Title: The Gods Must Be Angry
Author: Sheila Miller and Ian Murray
Major Themes: Thailand, Missionaries
Synopsis: After Bradit accidentally knocks the head off the Happy Idol, his family realizes that neither the Happy Idol nor the Sad Idol has any power to fix it.
Back when I had a bookstore, The Gods Must Be Angry was a book I saw in one of the many catalogs I had. I always wanted to read it (and sell it), but never was able to for some reason. I can’t remember anymore why, probably something about minimum orders being too high for my small store. Anyway, I finally got the book for my children a few years ago when I needed to flesh out the kindergarten level of Sonlight. There are a few books Sonlight uses in that level that I don’t care for, so I replace them with other books.
The Gods Must Be Angry is a great story! It takes place in Thailand. Bradit, a schoolboy, is left home alone one day when his mother goes to market. He pretends to be leading the school band he saw marching yesterday—but his stick hits the Happy Idol and knocks off its head! Bradit is horrified and does his best to lie his way out of trouble. The whole family is upset and believe bad luck will come to them. What actually does happen in this true story?
The Gods Must Be Angry is a good companion to Ian and the Gigantic Leafy Obstacle. In fact, at the end, it mentions that Bradit told this story to Ian! It is a wonderful early introduction to missionaries and God’s power versus the impotence of idols.
No warnings!
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 3 – 4, 5 – 8
Reading Independently—Ages 7 – 9
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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