New children’s book shares Jesus through tale of carpenter who made wooden world

First-time author Lee-Ann Engelbrecht’s new children’s book titled Carl and the Carpenter: Forgiveness offers a new perspective that seeks to help children to better-understand who Jesus Christ is to them and how to relate better with Him.

Drawing from Jesus Christ’s true-life as a carpenter, the book is based in the fictional town of Oakfield that is populated by handcrafted wooden characters. It follows a group of young friends as they learn some valuable lessons on forgiveness and reconciliation from the Carpenter who crafted them.

“I’ve tried to describe the relationship between us and God in a way that is relatable to a child and also the parent that is reading the story to them,” said the Rustenburg-based author who is in her 20s.

Engelbrecht, who works as a full-time missionary at Bibles for Africa, and has a strong passion for ministry, began writing children’s stories as a hobby, which she later realised could be a great platform to teach children more about God.

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Inspiration to write Carl and the Carpenter: Forgiveness came almost immediately after this realisation.

“I prayed and got a revelation of God being like a carpenter who made a wooden world,” said Engelbrecht.

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“As a child Jesus was my best friend. He still is, but understanding that relationship as a child has helped me through every season of my life. I hope this book will help children to understand, that God isn’t somewhere hidden in the clouds, but that He is always there, waiting for them to visit Him,” she said.

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Carl and the Carpenter: Forgiveness will be available for pre-order on Amazon from November 15. It is the first in a series of Carl and the Carpenter stories that Engelbrecht plans to pen.