Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Kelley Mathews

Home
Family, Parenting and Religion
Sneak Peek: the Cover of ‘Gritty and Graceful’ by Caryn Rivadeneira

Sneak Peek: the Cover of ‘Gritty and Graceful’ by Caryn Rivadeneira

Last updated on: July 9, 2018 at 10:40 pm by Kelley Mathews

Sneak Peek: the Cover of ‘Gritty and Graceful’ by Caryn Rivadeneira 2018-07-09T22:40:03-05:00 Kelley Mathews

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Let’s Chat with the Author

Caryn gives us a glimpse into the writing and production of Gritty and Graceful.

1. What age is this book meant for?

Gritty and Graceful is a picture book—so it can easily be read to a child of any age. However, it’s written with 3- to 7-year-olds in mind.

2. What was your favorite part of writing this?

I suppose the challenge of it! I’d spent so much time wondering about, re-imagining, and then writing these women’s stories in Grit and Grace (the longer, devotional book on which Gritty and Graceful is based) that it was hard to summarize each girl or woman’s story in less than 75 words. But, that’s also the fun of it. Instead of giving full stories, I thought, “If this woman could tell just one thing to the reader, what would it be?”

But my other favorite part is simply knowing that for some kids, these vignettes will introduce young readers to some of the mighty women of the Bible and the idea that God created us all to do great things.

3. Is this part of a series? If yes, which characters can readers anticipate in coming months?

I would love for this to be part of a series. I have other ideas for sequels to both the original Grit and Grace and a follow-up picture book. But I’ve been busy with other projects and haven’t officially pitched the idea!

4. Explain to parents how they can use this book along with Grit and Grace.

Great question. While I’ve thought of Gritty and Graceful as the younger, “introductory” version of Grit and Grace, these books really could be used together. Not all of the women in Grit and Grace appear in Gritty and Graceful, so I’d say that if a young reader shows particular interest in these women’s stories, it’d be great to keep reading and explore the longer stories. Certainly, many of the discussion questions from Grit and Grace can be used for Gritty and Graceful.

Or, parents could stick to the original idea of using Gritty and Graceful as a primer and then going to Grit and Grace when the kids get older.

5. Anything else parents might want to know?

Gritty and Graceful is an invitation to enter into the stories of women the Bible—to re-imagine what it would’ve been like and to imagine how God might “use” us today. So I hope this book will spark lots of great conversations and questions about God and the Word of God and life “back then” and life today. Of course, ultimately, I hope these stories turn young readers on to the Bible itself. Kids (and adults!) too often see the Bible as a stodgy, boring old book. But when we flip on our imaginations and try to see, hear, taste, feel and maybe even smell what it was like to be a Bible person, amazing things happen.

Go back Continue Reading

Previous Post

July 2, 2018

God's Plan for Families

Next Post

July 12, 2018 Plants, Puppies, and Parenthood

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category adoption art bible Bible study books compassion creation culture dogs facebook faith family friendship funeral grieving justice leadership Mardi Gras marriage memorial mental illness milestones missions MOPS movies parenting politics race relationships social media technology Thanksgiving theology trusting God Uncategorized wedding women worship

Select a Month June 2021 April 2021 February 2021 January 2021 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 November 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 October 2013 September 2013 October 2012 August 2012 January 2012 October 2011 May 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the profession of Peter and Andrew?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Tax collectors Carpenters Priests Fishermen

Books by This Author Books by Kelley Mathews

See All Titles »