I was excited to receive a copy of this brand new alphabet book published by Apologia Press, written by Davis Carman and illustrated by Alice Ratterree. Even though, my own children are now teenagers, I remember the days spent curled up reading our favorite alphabet books when they were just toddlers. So I was happy to be chosen to review A Light for my Path.
Here’s the synopsis from the publishers website:
“Help your children fall in love with the Word of God while learning their ABCs. Snuggle up on the couch together with this beautifully illustrated book based on one of the most beloved passages in the Bible. A Light for My Path is an alphabet book and so much more. Written to help children develop an abiding love and deep respect for God’s Word, each page is infused with the wonder of Scripture and God’s creation. In addition to illustrating the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet, the book also introduces families to the twenty two letters of the Hebrew alphabet using the acrostic Psalm 119. This gorgeous 80-page volume is sure to be treasured in your home for years to come.”
A Light for My Path is truly a creative approach to the tradition alphabet book. Each page starts with the words, ” God’s Word, Law, Statutes, Decrees, Commands, and Precepts are,” then proceeds with an adjective to describe God’s Word starting with a letter of the alphabet, along with a creature that starts with that same letter. Here’s one of my favorite examples:
The illustrations are beautiful and have a peaceful tranquility to them. I love how the artist has incorporated creatures from the previous page into each illustration. For instance, on the page for “B” there is a butterfly featured, but there is also an ant, from letter “A” climbing up the stem of the plant. The pages for letter “C” features a caterpillar, but a butterfly is seen flying in the distance. Very creative! 🙂
Here on the page for the letter “X”, you can clearly see the whale from the previous page gently diving into the water.
While the illustrations include things in creation that start with that particular letter, it is not spelled out on the page and I found myself wishing that the text spelled out the name of the featured creature along with the adjective. While most of the pages are obvious like “Absolute,” with a picture of an ant and “Blessings,” with a picture of a butterfly, there are a couple that are not. (The page above being the best example.) I’m not sure if young children would recognize the Narwal, Quail, Urchin and especially the Xantus’s Hummingbird. (When I got to X, I was stumped on what image on the page actually started with the letter X. There is, however, a key in the Introduction section of the book.)
The second part of A Light for my Path, is Psalm 119 (NIV version). Each page has a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, to go along with that stanza of the Psalm, which is an acrostic poem.
When my kids were young, our collection of Alphabet books were always among their favorites. I love how A Light Unto my Path incorporates the beauty of God’s creation with the concept of learning the alphabet. With it’s beautiful text and illustrations, this could truly become a family favorite.
You can find this book, along with other books, curriculum, planners and other homeschooling resources at the Apologia website, by clicking the logo. There is a free sample excerpt of A Light for my Path available for your review before purchase!
ISBN: 978-1-940110-03-5, Age: Pre-School read-aloud, Price: $14.00 (as of this writing)
Disclaimer: Several members of the Mosaic Reviews team were given a copy of this book in exchange for their honest review. No other compensation of any kind has been received. To read more opinions about this product, please click the Mosaic Reviews icon.
Mindful Ramblings 
