WMU announces the release of a new storybook to teach children and preschoolers how to help those less fortunate. “What Does It Mean to Be Poor?” is a 30-page book for young children that describes how a mother explains poverty to her son. Together they work to prepare a box of food and various supplies for the under-privileged in their community.
The book directly ties in with WMU’s social cause intervention program, Project HELP, which launches its focus on poverty this year. “What Does It Mean to Be Poor?” was researched and written by WMU Ministry Consultant Joye Smith and illustrated by WMU Art Director Cathy Lollar.
Smith explains the inspiration for this storybook: “My experiences of working as a child-care director and at a child-care referral agency made me sensitive to the needs that are present in the lives of low-income families. And since the world of a preschooler is very small, the story needed to focus on aspects of poverty to which preschoolers could relate.”
Nearly half the book’s pages are devoted to large illustrations, designed to capture the attention of a young audience and improve their understanding of a difficult subject. “It was important to me to not only depict minorities, because poverty is not about race, it’s about circumstance,” Lollar said. “I wanted the illustrations to be sensitive and emotionally expressive.”
In addition to its value as a story, the book also includes discussion topics for preschoolers and their families, Bible thoughts and ministry activity suggestions. The book can educate young children in a variety of settings, Smith said. “It could be used in preschool classes at church or in child-care centers. And parents can use it to teach their child that God loves every person, no matter how much he or she has.”
(WMU)
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