Book Review ~ "The Sacrament" by John Bytheway

The Sacrament by John Bytheway
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Source: Received from Publisher to Review
Genre: LDS Religious Picture Book

Book Description: It's understandable that some children appear bored or distracted during sacrament meeting. Many young Latter-day Saints are probably unsure about the true meaning of the sacrament and why we attend. With this in mind, bestselling author John Bytheway has composed a delightful poem (inspired by a short poem by Walter H. Horne) to help Latter-day Saints young and old appreciate the ordinance of the sacrament. In particular, children will learn what they should be thinking about (and not be thinking about) during this sacred time as well as what the sacrament can do for all of us.

Beautifully illustrated by Nathan Pinnock, this thought-provoking story about a young boy and his grandpa is a gentle reminder about the importance of remembering the Lord Jesus Christ, especially during this special meeting meant for Him.

My thoughts: I loved how this book teaches a concept that is hard to implement with children. A young boy is visiting his Grandfather. He is having a wonderful vacation full of activities that includes picnics, fishing, and star gazing. He was surprised to discover that he had to go to Church on vacation.

At church he is easily distracted and would rather be sleeping. His grandfather picking up on the the clues shares with him a story from when he was young. The grandfather's story is one that is applicable to children today. He watched the distracted members of the congregation and began to think of the Savior and how He would want people to behave.

This book discusses why members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints partake of the Sacrament. It describes why it's important. It discusses how one should behave during the Sacrament.

I loved how this book had a nice rhythmic flow. It is written in verse and easy to follow along. The illustrations are wonderful. This book would be great to take with young children to look at during the Sacrament to help them be reverent.

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About John Bytheway:  John Bytheway served a mission to the Philippines and later graduated from Brigham Young University. A favorite speaker and teacher, John holds a master’s degree in religious education and is a part-time instructor at BYU.