I grew up with VeggieTales. Where’s God When I’m Scared aired when I was four and the episodes were a staple of my Sunday School experience as a child. Fast forward twenty-some years and I’m not against showing an episode to my high school youth group.

A few months ago, I began to wonder whatever happened to Phil Vischer. I figured he had moved on to other projects, but I didn’t know about them. And that’s what led me, a twenty-nine year old pastor, to sit down and watch through all of Buck Denver’s What’s In the Bible? And I loved it.

Now, JellyTelly (Vischer’s company that created Buck Denver) has partnered with FaithWords to expand the Buck Denver universe with a new line of materials geared toward preschool through early readers. Kids can join Clive and Ian, two side characters in the TV show, as they learn about things that God has made.

God Made Night and Day

Clive and Ian are camping out. Ian is making toasted marshmallows over the campfire to give to Clive, but Clive isn’t paying attention. Instead, Clive is looking at the stars. Clive explains to Ian how God made the stars, then how God made day and night. Ian says that when he looks at the stars, he can thank God for creating them—and marshmallows.

Illustrations

The illustrations in the books are faithful to the characters as seen in the Buck Denver TV show. They blend simplicity with beauty. Bright colors stand out and capture the eyes and minds of young children. Illustrators Greg Hardin and Kenny Yamada do a great job of capturing the look from the TV series.

Since they’re board books, they’re sturdy enough that they’ll survive even your youngest readers. (My one year old has been carrying them around with him all week and wanting them to be read to him!)

Each book ends with a Parent Connection page that gives further suggestions about how to engage with your child about the book and its themes. I’m really excited to see JellyTelly and Buck Denver expand from the show into books. I hope this is only the beginning!