The Shepherd Loves You, Little Lamb is a picture book aimed at children age 0-7. The story ideally would be read to children by parents/caregivers who then could discuss the Biblical implications of the story. There is a "note to parents" after the story to help guide discussions.
The purpose of this text is to entertain the target audience. The story rhymes, aiding in language development. The story takes place as a sheep and lamb settle down to sleep for the night. The mother sheep is telling her lamb about the shepherd who cares for them. The sheep explains to her lamb that she isn’t afraid of the dark, getting lost, or anything harmful because she knows the shepherd will always looks after her and the lamb can trust that the shepherd will care for him, too.
The Biblical foundation of this story is John 10:14-5, where Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd:
"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep."
The text and images are designed to bring this metaphor of our relationship with Jesus to life in a way that is clear and easily discernible to the target audience. My desire is that children and adults reading this story will gain an understanding that just as the shepherd in the story cares for his sheep and the sheep trust him completely, we can trust Jesus to care for us in all areas of our lives because He loves us so much that He gave His life for us.
