About the Book
If Jesus Came to My School
Author: April Graney
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Release Date: June 10, 2025
In this beautifully illustrated picture book, a young girl learns how Jesus’s love can shine at school through her compassion, kindness, and inclusion. In this whimsical tale, a young girl imagines what it would be like if Jesus visited her school as a boy. She would show Jesus around her classroom, introduce her friends and teachers, listen to story time, and eat lunch together! But Jesus wouldn’t stop at learning and sitting in class. He’d invite the lonely to join in on games and find a way to love and get along with everyone. Soon the young girl realizes that even though Jesus doesn’t attend her school, he can live through her. Through rhyming text and vibrant illustrations, children will be inspired to make a difference in their schools through their actions. Because as they treat each other right and classes become families, Jesus truly will be in their school.
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MY THOUGHTS.....
This is a wonderful children's book! The beautiful illustrations easily capture a child's attention, the rhyming text is fun to read, and the length is just right for their short attention span. It's a perfect choice for parents, grandparents, Sunday school teachers, or youth leaders---what better way to introduce the joy that comes from knowing God's Son?
If Jesus Came to My School tells the sweet story of a little girl who imagines what it would be like to have Jesus at her school. A young Jesus who visits her classroom, meets all of her classmates, sees what she is learning, and even plays with her during recess! Author April Graney captures the joy of having this special little boy visit, but the real magic comes when the little girl realizes,
"But Jesus made a different plan---he wants to live through ME!"
If Jesus Came to My School is perfect for families to read together, but the simple text also makes it a great choice for beginner readers. I especially recommend reading it at the beginning of a new school year. What better way to encourage children to show love and kindness to their classmates and teachers?
I received a complimentary digital copy. There was no obligation for a positive review.My rating: 5 of 5 stars
About the Author
April Graney is a teacher at Cookson Hills, a children’s home and school for at-risk students in Oklahoma. She is the author of The Marvelous Maker: A Creation and Redemption Parable and the ECPA Christian Book Award finalist The Marvelous Mud House: A Story of Finding Fullness and Joy. A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, April loves studying and teaching the Bible. Her greatest joy has been raising five children with her husband Tom in their crazy, loud, happy house at New Life Ranch, a summer camp and retreat center where they have served for over twenty years.
More from April
When my husband, Tom, was in high school, a classmate leaned over and casually asked, “Hey, would you like to go to church with me sometime?” Tom wasn’t opposed to church. He’d just never been invited before. This invitation got him to a place where he began hearing the gospel. Finally, at a youth rally, my future husband tearfully repented of his sins and trusted in Jesus’ death on the cross for his salvation. He walked down to the center of that arena, with hundreds of others who had done the same. I’m incredibly thankful for his classmate who had the courage at school to ask his friend to come to church, something which changed the entire trajectory of his life.
Our nation’s schools are filled with kids who need to hear the gospel. After encountering the woman at the well, Jesus told his disciples in John 4:35, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” I believe this could be said of our schools today. There are nearly 60 million school age children in the United States. The Barna Group reports that nearly half of all public educators are practicing Christians, and 86 percent of Christian families send their children to public school. Christians are in public schools. I hope to support and equip them, by providing tools for them to teach their children about Jesus, the gospel, and his love. I hope to help families to see the fertile soil of our nation’s schools, and be faithful to shine the light and love of Jesus in our schools. They are ripe for harvest.
When school children encounter the love of Jesus, they become places where kindness, love and respect can flourish. With the divisiveness in our nation, it’s so important to teach our children how to treat each other with kindness, inclusion and understanding. We can teach our children that everyone is created and cherished by God. We can help reduce bullying in schools when children celebrate their differences and stand up for each other. Our schools would be places of impact for the individual and the school community. These are the truths that I hoped to communicate in If Jesus Came to My School, and I hope that readers will take these lessons to heart and make a difference in the world!
Blog Stops
Happily Managing a Household of Boys , June 21
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 22
Artistic Nobody, June 23
Library Lady’s Kids Lit, June 24
Labor Not in Vain, June 25
Cover Lover Book Review, June 26
Guild Master, June 27 (Author Interview)
May Hake, June 27
A Reader’s Brain , June 28 (Author Interview)
Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, June 28
Older & Smarter?, June 29
Texas Book-aholic, June 30
Vicky Sluiter, July 1
Fiction Book Lover, July 2 (Author Interview)
For Him and My Family, July 3
Jodie Wolfe, July 4
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, April is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
