Psalms of Wonder: Poems from the Book of Psalms
It’s no secret that I love books. I love old books, new books, even e-books. I have floor to ceiling bookcases in every room in my house, save for the kitchen, which can only fit a small half shelf to cradle my most beloved cookbooks. No one is surprised that I married a librarian- it just made good sense that I would fall for someone who loves books as much as I do. You would think that I don’t need more books, given that I have such a giant collection in my own home and have a spouse that can and will access anything I’m looking for from libraries across the country. You would be correct- I probably don’t need more books, but, boy howdy, do I want them. Since our children have inherited our love of books and have their own burgeoning collections, we need to be smart about what we bring into our home. It has to really matter to us emotionally, it has to really serve a need for our work, or it has to really be a useful and almost daily reference for us in our everyday lives. I had already done a culling of the shelves in our living room and office when the package bearing Psalms of Wonder; Poems from the Book of Songs by Carey Wallace and Khoa Le arrived from the publisher. I was enjoying the unjammed nature of the shelves, finding books that I had neglected a bit, and not really planning on adding anything new for a bit. But as I opened up the package, I audibly gasped at the gorgeousness that met my eyes and hands and knew that Psalms of Wonder needed to stay and become part of my life.
Psalms of Wonder is organized around the themes of songs of wonder, songs of courage, songs of comfort, songs of joy, songs of protection, and songs of love. Each section has several Psalms, retold in language that honors the original text but also introduces how we would say things in today’s parlance. The illustrations are absolutely breathtaking, balancing light, shadow, darkness, emotions, and multiple representations of what God’s children look like. The text is in accessible font, surrounded by space and illustrations, providing an uncluttered and peaceful book. Nothing is removed from the text; adults who are familiar with the book of Psalms will not be disappointed, nor will people who are just now being introduced to these ancient songs. I have read these with my young children (ages 3-10), my middle children (13 and 15), and shared them with my adult children (ages 18 and 20). Everyone loves this book and finds great comfort from and expression in it.
There are so many different ways that I am planning on using this book in ministry and in my family life. Copies are going into each of the classrooms at the church where I work. It provides the perfect reading to start a class, to rally a group of children who are having difficulty with the planned lesson, to end a session, to send people off, to learn pieces of for memory verses, to spur art responses to the songs, to set to tunes they already know, and to bring peace into a situation that is unsettled. This is going to be the Lenten gift that I give to families later this winter. It will be the spine of a congregational reading of Psalms. This would be a marvelous choice for an adult book club during faith formation time. It may be marketed towards children, but this book is anything but childish. Comparing the songs in this book with favorite Biblical translations, discussing how our understanding changes over time, and challenging each other ot find ways to work readings of Psalms into our everyday devotions are just a few of the ways I would approach using it with adults. I would get a copy of this book, just to take apart, laminate, and hang in various classrooms and children and family spaces. This book is not to be missed. It is absolutely spectacular.
