Thank you very much for the two children’s books. They are beautiful. I rushed over to show the many fathers in our Bible study here and they were at a loss for words to show their gratitude. Now they can take them to visiting and read to their children. These are wondrous books. — A prisoner

My 97-year-old father just went home to Heaven. Knowing the excellence of Randy’s study on Heaven, and believing the book would help my children answer their children’s questions about where Grandpa had gone, I bought the book. It was so good, we sat around Dad’s bedside and read it aloud, twice, before he died, for his blessing, and ours. A favorite vignette is the boy saying, “I don’t like it when people say, ‘I hear you lost your grandma.’ I didn’t lose her. When you lose something, you don’t know where it is. But since we know Grammy’s in Heaven, we haven’t lost her, have we?” This actually is for probably best for children a little older than my grandsons (the oldest is 2nd grade) but it will still be invaluable to their parents in talking about the delights my dad is experiencing right now. — C. M.

I recently purchased Tell Me About Heaven for my children because my library didn’t have it. I just had to have it. My daughter was thrilled when I showed her the book and couldn’t wait to get started, but I made her wait. And then I did the unthinkable—after we read the first chapter aloud, I told her we would continue tomorrow with the second chapter. She is a voracious reader and you would have thought I suggested some type of torture when I closed the book. We both loved the book. Randy has included material that young and old will appreciate. At first glance one would think it is below my daughter’s reading level, but the material was interesting, so it didn’t matter. I liked breaking it into chapters to read because it gave us time to process before moving on with the story. — R. S.

This is an excellent book for children ages 8 to 12 to learn about the Christian God and their faith. Would highly recommend the content and artwork, which is just as much quality as the verse. — T. S.

Not long ago I read Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven. It is truly wonderful. So when I saw that he had a book written to young children on the subject, I thought it would be a good book to add to my library. Some of our relatives are in poor health and Tell Me About Heaven is just right for her 8-year-old son to understand the concept of Heaven. I definitely would recommend this book. — D. C.

This is a well-written and illustrated book with which to help a young child understand Heaven as well as the death of a loved one. — D. P.

This is a great book about Heaven. It is well written, nicely illustrated and theologically sound. Alcorn really does a good job of demonstrating the ‘tangibleness’ of Heaven. Too often people think of Heaven as something ethereal, with clouds and disembodied spirits. This is not what the Bible teaches us. We await new bodies on a New Earth. Alcorn does a great job of showing this corporeal, physical element of Heaven. This of course leads to speculative questions (like “Will there be animals?”, “What about my pets?, etc.). Some may be dismissive about such questions, but these are the questions that come up. If you are going to write for children, you ought to address questions they ask. So this is well done. Alcorn is clear about areas where the Bible does not give a specific answer and then is willing to venture his best guess.
    The way the story is told is well done also. A young boy, Jake, is making his regular two-week summer visit to his grandparents in Oregon. However, this year he is a bit apprehensive since his grandmother had died in the last year and he does not know what it will be like. However, his grandfather is a godly man who knows his Bible well, and they have numerous conversations over the two weeks as they enjoy the wonderful scenes of Oregon, eat together and gaze at the stars. So the discussions about Heaven are not abstract but arise naturally within the believable relationship between a grandfather and grandson. This led to good discussions with my boys. Along the way the point is clearly made that only those who repent and believe go to Heaven. Thus, this is a good evangelistic tool as well.
    Lastly, there is another side benefit to this book. It provides a nice picture of a grandfather who is intentional about being involved in his grandson's life, enjoying life with him and teaching him about God along the way. Such examples are always a good challenge to me as I seek to be intentional in parenting.
    This is a great book and we warmly recommend it. - Review by Ray VanNeste, The Children's Hour

Novelist and theological analyst Randy Alcorn has written extensively about heaven for both adults and young people. Now, in Tell Me About Heaven, he successfully makes theology about heaven something even children can understand. With the help of magnificent paintings by master artist Ron DiCianni, Alcorn creates a story about a young boy named Jake who comes to spend time with his grandfather just four months after the grandmother has died.
    Jake is sad that his grandfather cannot cook as well as his grandmother, and he misses her voice, the attention she gave him, and her friendly smile. He confronts his grandfather, asking why his grandmother had to die. To his shock, the grandfather says that he misses his wife dearly, but he would not bring her back even if he could. This is because she is now in heaven with Jesus, suffering no ailments and having fun with her relatives and friends who passed before she did.
    This prompts Jake to ask his grandfather where heaven is, what it is like, who is there, and what the “new heaven” will be like after saints’ spirits are reunited with their bodies back on earth. In separate chapters, the grandfather (called Papa) discusses the Garden of Eden, Christ’s birth on earth, Christ’s conquering of the tomb, and even what it is like to make the transition from earth to heaven at the time of death. Everything is done in story form with lots of interactive dialogue between Papa and Jake as they go fishing, out walking with the family puppy, or just sit together at meals. Sometimes Jake reads from Papa’s Bible, and other times Papa tells biblical stories or events from his life. The information is positive, affirming, non-threatening, yet completely solid scripturally.
    This book can be read a chapter at a time over a week or more, or it can be read in one long session. The color paintings of angels (some of whom are African), historical figures such as Abe Lincoln, wild animals, and Jesus are detailed, elaborate, and powerfully graphic. They add a lot to the overall impact of the book’s narrative. This is a book that will not become dated quickly. – Dr. Dennis E. Hensley, Christian Book Previews.com

I totally underestimated this book! I mean, I knew it would be good because I know Randy Alcorn’s reputation and Ron DiCianni’s paintings have always touched me in a special way. What I did not anticipate is that it truly would tell me about Heaven.
    The reading level is ages 9-12, but this is no simple children’s book. It uses a boy’s conversations with his recently widowed grandfather to present a full, vivid, exciting, Scriptural view of Heaven and the New Earth. It makes one understand why those who have gone before really are better off, and encourages the Believer about his eternal future. This would obviously be an outstanding choice for a child, or anyone who has recently lost a loved one, but it is much more. It is a beautiful tool that can help all of us gain a proper perspective, a true understanding of what life is really all about.
    Randy Alcorn, thank you for telling us about Heaven! – Rena Arlen,  www.eclectichomeschool.org/reviews

What would it be like to have a grandfather who, as a drew near to death, had virtually everything the Bible indicates about the next life on the tip of his tongue?
    What would it be like to listen to an aged man with so much Bible flowing from his lips help his grandson understand the death of his wife (his grandson’s grandmother)?
    What would it be like to listen to this man prepare his grandson for the day when he (his grandson’s grandfather) draws near to death?
    What would it be like to hear him tell his grandson that he’s ready to stand before the Lord because Christ is his only hope in life and in death?
    Now, in a sense, you don’t have to wonder what that would be like. Randy Alcorn has given us a book that depicts just such a grandfather having these kinds of conversations with his grandson.
    Tell Me About Heaven is classified as “juvenile fiction,” so my three year old son no doubt missed much of the book’s rich content. Nevertheless, as we made our way through it, every night he was eager to read “The Heaven Book.”
    As the years go by, we’ll revisit this one, and I hope that when I come to die I can speak so freely on what the Bible says about heaven as the grandfather in this book does.
   What a God! What a gospel! What a Savior! Hallelujah! Thanks to Randy Alcorn for this moving story, and thanks to Ron DiCianni for the beautiful illustrations that held my three year old’s attention! – by Jim Hamilton, www.jimhamilton.wordpress.com

Tell Me About Heaven by Randy Alcorn with paintings by one of my favorites, Ron DiCianni, is a beautiful story about Jake, papa and grammy that you’ll want to read with your children no matter their age. The book is a piece of art in itself with the breathtaking paintings by DiCianni, but most of all, I love the dialogue between this grandfather and his grandson about the heritage we have in Heaven with Jesus. This is a lovely gift idea from grandparents to their grandchildren. – Susan Choy Lee (also known as “The Reading Mom”), www.thereadingmom.net

Looking for a book to help your kids understand more about Heaven? Good luck if browsing your local bookstore. You might be directed to Warren Hanson’s The Next Place, which should satisfy the reader looking for what one reviewer described as “ecumenical to the point that it can offend no one—not even atheists.” Thus, the title of Next Place instead of the biblical reference to Heaven.
    I suggest you turn instead to the beautifully illustrated Tell Me About Heaven, written by Randy Alcorn with paintings by Ron DiCianni. Told through the experience of a youngster visiting his recently widowed grandfather, their conversations address every facet of grief and wonder over the eternal state of a loved one. The best children’s books lead to further conversations about the subject and the author skillfully guides readers of every age to anticipate life in Heaven from a doctrinally sound foundation, while teaching about the Garden of Eden, the Fall, the Atonement, Resurrection, and the New Jerusalem in the process. – Newsjournal of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention

Knowing of Randy’s extensive study of Heaven, I ordered this book to help my children discuss my 97-year-old father’s home going with their young children. 

What I did not expect was what a beautiful blessing it would be to my dad and the four of us who “walked him home” last week. Dad had been an avid, voracious, omnivorous reader, but preferred seeing the printed page to hearing it read. However, he was too weak to read for himself, and too tired to concentrate on anything very involved. We sat beside his bed and read this book aloud, twice, in the days before his death. We know he is with his Lord. His passion for 70 years, since his conversion at age 27, was to “bring men unto God,” including every hospice worker who visited him his last 5 1/2 weeks. 

Please pass on to Randy and Ron DiCianni our sincere thanks for this wonderful book, and to you for publishing it just now, when it was so timely for our family’s needs. 

I have not only recommended it to all our friends, but also to those ministering to grieving families: hospice workers, the funeral home director, and the casket company we used. – S. R.

This is a wonderful book for children, and adults will enjoy it and learn from it also. I’ve already bought seven copies for friends with children and grandchildren. I can’t praise it highly enough. It would also be good for adults for whom English is a second language. – M. J.

Tell Me About Heaven is a wonderful book that both my kids and I really enjoyed. It not only is a great family story that my kids enjoyed at bedtime, but it also has them pondering the possibilities of what Heaven might be like. What I like most for myself as the parent is how it brings in the truth of the scriptures to help explain things. I feel much more confident in carrying on a conversation with my kids about Heaven since reading this book. - L. A.