Angels in the Kitchen: One Hundred Pieces of Childhood Wisdom Book

Originally set up in 1876 in England by an Anglican clergyman's wife, The Mother's Union is now the largest voluntary women's organisation worldwide. It aims to support family life, the church and its million members who mostly reside in Africa, where the charity funds community-based projects and trains upworkers and teachers. It seems a pity, then, that this organisation's international emphasis is missing from Angels in the Kitchen, a compilation of childhood perspectives on church life by the editor of the Mother's Union magazine. The sub-title, One hundred pieces of childhood wisdom is perhaps misleading; the quotes are often more revealing about children's logic than wisdom--"Today we learned about Jesus turning water into wine, but I've forgotten how to do it."--but there are a few gems: "A child in my infant class was unimpressed by Mary and Joseph having nowhere to stay. It was their own fault, he decided, because 'my dad would have booked.'" Occasionally a theme is over-stretched and becomes flat, although many of the entries are amusing and some wonderful malapropisms are included: "The birds of the air have their nests but the Son of God has nowhere to lay his eggs." This book will appeal mostly to regular churchgoers who understand the basics of Christianity and the routine of church services. As one child summed it up, "Do they go to church or do they go to car boot sales?" --Susannah SteelRead More