ABCs OF LIFE
Stories of Tamika
By Bennie Brown
Our lessons and beliefs on faith and spirituality begin with what we’re taught as children. I remember those lessons being taught to me during Sunday School by Ms. Pleas. Though they grow and expand with knowledge over the years, our early years form the basis for who we are and whose we are. That being said, I present to you Bennie Brown’s ABCs of Life: Stories of Tamika.
Our central character is 11-year-old Tamika, a Black girl raised in a Christian home by her parents along with her younger sister Tasha. Throughout the book, as we follow Tamika’s journey, Brown illustrates a different life value and teaching in a series of short stories, from “A is for Attitude” to “Z is for Zeal.” The scriptural texts come from the New International Version of the Bible, and they are interwoven into each story/value to make it interesting, fun, and relevant for children. Tamika shares her dreams, her aspirations, and her understanding of the fruits of the Spirit as they relate to her daily life.
Tamika’s walk isn’t always easy; an example of this is the friction between her and a classmate known as Scary Barry. We see him at different times in the book, such as in “L is for Love” when Tamika has to figure out what kind of love to show him, and “U is for Understanding,” when she discovers why he acts out the way he does. At the end of the day, each story furthers her spiritual growth. And as in “K is for Knowledge,” knowledge is power.
As children learn by example, I love the positive role models Brown established for Tamika–her parents and Mrs. Davis, Tamika’s Sunday School teacher. I highly recommend this book for Sunday School classes as well as home; as one who read to my son every night when he was little, this would have been part of my personal library. And as our children learn from us, we learn from them.
ABCs of Life: Stories of Tamika is available through her website, booksbybennie.com; Amazon; and the Minnesota Black Authors Expo website, www.mnblackauthorsexpo.com .
Thank you, Bennie, for the beautiful way of teaching children about God with practical applications to their lives.
W.D. Foster-Graham
W.D. Foster-Graham is a native son of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.A. in psychology from Luther College, and he was an original member of the multi-Grammy-Award-winning ensemble, Sounds of Blackness. He has also been recognized by the International Society of Poets as one of its “Best New Poets of 2003,” is a guest writer for journalist/author/entertainer Wyatt O’Brian Evans.
