Engage Them Early: Nate-Nate and Maxie Dog

Stories are important for our society for a number of reasons. They help transmit information, they entertain, and, most importantly, they help to give us context for the life around us.

As Christians, we read and think on stories all the time. Stories of Adam and Eve, David and Goliath, Jesus and the Apostles fill our minds and hearts. They give us connection to our past and help inform our choices for the future.

I’ve always enjoyed stories. Some of my earliest memories are of my mother reading me stories before bed and reading Thor comic books with my dad. It’s a tradition we carried on with our boys until they were old enough to read on their own. (They still ask to be read to and we happily comply – it’s a sweet time for all of us.)

I just finished a book I wish I’d had when our boys were younger: The Treehouse Adventures of Nate-Nate & Maxie Dog.

This sweet, short book for kids tells the story of Gideon through the imagination of a young boy and his dog. Think of it as a cross between ‘The Magic Tree House” (which my boys loved) and a really good Sunday School class.

I love the idea of this book and the result is a fun read that will help teach your young children life lessons from the Bible. It’s definitely meant to be read out loud and the accompanying illustrations will catch your child’s eye.

We need more books like Nate-Nate and Maxie Dog. It takes an important story and makes it interesting and entertaining to our children. I hope S. Otwell will continue the work and help share more of these stories soon. Enjoy!