The imagery and art work in this book is just beautiful. Colours, swirls, lines and emotions tell this story. Little girl Wren is disappointed and puts this into her art and pictures. The art work is a gift and a prayer to God offering Him her fears, and worries and nervousness about her life in a safe and colourful way. This is a lovely way to capture what troubles children and share it with God.

What a beautiful book. I was drawn in by the concept of “painting prayers”. A beautiful combination of expressing faith through art/play (which children need). I love the explication of the concept of disappointment, perfection not being the point, and expression of feelings. The beautiful relationship between grandparents and and grandchildren. The art concepts shown and exemplified (such as brush stroke differences). I would suggest this for ages 6+ but may abbreviate it and read it with 4 year olds.

This Christian picture book tells a story about a little girl who likes to paint with her grandmother and begins to open up about some things she's struggling with. Her grandmother helps her express herself and encourages her to take her feelings to God in prayer, explaining that even when we feel disappointed with God, God can always handle our difficult emotions.

The artwork in this book is beautiful and expressive, and the text is straightforward and simple, expressing complex ideas in a kid-friendly way. This book teaches an important message, and also shows how painting can be a therapeutic outlet and a metaphor for God's redemptive work. I would recommend this book to Christian families and churches, and it will also be a great resource for counselors to use with kids.

I think not only children need to read this, but adults also can read this in the moment of need. This story is short yet very heartwarming. Sometimes when we are in pain or in a situation that makes us sad or disappointed in God, we need something this simple to tell us that God is there to listen to our lament. It's easier for us to understand rather than read something long at the moment like that. I am very glad I picked this book and got reminded of something like this. Though we may not understand the why behind our pain, God promises that one day all things will be made beautiful again. It's just not finished yet.

Thank you, NetGalley and InterVarsity Press for providing me with this amazing ARC.

This book is a clever way to talk about our emotions and understand that we don’t see the whole picture that God is painting, he isn’t done yet and it might look messy but in the end it will be perfect and beautiful. It reminds me of the song “the Artist” by Sarah Sparks. My daughter , who is nearly 4, enjoyed listening to the story and liked the pictures, as did I. It made me want to go paint my feelings and do paint prayers. I love that it communicates to that we can go to God with all of our feelings and He isn’t afraid of them but can allow us to speak them and then remind us of His truth.

Sweet book. I love the idea that we can take everything to God in prayer. I think it's perfect for teaching kids to bring all kinds of emotions and experiences to God, not just the good ones and not just prayer requests. Sometimes I felt like I had to have it all together before I could approach God in prayer as a kid so this is a sweet reminder that He loves us, all of us, and all of the time! Thank you for an advance copy!

Not Finished Yet is a heartfelt children's book seeking to understand and explain the multitude of emotions we feel in a day, and how we can be honest with God about those feelings. As an artist, this book inspired me to look at my own heart and emotions, and how when they seem too big or scary for me, I can give them to God in prayer. I love the premise of this book and enjoyed the realistic illustrations.

What a great story about emotions we all face, how to express those, and how we may take our feelings to the Lord in prayer. I connected with the young girl as I recall facing those same difficult situations in school as well as the grandmother trying to help her sees God’s role in it all. So much theology packed into this book! The illustrations were also very well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All my opinions are my own.

Very beautiful book.
I think it's great for teaching children to accept their feeling and to share them, talk about them (either with God or parents/grandparents) instead of bottling them up, it shows how to safely express them (even in the author note).

I think this book will be a of good use for parents.

What a glorious book this is by the author of the lauded Sensible Shoes series. Wren, a character from her adult books, is a child spending time with her grandmother who paints. It’s core message is about bringing all your feelings to God in prayer and Wren’s grandmother helps her do this through the medium of painting, she paints what she feels. The illustrations in this book are sublime and I will definitely be buying it for all the children in my life!

Stunning pictures, starting already from the cover. I love how this book tactfully discussed accepting a variety of feelings through a very children-friendly representation!

This is a beautiful story about Wren and her way of speaking to God through paintings with her grandma. The message, artwork, and turning to God with our feelings whether that be sadness, disappointment, happiness, or anything in between is a wonderful message not only for children but every single person. I would highly recommend this sweet book for children and parents, as it opens the door for children to speak out on hard feelings and how to communicate with God.


Thank you Netgalley and InterVarsity Press for sending me a free advanced copy to honestly rate and review.

Not Finished Yet is a beautiful picture book about prayer and feelings. It is important for kids to learn that it’s okay to be disappointed and God can handle their disappointment. This is also a sweet story about a grandmother and her granddaughter’s close relationship. I highly recommend this story to anyone who loves a good picture book but especially to kids ages 5-8.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

What A Moving Book! 



This book actually brought out emotions that I wasn’t expecting. It took me back to a place as a child of 7. I would cry out to Jesus not knowing if he heard me but feeling comforted. When kids go through hard things books like these help them tremendously! I look forward to sharing this with my grand nieces/nephews and my future grandchildren.



Perfect to share with your kids, grandkids, Sunday School or Nursery at Church!



The illustrations are colorful and will give the kids much to talk about and enjoy.

It's wonderful that Sharon Garlough Brown has written a children's book. Wren, from her Sensible Shoes books, is a child spending time with her grandparents in regional Australia (this especially warmed my heart). Her grandmother paints and encourages Wren to join her.

What's especially lovely about this short book is that it emphasises that God listens to all our prayers and wants to hear all of our feelings, the good and not so good. It's a story that brings prayers of lament to the surface which is so wonderful and important for our children to discover. God welcomes us in our sadness, our fears, our anger and disappointment.

The book is beautifully illustrated and I expect the hardback will be gorgeous once it comes to print.

I feel very blessed to have received an early ebook copy of the book from IVP via Net Galley with no expectation of a positive review. I expect I'll buy the hardback when it releases and read it to my grandchildren.

I loved how this brings up the feelings of disappointment fear jealousy and rejection. Big emotions that young ones may not know how to deal with and express. How it talks about leaning into their faith.

I love the way the author shares a story about how messy life can be. The hope in this story is encouraging as the reader understands that God is always ready to listen. Painting pictures to use as prayers is a wonderful way to help children understand how to pray. We often get discouraged in life. It is important to remember even when we are discouraged God is with us. He continues to write his story as we each go on our journeys.

This is a lovely book for a child about how to bring the good and the bad things to God in prayer. She uses painting to remember her day and pray through the remembering. Her gran encourages her to express all her feelings - even the disappointment. A realistic but beautiful book about life, prayer and God. Lots of encouragement for children who are struggling, and a good springboard for conversation.

I am delighted that this author of Sensible Shoes has written a children's book! I've long loved this authors writing and adore this book too! I think this is a book adults as well as children will benefit from as they maybe read this to their littles. Sharon beautifully describes how its ok to be honest with God about all our feelings. As a matter of fact it shows we trust him and can be completely honest with him! The illustrations in this book are some of the best I've seen! I definitely loved and recommend this book for all ages!

This book is the sweetest! I love the illustrations. I also love Wren and Gran and how they talk about their feelings and paint their prayers. Beautiful story!