Shine: A Wordless Book about Love

This wordless book is so beautiful! As my infant daughter looks at the pages her eyes are drawn to the beautiful vibrant colors as they change the gray city that surrounds Mia. This book really shows how much each of our lives can change the world.

Worth every penny, just beautiful

This is a beautiful book for children and adults alike... would make a wonderful gift.The illustrations clearly tell the story and there are many details which offer opportunities for talking about the central message which is the verse in Matthew 5:16.I did not purchase this book myself, but my daughter, who is a teacher purchased it and showed it to me.

The Christian Evangelizing overtones need to be plainly and clearly stated in the book description. Not doing so feels very dishonest of the authors, publishers, and sellers. The whole book is an extended metaphor for a child converting people to Christianity. - The people who are influenced by her light have to cross to her side of the street. - The people who are influenced by her light are shown praying and singing. - Mia frequently is shown with her bible which is labeled "HOLY BIBLE" and "MIA'S BIBLE" - Mia's light comes from her reading the bible and praying. - Ads on the last page of the book for Christian products for kids, like stickers.Hard to Follow Story would be Better with Words:The book flashes from Mia walking down the street and waving at people, to Mia in her house leaving through the front door over and over with no indication of how much time has passed. I thought they were flashbacks until it shows her getting different backpacks ready. So much of the book's message is communicated through metaphor which is difficult for children to grasp. People will draw their own conclusions from the art and story as they perceive it, so I think this book could be much better WITH words. The words could even help clear up some potential misunderstandings that readers are having! The only exciting part for kids reading this is probably how and why the color spreads from Mia to others and her surroundings. Instead of showing a build in the story from page to page, we are frequently interrupted by scenes of Mia getting ready or focus on the mean old lady. The addition of words and explanations could make this book a way for family members to share with kids how spreading your light/God's light can have a positive impact and how you might come across people who seem like they don't want anyone to be happy. As it is, though, the pictures without a narration tell their own judgmental and evangelist tale that may lead child readers to harbor confused or negative beliefs about who can and can't be a good person.Questionable Subtleties: - The people who are influenced by her light have to cross to her side of the street. Why can't her light simply influence them in a positive way? Why do they have to cross to her side of the street? Why do they have to leave the bus stop? Are bus stops bad? - Children and adults are crossing the street to join Mia on her side. Why are we showing young children that it's okay to cross the street and follow somebody who smiles at us? Why are we showing young children that it's okay for adults to cross the street to follow a child who smiled at them? - A young boy crosses at the crosswalk where Mia meets him halfway and gives him a hug. This is a metaphor for meeting someone half-way or helping them across the street, but this shows young children that stopping in the middle of the street to hug someone is an okay and safe choice. - The mean lady in the story actively discourages people from crossing the street to Mia's side of the street. The mean lady refuses to accept Mia's rainbow scarf, indicating that she is staunchly against kindness and/or Christianity. This creates an association between mean, cruel, evil people and non-christian-ness that young children may embody as a rule of life. The sudden full-page close-up of her grumpy, mean, gray face gives a weird and judgmental tone to the story and prompts a feeling of defensiveness in the reader. - Only some people on the other side of the street are affected by Mia's/God's light. Some people remain all gray some people become partially colorful. Why isn't everyone able to become colorful? Are some people not good enough? Do people have to be friends with Mia to be colorful? Do people have to cross the street to be colorful?Not only was this book not what I was looking for, but the complete lack of disclosure that this is a highly Christian book felt like trickery. The execution of the story was very much lacking with confusing elements all over the place.Plot Summary:The book opens to a girl, Mia, praying at her bedside, a bible on her nightstand, and quoted scripture. <<You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden.>> The main character, Mia, seems to walk down the street everyday and wave and smile at the grey people on the other side, some of whom are waiting at the bus stop. Her cheer and light connect to them visually with a wavy, colorful path that changes them from grey to colorful. Bit by bit, these people join her on her side of the street. A page flashes to some of them praying, singing and playing guitar, and Mia reading her Bible again. Amid the color-changing, street-crossing scenes, a mean and grouchy lady gets a full-page close-up on her grouchy, frowning, grey face. Mean-Lady whispers in a girl's ear and then that girl doesn't change to colorful and instead returns to grey and gloomy and stays on the bus stop side of the street. Mean-Lady tries to stop the girl's younger brother from crossing the street to Mia, but he crosses anyway and Mia meets him halfway on the crosswalk. Mia also offers Mean-Lady her rainbow scarf, and Mean-Lady refuses. After Mia has gathered a group of children and adults to her side of the street, they walk to a red car together. We don't see anyone get in the car, but the next page shows Mia in the front passenger seat, with her backpack that has her bible in it, enjoying the nature scenery as someone drives her to the next town while the car's path spreads color to everything they pass. We have no idea who is driving the car, but Mia is very happy to be bringing her light to another city.Could this book be right for some people, children, and their families? Of course. I only hope they provide thoughtful narration for the children with whom they share it.

The illustrations and message in this book are phenomenal. My children noticed how just by the girl saying hello to others that it brightened their day and added color. It sends a great message of kindness and loving others that aren't necessarily like you. My kids and I loved it!

I love that this book is wordless, so everyone can enjoy it! This book has such a positive message that I think, every child should learn. My daughters love this book!Recommend 100%!

I did buy this through another source. This is such an innovative spin on a children's book.....a wordless book! It allows the reader to create their own version of the story. Shine relates such a sweet yet powerful story. It's a gift that is a MUST!!!!!

Nowhere in the description it said it was a book about recruiting people with (love?) when it’s a Bible.What really annoys me is that usually wordless books are used to help special needs kiddos with speech therapy (which is why I got it) and the story is complete nonsense. It doesn’t help in any way, and even worse, it confuses the minds of those reading it that are already struggling with story comprehension.Spoiler alert (if you can call it that because again, this makes no sense)The girl is shown reading her Bible and going out farting a rainbow in every 1-2 page scene and each time she recruits? I have no idea what but she gives color to the people around. But I didn’t get it until I read the description. From reading it you’d be asking yourself why she keeps magically appearing in her room reading the Bible out of nowhere. One moment she’s outside and the other BOOM! She’s in her room praying or reading the book. At the end she has recruited some people and takes them to what seems to be a cult castle…? No idea.The message that I got from this book was“creepy rainbow farting girl hypnotizes strangers after reading the spell book or Bible? and kidnaps them- taking them to her leader in their cult retirement “home” to never be seen again.”I didn’t see any message of love anywhere.Why not illustrate people feeding the hungry and homeless? Saving a kitten from a tree? Helping someone who fell down? Bringing clothes, food, and toys to a homeless shelter or a childrens hospital? SO many ways to show love without farting rainbows and kidnapping g people.

Would have liked this if not for the religious quote at the start of the book.