Eight at a Time
by Andrew Dittmer and Tanya Larina
About 12 months ago, I sat down with children’s author Andrew Dittmer who laid out a new book he had written. I was immediately captured by the concept and excited by its potential. I suggested a few ideas and referred him to Signs Publishing who could help him on the journey to publication.
Eight at a Time is a powerful story with increasing layers of complexity, conversation, thought and action that will capture children in age-appropriate ways as they grow. On a surface level, the book is about child octopi—Jack and Ruby—who get trapped by a domineering slave driver crab. They are forced to make bricks until they are rescued by a brave little seahorse who decided to not just be a bystander/observer, but to act and make a difference so that Jack and Ruby could continue to follow their dreams.
At the younger-child level, Eight at Time is a book about dreaming big dreams, resilience and never giving up on those dreams, but as you dig deeper, darker issues like bullying, coercion and corruption come to the surface. On a deeper level still, confronting issues like modern child slavery, exploitation and child prostitution come into focus for the older child reader.
Beautifully illustrated throughout by Tanya Larina, Eight at a Time is powerful because it takes on some of the significant issues of our day in an appropriate manner, providing a segue for parents to have a discussion with their children around some of these issues. There are also information QR codes encouraging families to act on that discussion and make an immediate difference by donating together to these worthy causes.
Eight at a Time is also powerful because it encourages children and families to enter into a story, encouraging questioning and discussion with parents and others around complex issues of justice, ethics, compassion, service and action. It then leaves families with a call to action to make a difference in their homes, schools, communities and in their world for the greater good of all. That together we really can “End it Now.”
Eight at a Time is available now from Adventist bookshops in Australia and New Zealand, or online.
Daron Pratt is the director of children’s ministries for the Greater Sydney Conference.
