Samson’s Gift
By Ellen Diederich
Publisher: Givinity Press
Published: October 29, 2014
ASIN: B00OZSJAUE
Amazon Synopsis:
SAMSON’S GIFT wraps the historic ‘Babe in the Manger’ tale in a
new cloak, and what a cloak it is; made of wool fit for a King. Its donor,
Samson, is an orphaned lamb, adopted by Tedra, a shepherd’s daughter. As Samson
matures, his unusually fine wool is due to be sheared, but thanks to Tedra, his
protector, he escapes the shears. Enter Three Wise Men who have followed a
special star that now illuminates a nearby stable in which they find a baby
laid in a manger full of prickly straw, wrapped in strips of cloth torn from
the parent’s clothing. Samson volunteers his precious wool to protect the
newborn.
At the conclusion of this inspirational story about giving your
best gift and giving for the right reason, is a glossary of sheep facts.
Young and old will delight in the author’s 24 empathetic
paintings; she being Ellen Diederich, an acclaimed illustrator. Ellen knows her
subject well having grown up on a farm and currently resides in Fargo, North
Dakota.
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My Thoughts:
Samson’s Gift truly is a delightful story about an orphan
lamb with the finest wool that he gives to the baby Jesus on the night of His birth.
It is accompanied by beautiful paintings depicting each of the scenes.
I liked the author’s
humour in reference to other bible stories. It shows that she has a basic
knowledge of the stories of the bible. I also thought the page at the back of
the book with the definitions and fun facts about sheep were an excellent
addition to the book so that young and old could learn a little bit more about
sheep.
The only thing I
didn’t agree with in the book is that Tedra, the shepherdess that adopted
Samson, lied in order to keep Samson from getting Samson being sheared when he
was hiding. This makes it seem like lying is okay if the end result is a good
one. Although this book is a fictional account of a bible story I felt it should
still uphold the basic truths such as that lying is not okay so that lie really
stuck out for me.
Due to lie, I had to
knock off one star. I rated Samson’s Gift
4 stars out of 5.
Thank you to the publishers
via NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and
honest review. A positive opinion is not required. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
Ellen Jean Diederich has been painting professionally since
1985. Working primarily as a watercolorist, she has expanded her painting into
acrylic. Her passion for painting came long before her recognition as an award
winning artist.Growing up on a farm in Staples, Minnesota, she had excellent high school art teachers. She went on to MSUM where she graduated with a B.F.A. in Fine Art and a B.A. in Art Education. Part of her college years she developed strong drawing skills by drawing portraits at various businesses.
In addition to her painting, Ellen has written and illustrated two books and is now working on a third. The Ben Franklin Award winning Where’s Petunia? is a full color hard cover children’s book. The playful story follows the adventure of two cats, Art and Petunia, featuring Ellen’s original watercolors. In her most recent book, Progressive Painting: Your Creative Journey, she shares insightful tips for successful painting. The book is designed to help artists at any level build their creative processes. Ellen’s third book, Samson’s Gift, will be released summer of 2014. Samson’s Gift is written for children as a Christmas story about the sheep who learns the lesson of giving and giving for the right reasons.
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