The book summary says it all. Even if you hold by a specific religion and its rules, ways of thinking about G-d, I think this beauty of a book could, for many, bring the IDEA of G-d closer, to show that G-d is part of everyday life. ( )

In this collection of poems, God is male and female, makes spaghetti and takes baths, is happy sitting under a tree, and sometimes is unexpectedly awed by his/her own creations. This God is informal and approachable, fallible and human-like. The poems are gently humorous; Rylant's God is not fire and brimstone or awe-inspiring but one who lives within us imperfect beings. Frazee's various depictions of diverse Gods are unexpectedly fitting. ( )

Beautiful and funny. Made me happy and sad at the same time. ( )

This really isn't a children's book, and possibly shouldn't be marketed as such, but it IS lovely. And, as a glance through the negative reviews quickly shows, it's also subversive. Rylant's portrayals of God here are unorthodox, to be sure, but in the most playful, whimsical, and beautiful ways. I especially liked "God went to beauty school," "God went skating," and "God went to India." Wonderful illustrations too. I read this because it showed up on a list of books that NYPL librarians were thankful for. I'm thankful that I saw the list! ( )

What a lovely book.

In sixteen poems about capital-G God (selections taken from Rylant's 2003 volume, God Went to Beauty School, and illustrated by Caldecott winner Marla Frazee), the reader meets a cornucopia of characters in various states -- contented, despairing, lonely, proud, playful, awestruck -- one in each poem.

My reading of the book is that Rylant is not so much making statements about the true nature of a divine being, but is making loose allegories out of familiar folks and situations to point out that each person is made in God's image.

Those who are easily offended by what they see as a misrepresentation of the Judeo-Christian god may choose to read the book differently (although honestly, the Bible should be much more offensive to 21st century western Jews and Christians than this little book); but I assure you, the beauty and compassion of the incarnation has rarely been captured in such simple, accessible poetry. And Rylant does it by showing us regular people who are feeling things we can identify with...and naming them all God.

Brilliant.

Frazee's illustrations don't hurt, either. Disclaimer: she's one of my favorite children's illustrators. But come on. How can you see God stuck at a desk job, hand in chin, rendered in blues and grays, and not understand that emotion on her face?

Which leads me to another thought: this has been marketed as a children's book, but I'm not so sure most of the picture-book crowd (or even a whole lot of the chapter book crowd) will get it. What 5-, 7-, or even 12-year old has been arrested, trapped behind a desk all day in a dead-end job, or cosmically lonely for years on end?

For that reason, I'm not reviewing this one for the library. Instead, I'm recommending it to adults.

If you're reading this, go check out God Got a Dog. ( )