Book Review: Walking in Wonder: A Devotional Journal for Moms of Toddlers

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 

Matthew 19:14

As a mom of 3 under 4, I’m in constant need of some good, Biblical encouragement. The Walking in Wonder devotionals provide a wonderful, Biblical approach to understanding your child’s development while also giving you daily encouragement to grow in your faith. The author, Catherine Claire Larson, is a very experienced mom of SIX boys and writes with great wisdom to expecting moms, moms of infants, and toddler moms.

My youngest daughter, Lacey, is 21 months old, so I decided to focus my review on the devotional for toddler moms. In this devotional, she breaks each section into months starting from 12 months old and ending at 24 months old. At the start of each month, she gives a developmental guide to help moms know what to expect their child to do in this month and how to help them grow and learn. For the month of my daughter’s age, she focused on sharing. This was the perfect focus for Lacey as she has to use her turn-taking abilities quite often with her two siblings. Larson explains how at this age children can understand the concept of taking turns and how important it is to instill the concept in them. Sharing helps children learn to have empathy and understand the needs of others, something they’ll use everyday for the rest of their lives.  

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6

Every month has a spiritual focus for moms that aligns with what you’re working on with your child. Larson relates the way a toddler needs to learn to share to growing in our own generosity. God calls us to share what we have been blessed with whether that is financially or the gifts and abilities He has given us. God loves when we share and those opportunities we take to be hospitable and generous allow others to experience God’s love and hopefully lead them to Him. 

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:19-21

Walking in Wonder is filled with so much wisdom and encouragement for moms. God calls us to love and nurture our children and to teach them to grow up to love and know Him. I love the way Larson explains the basic concept that your toddler is learning and shows how we use those same concepts as moms. It shows how we grow with our children and how important it is that we instill these values in them at a young age so that they can grow up and be a light to everyone around them. I would recommend this devotional for all moms and encourage anyone who knows someone who is expecting or has an infant or toddler to gift these devotionals to them!

*This book was received for free for review