NATALIE FRISK. A Light to Share; Stories of Spreading Love and Changing the World. Harrisonburg, VA: Herald Press. 2025. Pp.28. $17.99 US.
A Light to Share is a heartwarming and inspiring book on how the light of Christ impacts children and youth for the greater good. As a children’s book, this text offers stories of real-life people who encountered God and made a difference in our world. The eye-catching illustrations by Maria Diaz Perera keep readers engaged.
The text begins with describing how God’s light is “flipped on” when we discover our gifts. In each character’s story, there is an illustration of God’s light in their hearts as the story recounts how God’s light and their personal gifts were used for God’s glory. A wide representation of characters from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds deepens the message. Children can see themselves in the character of the person, or perhaps in the circumstance in which the characters find themselves. Reading through the text evokes a feeling of awe of those who have followed God, discovered their gifts, and then seen where God takes and uses those gifts for His divine purposes.
A strength of this text is the explanation of the Holy Spirit. Talking about the Holy Spirit is a complex subject even for adults, let alone for children. The idea of a light “flipping on” inside of us together with illustrations of this light provide a tangible description that will help children grasp how the Holy Spirit works in their hearts. The many examples of people living out their faith in God helps children clearly understand more of the Holy Spirit’s presence.
Another strength is how the author connects the gifts of the Holy Spirit with salvation found in Christ. All of the characters described in the text have one thing in common—a relationship with Jesus. When we come to know Jesus and have a relationship with him, the Holy Spirit is our gift. Jesus commands that we go and share this gift with others. The author captures how God makes us all unique with different personal gifts, and when we know Jesus those personal gifts together with the gift of the Holy Spirit, can be used to share God’s light with others. The book closes with a call to each child to consider how they will share the light of Christ.
This book provides a fantastic opportunity for parents to connect with their children and discuss their God-given gifts. While some of the characters will be unfamiliar to readers, they provide an opportunity to research and discover more about the impact the characters have had in our world. The book does include historical and contemporary figures connected to Brethren in Christ readers, such as Swiss Anabaptist leader Conrad Grebel, and Messiah University professor Drew G. I. Hart. As children grow up learning Bible stories, they may wonder how God continued to work going beyond Jesus’s call to go and make disciples in the New Testament. This text offers an excellent opportunity for children to learn about important people from the broader Christian story, how God used those people for his purpose, and how those stories related to children’s own lives.
A Light to Share is a fantastic children’s book. The characters are relatable and offer inspiring testimony as to how God’s light is shared in the world. This book makes an excellent addition to any Brethren in Christ family or church library.