God's Love Is Like...

Buckley retells a handful of Jesus' parables through the experiences of five different children. In ""Sarai Sees Jesus,"" a Jewish girl yearns to meet Jesus when he comes to her village. Her neighbor, Jacob Bar-Jona, lifts her up on his shoulders so Sarai can see and hear Jesus tell the parable of the good Samaritan. Through her experience, Sarai learns what it means to be a good neighbor. ""The Little Seed That Grew"" takes place in a contemporary Hispanic farm village where a tiny mustard seed grows into a great tree, and where the growth of the seed is compared to the growth of God's family. In ""Keetah's Special Day,"" a young Native American girl learns from the parable of the Prodigal Son that ""God loves us even when we are wrong. At God's house we find only love."" And in Africa, a grandfather teaches his grandson (""Kweisi and the Two Houses"") that God's love is strong, like a house built on a rock. Buckley's dreary and staid watercolors do little to bring his stories to life, but the tales themselves will likely appeal to young children. Ages 6-8. (Aug.)