Jim Elliot: A Light for God

Title: Jim Elliot: A Light for God
Author: Renee Taft Meloche
Series: Heroes for Young Readers
Major Themes: Ecuador, Jim Elliot, Missionaries
Synopsis: The life of Jim Elliot is told in picture-book style, for the youngest readers.

I noticed Jim Elliot: A Light for God on a friend’s bookshelf when we were visiting there last week. I’ve been wanting to read more of the Heroes for Young Readers books to my little boys, so I asked if I could borrow it. When I read it to my two little boys last night, they loved it. The 6-year-old remembered that we have the book from this series about Nate Saint, and told me that he wishes we could get the whole series.

This little hardcover book tells the story of Jim Elliot’s life in simple language. It is written in verse, but I found that it doesn’t flow very well as poetry; it’s best read just as if it were prose. I found it somewhat hard to read aloud, actually; I’m used to stories with this type of format to be rhythmic and easy to read, but this one wasn’t. Regardless of that little issue, the story is great.

Jim Elliot’s life story is told briefly, illustrated with full-color pictures on every page. As a boy, he loved to go camping; as a young man he went to college, making sure to take his Bible with him. As an adult, he went to Ecuador to be a missionary to the Indians in the jungle. We all know the end of his story, when he was trying to reach the Auca Indians. I appreciated the way this was told, with no detail, for young children.

I, too, would like to have the rest of the series! My little boys would love to have them read to them. Maybe someday. These are great books.

No warnings!