Lutheran author Tyrel Bramwell has released another interesting piece: The Ethereal Land of Heavenward Stairs.
Review of The Ethereal Land of Heavenward Stairs.
This is a very neat one! Illustrated by Edward Riojas, this is 35 pages of child-sounding, sing song lyrics intended for Christian adults privy to deeper truths. 🙂
The text and illustrations are whimsical with some Seuss-ness. The setting is sort of like Pinocchio’s Pleasure Island meets the fallen world with, it seems to me, references to the Cat in the Hat kids.
On one hand, kids are in a constant carnival, where tricks and tricksters capture their attention. But all that entertainment is ultimately rotten. On the other, and unlike the brother and sister from Cat in the Hat, two siblings avoid the traps. They simply keep a simple life. They try to help others and fix things, etc.
Several very Christian messages with a direct invocation of Father, Son, and “Spirit Most Holy,” church, and the forgiveness of sins.
Catchy as an edgy coffee-table book and conversation piece. Fun for the family, although it might take some discussion for kids to understand.
The moral is “By cross and not steps do we see our dear Lord. He comes for salvation, not because we are bored.” 🙂 Nice!
In Tyrel’s words, The Ethereal Land of Heavenward Stairs is:
A polemical picture book for God’s grown-up children! No matter how entertaining climbing a heavenward staircase may sound, we cannot climb our way to heaven. This little picture book for adult brains critiques the erroneous traditions of men while offering the revelation of Christ-crucified, handed down by the apostles, as the proper alternative.
Also of note, Tyrel Bramwell is the force behind Reverend Raconteur Publishing, so you should check them out this Christmas. Rev. Rac specializes in publishing “books by clergymen storytellers.” 🙂
Tyrel has . . . six books to his name now? A novel, a narrative on Closed Communion, a volume on Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and two easy chapter books for kids, in addition to this latest release. Great spread over genres!
