I first read Sammy and His Shepherd in manuscript form, but now that it is published, we’ve been reading it to our almost three-year old daughter and sixteen-month old son. The chapters are short, which is helpful for young kids like ours, as we can cover a chapter in 5-10 minutes (allowing time for picture-gazing, too). Since that’s about how long their attention span lasts, it works pretty well. For 4-6 year olds I’d imagine parents could cover a pair of chapters a night, or maybe more. There are 11 chapters in all, and at the end of the book there are great discussion questions that go with each chapter.
The story seeks to show the character of Jesus Christ, the good Shepherd, in Psalm 23. The title of each chapter is about half a verse in the psalm. The book follows the story of a lonely sheep with a harsh master who is rescued and purchased by a kind, loving, Jesus-like shepherd. This shepherd adopts her, names her Precious, and adds her to his flock. Through conversations and experiences with the other sheep, Precious learns to trust in the good shepherd, and to rest in His care, even in the bad times. The questions at the end of the chapter help children make the connections between the story of Precious and our story as God’s children, the sheep of His pasture. An excellent read for children of all ages.
The endorsements:
“Susan Hunt leads children through Psalm 23, one verse at a time, looking in detail at a shepherd’s care through the eyes of his sheep. Sammy and His Shepherd explains important doctrines in simple and concise terms and points out how those doctrines about our Shepherd should impact the everyday lives of His sheep. This is a visually attractive book that sets forth the beauty of our Lord.”
– Starr Meade, Author, Keeping Holiday and Training Hearts, Teaching Minds
“Sammy and His Shepherd is a delightful book for children. Written as an imaginative story narrated by a young lamb, this book does a skillful exposition of Psalm 23. It even includes some great talking points for each chapter. Susan Hunt’s skills as a writer and rich theological insights are beautifully crafted into this story. Here is a book children will grow into and never outgrow.”
– Tedd Tripp, Pastor, conference speaker, and author, Shepherding a Child’s Heart
“I gave Susan Hunt’s latest book the real test: I began reading it out loud to my rambunctious five-year-old. He was immediately charmed by her storytelling ability and would not let me stop. Sammy and His Shepherd combines rich, theologically informed understanding with sanctified creativity to reveal the green pastures of God’s sovereign grace in all its loveliness.”
– Douglas Bond, Author, Crown & Covenant series, and Faith & Freedom trilogy
“In this lovely book on the best-loved psalm, Susan Hunt engages the attention in a delightful way. I would encourage families to use this book and take advantage of the clear teaching, which points to the Good Shepherd who loves children and demonstrated that love so gloriously at Calvary.”
– Carine Mackenzie, Author, Bible Time series and Bible Wise series