author has decided to change a story to meet their narrative.Thank you to the publisher, Flyaway Books, for sending me an ARC of this book.

[jjean7-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just a wonderful book - pictures along with the story will make it easy for children to understand - How & Why we have so many different languages - Well written & well explained.

[krystowiak · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Good idea, but the book does not have much to do with the Bible. The art is well done, but I cannot get passed the fact that the author left out the primary reason as to why God confused the languages. The people were openly rebelling against God. It is as if the Bible was not consulted, so do not call it a Bible story.

[tpc.child.library · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I will state my bias straight off--I love Elizabeth Caldwell--I would read anything she writes. Her wisdom, eloquence and perspectives bring new life to any topic. I had heard about this book prior to the give-away, and so was excited to find out that I had won an early reviewer copy.I like the idea of challenging myself to think differently about Bible stories, so I loved this new exegesis of the passage. I think it would be a great conversation piece to accompany a traditional Sunday School lesson on this topic (although it doesn't seem to come around in lessons much to my memory). In the words of Caldwell herself, "I wonder. . . ". This book is a great tool for wondering with children about stories.

[sherylhendrix · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I would love to be able to give this book five stars because the topic of diversity is both important and necessary since in our current political environment diversity is not only not recognized as valuable but is actually discouraged. That said, I cannot buy in to the "new understanding" of the tower of Babel story from the Bible in the way that the authors present it. It is not my belief that the One God of the universe would so devalue people as to deliberately create "diversity" with the intent of deceiving people into believing in the various religions that include multiple gods, no god, or gods that misrepresent his goodness and grace. So for me, this one is a no.