THE SAFE PLACE
By Patricia St. John
Illustrated by Jeff Anderson. Christian Focus. 24 pages
ISBN 1 85792 779 6
The stories of Patricia St. John have commended Christ to generations of children. This short story about a hen, her chicks and a farmyard fire is one I first came across many years ago, in an excellent collection of short stories written by Miss St. John to illustrate Christian doctrine.
This hardback, picture-book format with presentation page would make an excellent gift for a child in the 4-8 age range. The poignant story is warmly told and accompanied by full-page, colourful illustrations. There is additional material which explains and applies the biblical teaching on what it means that 'Jesus died to save'. As such, this is a well-packaged evangelistic book for children, although sadly too pricey, probably, for widespread distribution.