Go Tell Everyone: 9 Missionaries Who Shared the Good News by Meredith Cook is an inspirational, informative, resource to help teach people of all ages about Missionaries. I highly recommend Go Tell Everyone: 9 Missionaries Who Shared the Good News if you are in Ministry and Christian Education. I think it's a great resource to add to your library. The pictures are fun and engaging and the subject matter is easy to understand. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. My review is also on Goodreads.

This post is the first of something new you can expect to see here periodically, and I'm really excited about this direction. This book, Go Tell Everyone, is an eARC I found on NetGalley. I have previously reviewed two books I received from NetGalley (click here and here for those reviews); they were books from secular authors for a secular audience. As I was looking for more books to review here, I noticed that Christian publishers also post their books on NetGalley, and I had an idea: why not review some of those here as well? If you're unfamiliar, NetGalley is a website where publishers share free advance copies of their books to generate interest and help promote their titles. I can't promise this (or any review of an eARC) will be a regular thing because publishers can be selective about sharing their ARCs. But as often as I can, I hope to feature new kid's books for a Christian audience. These will include a summary, things I love, activity ideas, and a prayer of thanksgiving. So now, let's dig into this exciting book that was just published yesterday, March 12!

Summary

This is a book about nine different missionaries who fulfilled the Great Commission:

 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20

But the book starts with a practical application: anyone who shares the gospel's good news is fulfilling the Great Commission, and anyone who fulfills the Great Commission is a missionary.

Things I Love

The missionaries featured are so diverse. They are men and women from a wide variety of cultures and time periods. This leads to my second point...

It's not just white American missionaries going to foreign places. One missionary was a German woman who evangelized to other immigrants new to America like she was.

When each new missionary is introduced, the place they went is not included. It creates an interactive component that allows kids to guess the different countries mentioned in the book.

Because of the definitions I included in my summary at the beginning, the author clearly communicates that any kid can be a missionary. This is maybe my favorite thing about this book. How often do we encounter books that tell preschoolers that they are and can be missionaries? This fact alone makes it easy for me to recommend this to other parents.

Activities & Extensions

The book, at least as an eARC, did not have back matter that provided more information about the missionaries mentioned. The text gives each missionary's name and the country they went to, so it could be fun to do an internet search to learn more about each missionary and their work.
Similarly, there was also no map showing where the countries were located. Pull out a world map or a globe to compare where missionaries were from and where they served.

Since younger kids may not have much practice sharing the gospel, help them out in a simple way. Make cards to mail to a friend or family member that say, "Jesus loves you and wants you to love Him, too." The cards could be paired with cookies or flowers for neighbors or sent with a picture to family members. Pray and brainstorm as a family about who to give their cards to.

Reach out to your church for a list of the foreign and local missionaries they support. Pray for the missionaries and their work, and consider sponsoring them financially. You could even send them an encouraging card or email from your family.

Thank God for Go Tell Everyone

Dear God, thank you for teaching us that sharing your good news is really simple. Help us encourage the young children in our lives to start exactly where and how they are. Help us also pray more for missionaries all over the world. In your name, Amen.

I received an eARC copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Go Tell Everyone is a great missionary story! It teaches kids about missionaries and telling the good news. This will definitely be a book that’s added to my Sunday School library!

This board book opens with definitions of what The Great Commision is and what a missionary does. Nine missionaries are portrayed within the text by first name, which country they went to share and what they did to share the good news. The storyline gradually expands to tell of missionaries who used their skills to share: a pilot, a barber and then describes how we can also be missionaries right where we live.

This book of 22 pages is a bit long for a newborn/toddler. I would suggest it as a better fit for preschool-2nd grade. The illustrations are bright and cheerful with a broad diversity of characters.

I received this book from the author/publisher free of charge, with no expectation of a positive review.

A very simple, yet delightful story of the importance of spreading the gospel and recognizing the diversity among us.

Have you head the Good News? Jesus saved the world

Christians are called to share the good news of Jesus to the world. A colorful illustrated books for young readers on 9 missionaries who traveled to different places to share and minister to other countries. A book to inspire the old and young to share the good news of Jesus. Those that went before us obeyed the great commission.

The question is "where will you go?"

A special thank you to B&H Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

What a Great Book to Share With Kids

This book is perfect for introducing kids to Missions work and Missionaries. I did feel it missed the boat by not actually giving the Gospel Message… I realize the adult reading it would have that opportunity.

My three kids were around Missionaries and their kids as they grew up. With the reach of Social Media they were also able to stay connected. Church Mission trips were looked forward to during Spring Break from school as they got older.

The illustrations were bright and interesting. This would have grabbed their attention and interested them. Perfect addition for Missions Month for the Sunday School/Children’s Church teachers to read.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

Thank you, NetGalley and B&H Publishing House!

This was a very cute book. I loved the colorful and sweet illustrations, and I appreciated the diversity of missionaries represented in the book. Some of these missionaries are well known, but some of the missionaries in this book are lesser known and it's nice to see their stories included.

I loved that the book shares not only what the Great Commission is but that people who obey the Great Commission are missionaries. We are all missionaries in a sense--or at least we should be!

I would've found this book inspiring as a child, and I loved reading it to my kids. I believe this is a good book to introduce children to the Great Commission, important figures in church and missionary history, and even geographical locations and cultures.

I would recommend this book!