On the very first page a grinning alligator curls around a giant letter A, and the words beside it read: God loves me ALWAYS. He ADORES me! God Loves Me from A to Z keeps that happy, say-it-out-loud voice going through the whole alphabet. A bear cheers beside the B, an elephant leans into the E, a flamingo balances on the F, a kangaroo stands by the K, a llama poses in the L, an octopus wraps around the O and a pink pig peeks out of the P, each one paired with a short line a child can say about God's love in their own words.

Katie Kenny Phillips builds every line around the letter it celebrates, so EXCITED and ELATED land on E, the KINDEST KING on K, and PRAY and POWERFUL on P. Little ones hear what God is like, kind and gentle and good and always near, while they practice their letters, and the capitalized words give a beginning reader an easy place to jump in. Mieke van der Merwe's warm, textured illustrations fill every page with color, so there is always a friendly face to point at.

A 32 page, 8 by 8 inch hardcover picture book, it makes a sweet Sunday school gift, a present for the first day of preschool or kindergarten, or an Easter basket surprise. Save the K page for bedtime, where the KINDEST KING keeps them near Him and counts them as part of His royal family.