At the heart of Breathe lies a puzzle: How can Jesus go away, yet promise to be with us always? Can we trust someone who comes and goes so mysteriously? In the style of Make Room: A Child’s Guide to Lent and Easter and Look! A Child’s Guide to Advent and Christmas, Breathe: A Child’s Guide to Ascension, Pentecost and the Growing Time explores the comings and goings of Jesus and the Spirit through retellings of the biblical stories of Ascension and Pentecost, interwoven with contemporary reflections from the point of view of a child.

Moving beyond long ago and far away events, Breathe guides children to wonder about and watch for the presence and work of the Spirit here and now, in practices of prayer and mindfulness, and through acts of justice, generosity, and the sweet taste of kindness. In the end, the young narrator arrives as a satisfactory solution to the puzzle: the Spirit that was in Jesus is in us too.

We are his body now, his way of being in the world. Whenever we choose the way of love, Jesus is there. Always.

Resources from this webinar – Breathe Webinar Resource List

Laura Alary is a writer, storyteller, and mother of three creative teenagers. For many years she shared her enthusiasm for biblical storytelling through her role as Christian Education Coordinator at a small Presbyterian church. These days she brings this passion to her work at Caven Library, Knox College, Toronto, where one of her favorite tasks is selecting resources for children. Laura is the author of numerous books, including Read, Wonder, Listen: Stories from the Bible for Young Readers (Wood Lake Books, 2018) and the two companion volumes to Breathe, Make Room and Look! (both from Paraclete Press).