Belinda McCallion
Am I Precious?
Core
Little girls need to know how precious they are.
Description
A picture book to help girls understand their deep desire to be treasured, and shows God’s deep desire to treasure them.
Blurb
Every young girl has a question that haunts her: “Am I precious?” Hidden in this question are her secret hopes and fears.
This is usually silent, a question she asks of everyone she knows, through different actions.
The young girl in this story is no different.
She asks this question of family, friends and a teacher, hoping they will confirm that she is precious. She doesn't always get the answer she wants. This can be crushing to the spirit, but when she takes her question to God, His answer is always the same: “Yes. You are precious and I love you."
Understanding how much God loves her, she is then able to share that love with others.
Why I wrote this Book.
It took me 35 years to discover this secret question, this began the journey to really understanding the way we, as woman are made. My motivation for writing this book is to try and present this concept in a way young girls can understand and hopefully blossom more fully in this knowledge about themselves,and God, much sooner.
Am I Precious? Is not the first writing Belinda McCallion has done; it is her first picture book for young readers, and, it is to be hoped, the first of many. It’s an excellent boost to ones self-esteem and understanding of the importance of loving and being loved, and how true love, especially that of a parent, is totally accepting and totally forgiving of all our faults and errors. This is such a big, important message, especially for our young people, and especially for girls – still not always fully appreciated – It is a real achievement that McCallion has wrapped it up in such a simple and appealing story. I can see the book being a great success with parents, teachers and librarians – the adults who buy books to inform, entertain and instruct; but it is also a story that the young readers for whom it was written will respond to, set within a family context and allowing us to truly understand how important it is to get a positive response to that question (too often unvoiced because so deeply felt) Am I Precious? Illustrated by the author, this is a debut worthy of attention and respect. Can’t wait for more, Belinda!
Jenny Argante- Argante Literary Services
The younger our girls understand that they are treasured and adored the better. I love how this book teaches girls to take their question to God. Children are always seeking approval and love. The way that they seek it, is not always obvious to those around them. This book allows two different stories to be told at the same time. On one level the child is able to see that they are precious even when misunderstood, At the same time parents and caregivers are able to see that sometimes a child’s behaviour is directly linked to their need for love and acceptance. The message of being treasured by God is an important one however the book takes it one step further by explaining how to share this belief with others. As I travel I have observed a huge problem with girls and women feeling the need to compete with each other. This book speaks life and truth in the opposite direction. Knowing that we are precious allows us to offer acceptance and inclusion to each other. Such a powerful message that can change the world.
As a teacher and an absolute die-hard for picture books I was particularly impressed by the illustrations. Colours were kept peaceful and vivid. The pictures complimented the written script beautifully. If children could only look through the book rather than read the words they could still see a powerful message.
Linda Ross- Teacher and Woman's Ministries Speaker www.braveenough.org
Book Review
By Debbie McDermott
Editor for New Zealand Christian Writers
Am I Precious?
Written and Illustrated by Belinda McCallion
Am I Precious? is an extraordinary picture-story book that tells of a little girl’s quest to discover her true worth. She begins seeking answers to her secret question by doing what she thinks are nice things for others—like boring her granddad to sleep by reading him the longest book on the shelf! However, it is only when she puts her question to God that she hears his answer loud and clear through his creation.
Although Am I Precious? is classified as a children’s book, its message and the lovely illustrations which have also been created by the author impacted me deeply. I believe many others reading this book will also be affected in a similar way, simply because we all ask ourselves the question it poses at some time. Our question may be framed in different words to those Belinda has used, but essentially it will mean “Am I precious?”
When I told Belinda McCallion about the effect her well-written little book had on me, her response was:
“I understand what you are saying... That is why I have been reluctant to limit its age as on some levels it transcends age. Maybe it is because it talks to that little girl in us who never learnt this.”
If you are struggling with self-worth issues or you want to show someone how valuable they are, then Am I Precious? is a must-buy.
