Whisper, Whisper: Learning About Church

I bought this book because my family and I are "new" to the Lutheran faith. This also means that the traditional liturgy is new to us, including my kids. My kids are not TOO rowdy in service, but they are definitely squirmy and haven't quite grasped what is going on. I found that I needed a way to explain to them what was happening and how we could be more respectful and participate while we are in service. Enter this book! It not only rhymes in a sweet way, but it also shows and explains (in simple terms) the liturgy that happens in service! Plus, there are really helpful tips for parents in the back of the book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has younger children (ages 1-8)!

We are very happy with this purchase. My two boys love the rhyme and rhythm of the text and the pictures are nice too. It helped us to mentally connect the tone of our voices to the quietness of church. They have grown up in church but this would be a great book for those wanting to start attending but have put it off because of feeling their children would be a distraction for others. Children should be in church but this might make parents not familiar with a family-friendly sanctuary more able to talk to kids ahead of time to prepare themselves. The only thing I did not like about the book was that the "baby" had a big bottle noticeable throughout the book and I would have preferred that it was assumed that she was fed naturally or that no food/drink was needed to be pictured.

Mary Moerbe has provided the parents of very young children with a wonderful resource to help them teach their children about church. Try reading it on Saturday night before church, or while sitting in the pew before the service begins. I have given it to two different directors of Christian Education and also as a birthday gift for a 2 year old.

My 2.5 year old son absolutely loves the book. From the first time we read it, he attempted all the actions, especially making a cross with his fingers. He loves to point out all of the things he recognizes from church in the beautiful pictures by Martha Aviles. The rhythmic, rhyming text of Mary Moerbe's book encourages him to remember parts. He walks around the house saying "Whiper, Whiper, da da da da" (he can't say "whisper" yet, and he's saying a mix of nonsense and regular words to try and fill in the rest of the phrase in the rhythm set by the text). He has asked for this book repeatedly now for several weeks, and we often read it at bedtime. The tips for parents in the back are also extremely helpful, and remind us that we're not alone on this journey of teaching our children to receive the gifts of God in the Divine Service. As a fellow deaconess, I cannot think of a better resource for my own children, my goddaughters (we've already given a copy to one goddaughter and plan to do so for the other), and all the children who sit in the pews each Sunday! Thank you, Deaconess Mary Moerbe and Martha Aviles!