Animal Religion

From the snake in the Garden of Eden to the lost sheep in Luke's parable, stories about fish and birds, rams and goats abound. We read about them, but they have no voice of their own. Here we allow the raven and the dove on Noah's ark, the big fish that swallowed Jonah, and the donkey on which Balaam rode, to be the narrators of their own stories, to inform us and help us to re-imagine our stories. We learn something about the intrinsic value of all living beings, and something about ourselves.

The Mynah bird longs to be special like the other animals, but he is just a dull black bird. A snake suggests that he would be more popular if he tried to be like more the other animals, and so the Mynah bird tries doing impressions.... This is a story about both the empowerment of identity and the bankruptcy of people-pleasing.

The dog enjoys a carefree start to life but soon finds himself being trained about good and bad behaviour. When he is sold, he finds that his new master is very different to the trainer... This is a story about both the power of grace overcoming the power of law and of true identity discovered.

This is the seventh of The Animal Parables series. Each tale features an animal who finds that things turn out to be quite different from how it imagined, and profound life lessons are learned along the way. These seven, life-affirming tales will delight young minds and leave adults moved to reflection. In this collection, Martin Day has rediscovered the power of the parable to layer deeper meanings under the skin of a simple narrative.

The Caterpillar sees eating as her only joy and purpose in life, but it becomes an addiction robbing her of her joy. A dragonfly heaps shame on, but a butterfly sees something deeper in her. This is a story about both the roots of shame in addiction and transformation though suffering.

The mackerel carries injuries and is angry and bitter. But these injuries never heal because blood-sucking lampreys are attracted to the wounds. When he is hooked by a fisherman he finds out how he can be free of the blood suckers.... This is a story about both the crippling nature of bitterness and the liberty in forgiving.

A dog says “bow, wow” in English and “hav, hav” in Hebrew. Whimsical animals in American and Israeli settings compare their varied noises and sounds. Listeners can explore which sounds are the same and which are different in droll depictions of animals in Israel and the United States. Basic Hebrew vocabulary, including animal names and sounds, are introduced. Iconic locations like Capitol Hill and Central Park in the United States, and the Dome of the Rock and the Sea of Galilee in Israel are featured in illustrations.

The crab has taken many knocks in his life and has developed protective armour. When he meets a transparent prawn, he sees a different way to live... This is a story about the self-protecting nature and false identity of the flesh.

This audiobook aims to nurture in children a love for God and for all his creation. There are many sources of instruction from God about the principles of life. Education is fun for little ones when it goes beyond the traditional classroom and textbooks. Children are invited to have an amazing outdoor experience by observing and taking notes from all kinds of wise animals, insects, fish, and birds from which they learn valuable lessons. By acknowledging the wisdom of animals, children can get an idea of God's intelligent design.