First Snow in the Woods
by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick

Do you have a little nature lover at your house? A budding naturalist perhaps? Is it hard to find books with high quality photographs that gently explain nature and do not teach evolution? Look no farther!! "First Snow in the Woods," and the companion book "Lost in the Woods," do a wonderful of job of not only showing woodland animals in beautiful photographs, but also telling about the natural world in a gentle and honoring manner. My daughter couldn't get enough of the photography and we learned new things about God's creation. While not expressly Christian books, these books by Sams and Stoick (also the authors of "A Stranger in the Woods"), lend themselves to Christian themes and lessons.

In "First Snow in the Woods," the little fawn learns about the seasons changing from summer to fall to winter and about listening to that little voice inside of himself that the authors call his "heartsong." We talked about how it is God who gives the animals their instincts or heartsongs and that he speaks to us too through our consciences and the Holy Spirit. Just as He cares for all of creation and each creature, He loves us and will show us our way too.