Summary
Rooney Cruz is an elementary-aged girl who meets her personal angel, Mari. With Mari’s help, Rooney is able to peek back in time at 5 important women from the Bible: Hannah, Esther, Abigail, Ruth, and Deborah. Each woman has a “superpower” that Mari reveals Rooney can have too: Prayer, Patience, Bravery, Loyalty, and Leadership. She also navigates real-life situations like school bullies, sports frustrations, neighborhood conflict, a fall-out with a friend, and standing up for what’s right. At the end of each book, Rooney earns a bell for a bracelet. At the end of the final book, the letters on the bells spell out the word “HEARD.” Rooney tells God she is ready for Him to show her how to be a leader and that an even greater adventure is about to begin.
Mom Thoughts
Normally, I only like to post picture books that I would recommend without hesitation. I felt that these books are so popular that it would be helpful for people to know exactly what is inside before they purchase them for their daughters. There are no language or questionable behavior issues, but I am very torn in my view on these books. Because of that, I will list below the things I like as well as the things that concern me.
Positives:
-Rooney goes through many real-life situations that are relatable for kids. They don’t sugarcoat the interactions between kids and they don’t always resolve perfectly, like real life.
-I love having a series focusing on women that have made an impact on Biblical history. My girls thought it was awesome to see a whole series for kids that was about women in the Bible.
-Each one of the “superpowers” are traits I absolutely want my children to have. I also like how some of the “superpowers” are different than you would expect, like patience and loyalty. I also like that the Bible stories, although paraphrased, stick to scripture.
Negatives:
-The most concerning part of this series is that the name of Jesus is never mentioned. Not once. The series builds to a point where Rooney seems to be having something like a conversion at the end of the last book, but nothing about Jesus is ever said. Rooney prays, “God, I’m ready” and then proceeds to say how she knows God has made her to be like each of the women highlighted and to use each “superpower.”
She then says, “Please show me how You want me to lead.” Earlier in the series, after seeing a Bible story, Rooney prays and says, “I know this power lives inside me too!” There is a huge, enormous, gaping piece of the puzzle missing. Actually, it feels like the puzzle is missing and they just have one piece. Rooney cannot be like these women and use their “superpowers” without Christ. She can’t be changed within without the work of the Holy Spirit. While all of these traits are noble and praiseworthy, they mean nothing without a love of Christ. What a missed opportunity by the author and what a misleading representation of how Christ works in someone’s life.
-On a smaller scale, Mari the angel, identifies herself as Rooney’s personal angel. While some might argue because of Matthew 18:10 that all believers have a guardian angel, I do not think this is something that scripture undoubtedly teaches and therefore do not wish to perpetuate this idea. Mari is also the size of a fairy, with wings and a halo. Why she is tiny, I am not sure, but it gives her an almost fairy-tale feeling instead of a biblical one. She is not a Biblical representation of an angel.
-A small thing, but when Rooney is watching one of the Bible stories in front of her, she stops and prays for Esther. I appreciate showing the importance of prayer but I found it odd that she would pray for something that had already happened.
I did reach out to the publisher and asked why they didn’t include Jesus and to clarify the scene that seemed like a conversion. They said they did not include Jesus in this series because they are Old Testament women. My concern is that if they aren’t seeing Jesus in the Old Testament, that’s a problem, but especially since they focused on a young girl and her journey with God and there is no mention of Jesus, that’s an even bigger problem.
Overall, while this series does have many wonderful and unique traits, because of the complete omission of Christ, it’s hard to get too excited about it.
Full 5 Book Set
