A must have book for every Christian book nook.

In 'Not Finished Yet' 'trusting God with all my feelings' Wren is at her grandmother's studio. Together they're painting their feelings. As Wren is looking at her canvas she is struggling with disappointment.

The response of grandma is so calming, nurturing, inquisitive and curious at the same time.

The Grandma in this story reflects God's love with the utmost patience.

This book really holds up a mirror to how often I am tempted to mask my real feelings (because I often feel that my true feelings are not wanted at the moment they arrive).

How liberating is the message in this book, that God sees each of your feelings, pays attention to them and wants to take time for them. Without wanting to change them.

In the story, Wren's Grandma pays attention to Wren's emotions without wanting to change or transform them. Just the way they are.

The illustrations in the book have a pointillist atmosphere, which makes you want to paint yourself. You see a number of paintings by 'van Gogh' in the book, this picture book is a reference to the adult book series 'shades of light' that Sharon Garlough Brown wrote.

I would recommend this read for every child and adult.

Big thanks to InterVarsity Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

Very good meaning to the book and great story for others but not for my daughter and I. Also I did not care for the artwork with this book.

This is a wonderful children’s book that teaches children that it is okay to be upset with yourself, the world and Jesus. But to keep pushing forward and keep looking ahead because today is not the end! And to Always be proud of your work!

4.5 stars.
I LOVE IT. I adore it.
This is a Christian book for children that somehow touched me as an adult.
The message of the gospel does not limited by ages and forms.
This book inspired me to paint, to talk to God. To be honest with God because well, there is nothing to hide anyway since He knows everything already :)
-0,5 solely because the illustration was not really up my alley.

This is a beautifully written and illustrated book teaching children how to deal with all their emotions. Highly recommend!!!

The imagery and art work in this book is just beautiful. Colours, swirls, lines and emotions tell this story. Little girl Wren is disappointed and puts this into her art and pictures. The art work is a gift and a prayer to God offering Him her fears, and worries and nervousness about her life in a safe and colourful way. This is a lovely way to capture what troubles children and share it with God.

What a beautiful book. I was drawn in by the concept of “painting prayers”. A beautiful combination of expressing faith through art/play (which children need). I love the explication of the concept of disappointment, perfection not being the point, and expression of feelings. The beautiful relationship between grandparents and and grandchildren. The art concepts shown and exemplified (such as brush stroke differences). I would suggest this for ages 6+ but may abbreviate it and read it with 4 year olds.

This Christian picture book tells a story about a little girl who likes to paint with her grandmother and begins to open up about some things she's struggling with. Her grandmother helps her express herself and encourages her to take her feelings to God in prayer, explaining that even when we feel disappointed with God, God can always handle our difficult emotions.

The artwork in this book is beautiful and expressive, and the text is straightforward and simple, expressing complex ideas in a kid-friendly way. This book teaches an important message, and also shows how painting can be a therapeutic outlet and a metaphor for God's redemptive work. I would recommend this book to Christian families and churches, and it will also be a great resource for counselors to use with kids.

I think not only children need to read this, but adults also can read this in the moment of need. This story is short yet very heartwarming. Sometimes when we are in pain or in a situation that makes us sad or disappointed in God, we need something this simple to tell us that God is there to listen to our lament. It's easier for us to understand rather than read something long at the moment like that. I am very glad I picked this book and got reminded of something like this. Though we may not understand the why behind our pain, God promises that one day all things will be made beautiful again. It's just not finished yet.

Thank you, NetGalley and InterVarsity Press for providing me with this amazing ARC.

This book is a clever way to talk about our emotions and understand that we don’t see the whole picture that God is painting, he isn’t done yet and it might look messy but in the end it will be perfect and beautiful. It reminds me of the song “the Artist” by Sarah Sparks. My daughter , who is nearly 4, enjoyed listening to the story and liked the pictures, as did I. It made me want to go paint my feelings and do paint prayers. I love that it communicates to that we can go to God with all of our feelings and He isn’t afraid of them but can allow us to speak them and then remind us of His truth.

Sweet book. I love the idea that we can take everything to God in prayer. I think it's perfect for teaching kids to bring all kinds of emotions and experiences to God, not just the good ones and not just prayer requests. Sometimes I felt like I had to have it all together before I could approach God in prayer as a kid so this is a sweet reminder that He loves us, all of us, and all of the time! Thank you for an advance copy!

Not Finished Yet is a heartfelt children's book seeking to understand and explain the multitude of emotions we feel in a day, and how we can be honest with God about those feelings. As an artist, this book inspired me to look at my own heart and emotions, and how when they seem too big or scary for me, I can give them to God in prayer. I love the premise of this book and enjoyed the realistic illustrations.

What a great story about emotions we all face, how to express those, and how we may take our feelings to the Lord in prayer. I connected with the young girl as I recall facing those same difficult situations in school as well as the grandmother trying to help her sees God’s role in it all. So much theology packed into this book! The illustrations were also very well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All my opinions are my own.

Very beautiful book.
I think it's great for teaching children to accept their feeling and to share them, talk about them (either with God or parents/grandparents) instead of bottling them up, it shows how to safely express them (even in the author note).

I think this book will be a of good use for parents.

What a glorious book this is by the author of the lauded Sensible Shoes series. Wren, a character from her adult books, is a child spending time with her grandmother who paints. It’s core message is about bringing all your feelings to God in prayer and Wren’s grandmother helps her do this through the medium of painting, she paints what she feels. The illustrations in this book are sublime and I will definitely be buying it for all the children in my life!

Stunning pictures, starting already from the cover. I love how this book tactfully discussed accepting a variety of feelings through a very children-friendly representation!

Not Finished Yet is a beautiful picture book about prayer and feelings. It is important for kids to learn that it’s okay to be disappointed and God can handle their disappointment. This is also a sweet story about a grandmother and her granddaughter’s close relationship. I highly recommend this story to anyone who loves a good picture book but especially to kids ages 5-8.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

What A Moving Book! 



This book actually brought out emotions that I wasn’t expecting. It took me back to a place as a child of 7. I would cry out to Jesus not knowing if he heard me but feeling comforted. When kids go through hard things books like these help them tremendously! I look forward to sharing this with my grand nieces/nephews and my future grandchildren.



Perfect to share with your kids, grandkids, Sunday School or Nursery at Church!



The illustrations are colorful and will give the kids much to talk about and enjoy.

It's wonderful that Sharon Garlough Brown has written a children's book. Wren, from her Sensible Shoes books, is a child spending time with her grandparents in regional Australia (this especially warmed my heart). Her grandmother paints and encourages Wren to join her.

What's especially lovely about this short book is that it emphasises that God listens to all our prayers and wants to hear all of our feelings, the good and not so good. It's a story that brings prayers of lament to the surface which is so wonderful and important for our children to discover. God welcomes us in our sadness, our fears, our anger and disappointment.

The book is beautifully illustrated and I expect the hardback will be gorgeous once it comes to print.

I feel very blessed to have received an early ebook copy of the book from IVP via Net Galley with no expectation of a positive review. I expect I'll buy the hardback when it releases and read it to my grandchildren.

I loved how this brings up the feelings of disappointment fear jealousy and rejection. Big emotions that young ones may not know how to deal with and express. How it talks about leaning into their faith.