Book teaches God’s love is bigger than a whale

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This article was published 05/09/2023 (684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The story of Jonah and the whale has been around for hundreds of years but author and teacher Don Dewey hopes to bring its teachings to a wider audience of children with his first book.

Jonah: God’s Love is Bigger Than a Whale follows Jonah, a prophet who speaks on God’s behalf, as he deviates from God’s instructions on his way to Nineveh. In turn, Jonah is swallowed by a great fish or whale, getting stuck inside it for three days.

“During that time, he didn’t really have anything else to do, I can’t imagine, but pray and ask to be forgiven, so God gave him a second chance and he was spit out by the great fish. Then Jonah did what God wanted him to do in the first place.” said Dewey. “To me I think it’s that the Lord God is a God of second chances. I’m just thankful to be able to share the story with kids.”

Dewey started the writing process back in January 2022, collaborating with then-Niverville High School student Joel Harnett to illustrate the book. After being published in April, Dewey has sold close to 200 copies.

Dewey has always wanted to write a book, and chose to write a retelling of Jonah’s story because he often heard it growing up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His mom was always a big influence in his life.

“Listening to her most of the time kept me out of trouble,” Dewey said. “My mom… was a very solid Christian and loved my sister and I, and I just want to try to be an example of her legacy as well.”

After working as a teacher for 26 years, 12 of which he has taught at Stonybrook Middle School, writing a children’s book was a natural fit for Dewey.

Dewey hopes the book will also leave something behind for his three grandchildren, saying that they played a large part in his decision to write the book.

“I just wanted to kind of leave a legacy for them, that this is something important, having faith in God and wanting to pass that on to my grandchildren,” Dewey said. “(I hope) that they see that God is gracious and compassionate, that He loves us and He meets us where we’re at. I think anyone that would read it, I would just want them to go, ‘Oh, yeah, I am loved. It’s not just something my parents or grandparents tell me.’”

Dewey said he is happy with how his first book has been received and urges readers to keep their eye out for his next book in the works about Daniel in the lion’s den.