When I found out I was going to be able to review A Light for my Path from Apologia I may or may not have squealed and did a happy dance. When I received the book in the mail I discovered that my excitement was well founded! A Light for my Path is an ABC book based on Psalm 119. It uses the alphabet to teach sound Biblical principals about God in a very simple and repetitive way so that young children (mine included) can internalize some of the qualities of God’s character described by King David in Psalm 119.

Each letter starts with declaring “God’s word, Law, Statutes, Decrees, Commands, and Precepts are…”. It then gives a descriptive word that corresponds with the letter on that page. For example “D” is “delightful”, “M” is “merciful”, and “S” is “steadfast”. I get excited about this book every time I sit with my girls to read it because I love knowing that by just sitting down with them and working with them on their alphabet I am also instilling in them a spiritual foundation that God’s Word, law, statutes, decrees, commands and precepts are positive and at a young age we are establishing a framework for their faith. Both my 3 yr old and almost 5 yr old have already memorized the first page of each letter and take turns reciting it. They are so proud of themselves and it’s already started discussions about what the different words mean.

Each letter is also beautifully illustrated giving a single animal/bug from God’s creation in it’s environment. It also shows the animal/bug from the previous letter in the background leaving. The name of the animal isn’t written on the page which helps to keep the focus on the descriptive word. However, if you’re like me, you may not know a couple of the names of the animals so the writer has included a lists of all the names of the animals and the corresponding descriptive word in alphabetical order at the front of the book. The girls love taking turns naming the animal for the current letter and finding the animal from the previous letter on the page.

Another amazing thing about this book is that after the English alphabet they’ve included the Hebrew alphabet and the corresponding verses.

Here’s what the writer David Carman had to say about it:

“Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem, a literary composition in which the writer uses the letter of a word or alphabet as the initial letter for a series of lines or stanzas. This particular poem is divided into twenty-two stanzas, one for each letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The twenty-two stanzas of Psalm 119 occupy the last twenty-two chapters of the book. The corresponding Hebrew letter for each stanza is shown at the top of the page along with it’s English spelling to help you pronounce the letter correctly.”

It’s not something you have to teach your kids. If this was only an English alphabet book it would completely stand on it’s own, but what an amazing additional tool to use with your kids. The old testament was written in Hebrew. What a great opportunity for your kids to learn early the letters of the Hebrew alphabet so that later if and when they want to study the old testament they already have foundation in the language.

Are you ready to run out and purchase your own copy of A Light for my Path? You can head over to Apologia.com and purchase your very own copy for $14. My husband and I agree that it’s well worth every penny. This book would be a great addition to any home with small children and with Christmas right around the corner, it would make a wonderful gift as well. I really can’t say enough good things about this book.

This review is part of Mosaic Reviews. Head over here to read what other reviewers thought about A Light for my Path as well.