Planting Seeds with “The Sower,” a New Book by Scott James

We have a small collection of books on our kitchen table, held up with an old bookend from my sister and a pot overflowing with African Violets. Some of the books in our kitchen table collection include Everything a Child Should Know about God by Kenneth N. Taylor, My ABC Bible Verses by Susan Hunt, The Biggest Story ABC by Kevin DeYoung, a few of R.C. Sproul’s children’s books, and a children’s Bible. The kids and I use these books to do devotions together in the evening and we also used them as part of our bygone homeschool days. All of these books do an excellent job of taking biblical doctrine and presenting it in a way that children can understand and enjoy, all the way down to the choice of font and the illustrations. The Sower, written by Scott James and illustrated by Stephen Crotts, with a foreword by Andrew Peterson, is the newest addition to our kitchen table collection.

What can I say about a book with a foreword by Andrew Peterson? The language of The Sower is beautiful and rhythmic, as expected, and the illustrations contribute to the overall loveliness of the book itself and the story contained therein. The book begins when God, The Sower, creates the world, and follows the story of his Voice and his Word through redemptive history until they come to us, the readers. James touches on some of God’s attributes, including his generosity, faithfulness, creativity, power, and compassion. He ends the book as every good theological book must end: looking forward to Jesus’ return. James explains, “The garden, once lost, is being remade. One day we will live with him there, and as we listen to the sound of his Voice, we will see him face to face.” (One unique feature of the book is that it doesn’t have page numbers, so I don’t have citations for the quotes in this review. I do, however, like this feature. It makes the pages look more like works of art than parts of a book.)

One thing I really appreciate about the book is the biblical imagery James uses. At the beginning of the book, James writes, “A man and a woman grew strong, like trees planted beside streams of water.” In this part of the story, he’s discussing Adam and Eve and quotes from Psalm 1, which is about those who love God and is ultimately about Jesus: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” (v. 3) Later in the story, James writes about Jesus’ resurrection, “With a word of power, this Seed rose up into new life, making a way for his people to rise with him, fresh branches sprouting from the vine.” What a wonderful truth! The language James uses reminds me of John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

The only critcism I have of the book is that although the language and illustrations are lovely and artistic, I think they’re too abstract for most young children to truly enjoy. The recommended age range for the book is 5-10 years old, and at this age most children still think in concrete terms. In fact, I have some middle school students who still think in concrete terms. Similarly, the illustrations use muted and few colors. I think my kids would have found the book more engaging if the illustrations had been brighter and more colorful, and the language clearer. This isn’t a book my kids request to read over and over again (like Gracie’s Garden) and could end up being a book that parents enjoy more than their kids–this is exactly what happened in my family!

All that being said, with some parental guidance, this book makes a great addition to our kitchen table library. The book includes many themes, or, as Charlotte Mason would say, “living ideas,” that families will be able to discuss together, including the special words James uses to describe the persons in the Trinity, the Sower, the Voice, and the Word, the Seed. If you’re looking for a beautiful new book to use in family devotions or as part of a homeschool curriculum, this book is the perfect choice. And if you, my older readers, are looking for a book to encourage you in your faith and remind you of deep biblical truths in a new way, I highly recommend The Sower to you as well.

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Thank you to Crossway for providing me with a complimentary copy of The Sower in exchange for an honest review.