This charming picture book celebrating God’s good gift of children (and other creatures) was first published in 2000 and has sold more than 2 million copies. Now, it has been released in a deluxe format, which includes blank pages on which parents and children can add notes about the newest member o
Note: The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This interview by Adelle M. Banks was published on Aug. 21, 2026, on religionnews.com. It has been edited for length and Banner style.(RNS) — A decade after her farewell tour, multi-Grammy-winning Christian singer
Mother-daughter team Jean Stoffer and Grace Start, hosts of their TV show The Established House, join forces with illustrator Megan Lindsey in this tender children’s picture book, which develops the theme of Proverbs 16:9: “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his step” (NKJV).In introd
From the first drum beats of Bronze Age percussion in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, moviegoers know they have entered an ancient and otherworldly dimension. The score, by Ludwig Göransson, feels different than any other score; its instruments are replicas of those depicted in Greek and Roman art.
Author Matthew Erickson, senior pastor of Eastbrook Church in Milwaukee, Minn., asserts that a fresh metaphor for pastoral ministry is needed in North America today in a time when pastors continue to grapple with the confusion and after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent global events
In 1969, struggling country artist Kris Kristofferson piloted a helicopter across Louisiana while musing about a new song. According to C. M. Howell, as he looked at the landscape, the “narrative of adventure and sudden love, of finding meaning in wandering from one city to another, and the danger o
Many movies and films nowadays speak to modern day concerns surrounding mental health and feelings of loneliness. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, does the same. It picks up where viewers were left in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film follows Peter Parker, played by the
When author Laura Boonstra and her husband Phil began their fostering journey, they had no idea what they would encounter: the contrasting emotions of joy and sorrow, the dramatic changes to their vision of what constitutes a family, their growing desire to seek justice for mistreated refugee foster
Based on author Nessa Bally’s childhood in Trinidad, this lyrically narrated and energetically illustrated picture book relates her experience of having the electricity go off. In an author note, Bally writes, “In Trinidad, we have blackouts from time to time. Electricity is fondly referred to as ‘c
We all have those family members who seem to know more about us than we do about them. D.K. Furutani, author of When Mikan Road Was Ours, is a master at conveying the awkwardness of that feeling. When his protagonist, who works as an English professor, attends a great-uncle’s funeral, a cousin he do
When several children spend a day at the beach, each engages curiously, imaginatively, and playfully with what he or she discovers.A girl finds a shell, and thinks, “This is just a shell. Or is it? / To a clam, it’s a door. / To an octopus, it’s a shield. / And to an otter, it’s a tool. / But to me,
In his unique fictional rendering of the lives of renowned historical figures C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, members of the Inklings, and mystery writers Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie, and more, author John Kelly reveals “the other side of the Inklings.” He writes, “This was how it had alway
When a young girl visits Nanu—her maternal grandfather—her favorite outing is accompanying him to the vibrant, expansive market in India where he shops. Nanu calls out greetings to everyone. This is his community, populated with hard-working merchants selling a plethora of merchandise: guavas, mango
The Christian rock band Tree63 returns with its first full-length record in almost 11 years: Voyage. This recording reminds listeners of the South African trio’s heyday in the early 2000s. “I am no longer a young believer, singing about the excitement of a life-changing spiritual discovery,” said fo
In this split-time mystery and suspense novel, Christian author Jaime Jo Wright explores and weaves together numerous themes: the ongoing, devastating consequences of the American Civil War that ended in 1865; the dangerous spiritual costs of pursuing a fascination with paranormal exploration; the g
This book is a courageous exploration of what happens at the crossroads of disability and Christian identity. We know how we want things to be and how things are “supposed to be,” but often we struggle with how things are. How do we live well in the spaces God has placed us in when he doesn’t take a
Young Cici is excited. School is out for the summer, the cicadas are singing, the days are long, and she’s on her way to the family cookout—a gathering of aunties, uncles, and cousins, with Grandma overseeing the festivities at her house. Cici is especially looking forward to being reunited with her
After watching Episode 1 of the streaming British dramedy Ludwig, my stomach hurt. Why? I was laughing hard. The cozy mystery was delightful fun. Our puzzle-genius star can’t drive worth beans—or park. This hilarious characterization is only a bit of the fun this six-part show offers viewers.Comedia
Author Callie Rebekah Feyen’s unique collection of short stories eloquently draws readers into her childhood struggles to read and learn in school, the role her mother played in encouraging her love for stories and desire to write them down, her coming of age in the shelter of her Presbyterian churc
Come for the recipes and stay for the writing in this luminous collection written by Christian moms who are part of the Coffee + Crumbs online journal community. God, friendships, hospitality, and keeping each other going—whether through spice tea and conversation or an UberEats order on a horrible