Meet the Acehnese

Help your family embrace God’s love for the world by developing a habit of learning about other cultures. Read this story together to learn about and pray for the Acehnese (ah-chuh-NEEZ), an unreached people group in Indonesia.

Welcome to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia! Waves lick the feet of children playing with gray pebbles on the sandy beach. Pineapple trees with thick, crooked trunks line the shore. A red and blue fishing boat sways on the turquoise water. Men gather on the beach to sort large fish into big, plastic containers. Smoke from the grills of vendors roasting corn drifts into the nearby road.

The Acehnese live in the northwest part of Sumatra. As proud Muslims. they worship Allah and follow the teachings in their holy book, the Quran. Some Acehnese families mix Islamic beliefs with animism. They believe powerful spirits live in the forests, mouths of rivers, and banyan trees—spirits that could hurt them. Most Acehnese families have never met a Christian. The good news of Jesus hasn’t reached the Acehnese who live in the countryside along the coast. Do you see that girl playing in the creek while her mom does laundry?

Read the full article at Via Families.

The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

Brief overview: 

Chaya steals from wealthy people to give to those in need, but when she takes it a step too far she sends her friends on a treacherous adventure through the Sri Lankan jungle.

Recommended age range: 8-12

Strengths: 

• Story moves at a quick clip to keep readers engaged.
• Great way to learn about a different culture for young readers.
• Chaya is a compelling, intriguing, and likable character who makes kids want to trek alongside her.
• An entertaining narrative well-suited for fiction and enables middle-grade students to take a wild ride with a spunky character. 
• My 10-year-old son enjoyed reading this together because of how different Chaya and the storyline is from him/his life.

Additional Notes:

• Topics potentially worth unpacking with your child from this book: 
• Chaya steals from the rich to help the poor and this is held up as a good virtue throughout the book. She doesn't change her behavior even when there's no obvious need by the end. 
• Parents don't seem to play any role in being a place of wisdom and support in this story.
• The friends sometimes lie to try to protect others.
• While done in a kid-friendly way, political upheaval becomes key to the second half of the story.  
• I expected the elephant would be more central to the story.
• Author Nizrana Farook has more Sri Lankan-based adventures with different characters if you enjoy this one.

Overall rating: 7 (out of 10)