Look-and-Find Easter Stories for Young Children
Look-and-Find Easter Stories for Young Children guides readers visually through several stories of Holy Week, Easter Sunday and Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances. Children will delight in searching the warm and inviting illustrations by Megan Higgins to discover a range of people, places and things in each scene. From the Palm Sunday parade to the Garden of Gethsemane, from breakfast on the beach to the road to Emmaus, this look-and-find book introduces children to the richness of stories from the season. (Beaming Books, 2025)
Mary and the Gardener
Familiar images—a garden, a tree, a sower scattering seeds—gain new significance in this picture book that follows Mary into the garden outside Jesus’ tomb. As she searches an empty tomb for Jesus’ body, Mary meets the Gardener, who offers comfort and speaks her name “with the kindest voice you can imagine.” Mary and the Gardener by Paul Kerensa invites you into a story that promises “a new start for Mary—and a new start for you and me.” Leanne Daphne’s lush, luminescent illustrations enhance every page. (Beaming Books, 2025)
For the Sake of the World
No matter how familiar you are with the ELCA’s social statements, consider exploring “For the Sake of the World,” a new book series inviting readers to engage with these statements within today’s context. The first two books in the series—ReEngaging ELCA Social Teaching on the Church in Society by James M. Childs and ReEngaging ELCA Social Teaching on Abortion by Caryn D. Riswold—are both based on social statements released in 1991. These compact books invite dialogue, discovery and deeper engagement with the topics. (Augsburg Fortress, 2024)
Refilling the Reservoirs: Spiritual Care for the Exhausted Caregiver
Refilling the Reservoirs by Brenda Bos, bishop of the Southwest California Synod, is a must-read for anyone in a caregiver role. Her introduction asserts: “All over the city, all over the planet, people are at the end of their ropes.” With stark chapter titles—“Chaos,” “Guilt,” “Wrestling”—Bos confronts the many ways that stepping into this role leads to depletion. She then skillfully guides readers through methods to refill—later chapters are titled “Meaning,” “Gratitude,” “Forgiveness”—and points to ways we can be replenished by hope. (Fortress Press, 2025)
Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood
ELCA pastor and journalist Angela Denker has written a sharp, insightful look at the insidious and pervasive forces of violence and white supremacy that shape boyhood in America. If you believe that the white elementary-age boys in your world are too young for or immune from the forces she describes, prepare to see why Denker says both of these statements are true: “Men and boys are the problem. Men and boys are in trouble.” A powerful choice for book clubs, grandparent gatherings and parent groups. (Broadleaf Books, 2025)
See Me, Believe Me: A Guide to Deepen Allyship with Congregational Leaders of Color
The third release in the new “Mouth House” book series continues to amplify voices for change. ELCA pastor Yolanda Denson-Byers authored this book that features colleague interviews, personal stories and actionable steps that highlight the many ways that our church’s leaders of color need white church members to understand more deeply about how to welcome, support and uplift them. This book is an essential read for call committees, congregation councils, mutual ministry groups and any ELCA member wanting to learn more and do better. (Augsburg Fortress, 2024)
Everything Could Be a Prayer: 100 Portraits of Saints and Mystics
Reflect on this collection of full-color block prints throughout the Lenten season—and beyond. Artist Kreg Yingst began creating these prints and accompanying meditations in 2013 and invites those who practice lectio divina (a contemplative method of reading the Scriptures) to try visio divina, or “sacred seeing.” His collection of 100 figures spans millennia—John the Baptist, Patrick of Ireland, Hildegard of Bingen, Dorothy Day, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Rosa Parks—and provides a wide array of visuals that deepen appreciation of faithful ones throughout the ages. (Broadleaf Books, 2024)
