Children's Book Review- City on the Hill by Mark Hall and Matthew West, Illus. by Tatio Viana

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book,  free of charge, from Lifeway Books, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it

And now for a book based on 1 Corinthians 12, written by Christian music's favorite singers, and a great songwriter.

Synopsis:

“Did you hear of the city on the hill?” said one old man to the other .It once shined bright, and it would be shining still .But they all started turning on each other.” 

With full-color illustrations and rhyming verses the book clearly teaches how the church is depicted as the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12.  

Review:

This is an excellent book for family study, or for a Sunday school class, as it is aimed at kids ages 4-8. Based on the popular Christian song by Casting Crowns, City on the Hill (one of Miss Grace's favorites), the book teaches kids that we all have our own unique gifts, but when we use those gifts for others, it makes all of us strong together. Otherwise, we will work against each other and we all fail. It is a topic that bears repeating, especially to kids at this age level., The illustrations are bright and eye catching, and sure to get your kids talking! We highly recommend it!

The book also comes with a free download of the title song.

Kids will learn that God made each of them unique and wants us all to work together, using our different gifts to further His kingdom, to be the light of the world, a shining city on a hill that cannot be hidden!

About the Authors:

Mark Hall has served nearly 20 years in youth ministry, Casting Crowns' lead singer/songwriter and author Mark Hall is the student pastor at Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church in Atlanta. Mark has co-written several best-selling books including Lifestories, Your Own Jesus, and The Well. During an eight-year career as lead singer of Casting Crowns, Mark Hall has seen nine of Casting Crowns’ projects become RIAA certified, with a tally of one RIAA Double-Platinum Album, three RIAA Platinum Albums, three RIAA Platinum DVDs, one RIAA Gold Album, one RIAA Gold DVD and 4 RIAA Gold Singles, holding position as Billboard’s top-selling act in Christian music since 2007. The group also claims two American Music Awards, with six total nominations, 2 Billboard Music Awards, three GRAMMY Awards, and 15 GMA Dove Awards. In addition, Mark has been named BMI Songwriter of the Year.

Matthew West is an ASCAP Christian Music Songwriter/Artist of the Year winner and lauded by The New York Times as "a vivid and compelling songwriter with impressive approaches to the familiar," four-time GRAMMY® nominee Matthew West’s discography includes acclaimed releases: “Happy” (2003), “History” (2005), “Something to Say” (2008), “The Story of Your Life” (2010) and “Into The Light” (2012). His songwriting credits include cuts by Rascal Flatts, Diamond Rio, Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns and more.

About the Illustrator:

Tatio Viana, a self-taught artist from Madrid, left a decade-long career in advertising to follow his passion for illustration in 2000. Since then, he has breathed life into the pages of math, history, science, and literature textbooks with his rich, vivid illustrations. Outside of the studio, you’ll most likely find Tatio swaying to jazz, devouring a book, or laughing with his four-year-old son, Elías.