The Flowering Cross by Beth Ryan

The Flowering Cross is a beautiful children’s story about how a little girl’s love impacts a crochety old man’s heart for Christ. It tells how a family’s service to a neighbor showed him the love of God.

This is a light, sweet story, geared to children of all ages. When we received this book from Thomas Nelson publishers via BookSneeze, I immediately read it to my 1-year-old, who was sitting in my lap already. Shortly thereafter, I was required to re-read it for the 4-year-old. It’s also thought-provoking in several ways. I like the little application bits (they call them “Faith Imprints”) scattered throughout the book, that offer suggestions to help your child understand what the story is illustrating (such as “Share how Katie’s family loved their neighbor.” – which is speaking of *active* love, not *emotional* love). The illustrations by Renee Graef add dimension and interest.

If you want a nice, thoughtful and faith-based book for your children for Easter, this would be an excellent choice. You can get a copy at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble, among others.