The Purple Balloon

by Alexander Brown

Published 27 April 2007
Xanthe remembers a time when she argued with her brother Thomas and, even though she has said sorry, she is worried that God won't forget what she has done. Her mum illustrates how far God moves the things we do wrong away from us by letting go of a purple helium-filled balloon. Xanthe imagines how far it will go, across oceans and continents! In this delightful story for 5 to 7's, Xanthe and the Purple Balloon illustrates the meaning of Psalm 103:8-12. The simple, cheerful illustrations complement the storyline beautifully.

The Diamond Girl

by Alexander Brown

Published 18 May 2007
Xanthe loves to dance. But she starts to notice that no one else she knows likes to dance in the way that she does. She wonders if perhaps there is something wrong with dancing so she decides to stop. This makes her very unhappy until she tells her dad what is wrong. He explains to her how God has made everyone different, and special and Xanthe feels very happy and starts to dance again. This story is based on the themes in Psalm 139 and the Bible text is included in the back of the book. There is both text for the parents/carers to read and also text for the children to read below each illustration. The illustrations are created in a simple, cheerful style that complements the text and suitably reflects Xanthe's character.