Rebus writing uses pictures or symbols to represent sounds or words, with examples that go back to the Middle Ages. Lewis Carroll and others in the 18th and 19th centuries wrote letters using rebus pictures.

Today, children getting ready to read often enjoy rebus stories, because once they know the word the picture represents, they can “read” the story aloud with you.

One of my almost-five-year-old grandson’s favorite Bible storybooks right now is Tracy Harrast’s PICTURE THAT! (Zondervan), with easy-to-read stories, rebus pictures, and a short takeaway thought at the end of each story. Solomon loves trying to sound out the words as well as reading the pictures!

My picture book JESUS LOVES YOU: A READ-THE-PICTURES BOOK (Standard Publishing) uses the rebus idea too, but this time with rhyme as an extra clue for figuring out what the pictures represent.

One of my biggest thrills as an author was hearing Kurt and Olivia Bruner’s then-four-year-old son recite the text of my book on a Focus on the Family radio broadcast. Using the pictures, he had memorized the whole thing!

The book was originally published by Standard under the HeritageBuilders brand from FOTF.

You can view a sample of the inside of my book here.

Can you guess which words in this stanza of the text are the rebus pictures?

Working a puzzle,

Drawing a star,

Raking the leaves,

Washing the car …

Whatever you’re doing,

This will be true:

Always, forever,

Jesus loves you.

DIANE