Better Ending and Other Short Stories for Boys and Girls, A

Caleb desperately wants a cat, but his mother is allergic to them. When a stray cat show ups at the house, Caleb can’t resist taking care of it—despite his mother’s sneezing! Hopes are dashed when Caleb’s father explains to him that he cannot expect God to always answer his prayers in the way he wants. Yet a surprising twist in the story makes Caleb eventually realize that “God does answer prayer, in His own time and in His own way.”

A Better Ending is a collection of short stories and poems that take place at home, in school, across the world, and in out own back yards. Each story has a theme that encourages readers to reflect on their own hearts and lives as the relate to God’s Word.

192 pages

“Children learn from stories that spark their imagination and help them see the world through other people’s eyes. In this delightful book by Doreen Tamminga, young readers will meet other children in situations that are both varied and close to every child’s experience. By entering into the characters’ thoughts in a way that is only possible through Scripture. Interspersed with uplifting poems based on God’s Word, the book abounds with words of comfort, encouragement, and trust in a God who is always near to help and ready to forgive.”

– Simonetta Carr, author the Christian Biographies for Young Readers Series

“Doreen Tamminga’s A Better Ending contains simple stories, short enough to accommodate young attention spans and describing situations real children deal with daily. Young readers will recognize these temptations and struggles and hopefully find encouragement for dealing with similar situations themselves.”

– Starr Meade, author of Give Them Truth: Teaching Eternal Truths to Young Minds

Table of Contents:

1. A Better Ending: “Small Steps”
2. A Higher Purpose: “Instruments of Praise”
3. Hand-Me-Down Dog: “A Child’s Walk with God”
4. The Red Geranium: “Let Them Come to Me”
5. When the Rains Came: “Just a Little Cloud”
6. Caiman and Camelids: “White as Snow”
7. The Ruins: “Heroes of the Faith”
8. Second Chances: “Blessings from Above”
9. French for Rachel: “Planned with Care”
10. The Swindler: “Tangled in Sin”
11. Patches’s Way: “The Saddest Sight to See”
12. Sweeter than Them All: “Today Is the Day”
13. Too Much Chatter: “Creatures of the Deep”
14. Surprised by Joy: “Happy Inside”
15. Two Are Better than One: “Closer than a Brother”
16. Wait for Me!: “To Serve His Way”
17. Missing!: “Jesus, Shepherd”
18. Ahead of the Storm: “My Feathered Friend”
19. A Break from Spring Break: “The Master’s Way”
20. Laughter in the Woods: “We Are Bears”
21. Someone Special: “The House of God”
22. Treasures and Daydreams: “What God Has Given Me”
23. Better than Sacrifice: “Be Holy”
24. Camping Woes and Wonders: “Two Words”
25. Hungry Inside: “Tell Me”