Looking for some unique gift ideas for your godchild this Christmas? Or maybe you’re a parent or godparent looking for some new additions to your home library. Here’s a round-up of great children’s books that promote a healthy image of God. (For additional round-ups of children’s books about God, click here and here.)

#1) Noah’s Wife: The Story of Naamah by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso (2002)

• Ages 9 and up
• Click here to order from Amazon.
• An adaptation of this book for younger children (ages 2-4) is also available from the same author: Naamah, Noah’s Wife (2001)

When God tells Noah to bring the animals of the world onto the ark, God also calls on Naamah, Noah’s wife, to save each plant on Earth. Entrusted with this task, Naamah sets off to every corner of the world, discovering a fabulous array of growing things, and gathering seeds, bulbs, cuttings, spores, and roots. She fills a room on the ark with every type of plant–from amaryllis, soybeans, and wheat to lilies, moss, and even dandelions. Then, after 40 long days and nights on the ark, the most important part of Naamah’s work begins.

In this new story, based on an ancient text, Naamah’s wisdom and love for the natural harmony of the earth inspires us to use our own courage, creativity, and faith to carry out Naamah’s work today.

#2) You Are Special by Max Lucado (1997)

• Ages 4 and up
• Click here to order from Amazon.
• An adaptation of this book for younger children (ages 3 and up) is also available from the same author: You Are Special (2000)

In this heartwarming children’s tale from the best-selling pen of author Max Lucado, Eli the woodcarver helps Punchinello understand how special he is–no matter what other Wemmicks may think. It’s a vital message for children everywhere: that regardless of how the world evaluates them, God cherishes each of them, just as they are.

#3) The Children of the King (Redesign) by Max Lucado (2014)

• Ages 8-12
• Click here to order from Amazon.

One of the greatest gifts parents can give their children is the assurance that mom and dad love them just as they are, apart from anything that they do. But telling them once won’t make it sink in. Kids need to be reminded of that foundational fact over and over, until the truth takes root deep within their hearts. In the same way, children need to hear again and again that their heavenly Father loves them and wants to spend time with them—even if they’re not wonderfully talented, extremely smart, or exceptionally popular.

That message of God’s unconditional acceptance and deep desire to enjoy a friendship with his children is at the heart of this book.

#4) Today I Found God by Greg Long (2010)

• Ages 4 and up
• Click here to order from Amazon.

Everyone has bad days, and kids are no exception. There are some days when things seem to go wrong from the moment you wake up. It’s easy to feel angry and ask God, Why?, but it’s not always easy to hear His answer. Today I Found God is the playful children’s story about a boy on a quest to find out why God lets bad things happen. The fast-paced rhymes and whimsical illustrations lead to an ending that is both unexpected uplifting. Discover God for yourself and find out He really is listening and wants to talk to you.

#5) God’s Dream by Desmond Tutu (2008)

• Ages 3 to 7
• Click here to order from Amazon.
• An adaptation of this book for younger children (ages 1 to 3) is also available from the same author: God’s Dream (2010)

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has a vision of God’s dream, which he shares here with the youngest of listeners. It involves people who reach out and hold each other’s hands, but sometimes get angry and hurt each other — and say they’re sorry and forgive. It’s a wish that everyone will see they are brothers and sisters, no matter their way of speaking to God, no matter the size of their nose or the shade of their skin. Aided by vibrant artwork evoking such images as a rainbow and a sharing circle, Tutu offers the essence of his ubuntu philosophy, a wisdom so clear and crystalline that even the smallest child can understand.