By Dr. Don Bierle, President, FaithSearch International
In my presentations and writing, I have often developed the argument of Intelligent Design as evidence for God’s hand in creation. I don’t usually have elementary students as my audience. Nor do I usually recommend apologetic materials for children. My readers more often are parents, grandparents, or those who have friends with kids. For them, I can’t resist mentioning these two books on biological design for this issue of the Happ-O-getics.
- Innovative Octopuses, Half-Brained Birds, and More Animals with Magnificent Minds, Christina Couch. (MIT Kids Press, 152 pp.)
- Wonders of the Ocean Realm, Tricia Goyer and Sherri Seligson. (Tyndale Kids, 164 pp.)
Both books are written for nine-to-twelve-year-old kids. (Adults can enjoy them too!) One book mentions “evolution” once, but it is not the focus – just fascinating design! A few examples may whet your appetite for reading more:
- How does the eastern gray squirrel remember (months later) where it stashed thousands of nuts and seeds? The squirrel’s memory center in its brain expands in size and develops mapping strategies for locating them.
- How does one Hawaiian bird sleep with half of its brain turned off and the other half still turned on? This is a magnificent design we don’t understand.
- How does the mimic octopus change skin texture and color to match each background? This is another wonder we don’t understand.
Along with believable stories about these real animals, the authors include reflection questions to stimulate deeper thinking. The reader is also encouraged to think about how God equipped him/her with unique qualities for serving Him. Both books will inspire thoughts about the power and creativity of God, as the Scripture does when it testifies about Him, “Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number” (Job 5:9).
Source: “Magnificent Wonders,” World Magazine, February 2025, p. 48.
