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During my thirty-two year teaching career I sometimes came in contact with students who were transient. It always amazed me how many of these children were able to adapt to what often amounted to a quickly changing home situation. I was inspired to write Run, Jeremiah Run! after witnessing a second grader who ran throughout the building every day for the short time he was in attendance. I once looked over his shoulder when he was sitting down and was in awe of his artistic talent. He was drawing superheroes. He made me wonder what made him run.
Reviewed by Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite
We are all different. When you meet others, are you interested in getting to know them, or do you shun them because of their differences? In Run, Jeremiah Run! The Also Rans Series by Mabel Elizabeth Singletary, children will learn about hope, inspiration, and challenges that only faith in God can change. Jeremiah is like your average rambunctious child, but with one difference - he can't seem to find a stable home. Ever since his Grandma Joanie died, he's been shuffled around and has been in and out of several foster homes. Jeremiah doesn't know why he constantly gets into trouble; all he knows is that he wants to feel free like the birds. He loves running and can't seem to sit still. On one of his most frequent stints back to the foster home, Jeremiah gets to temporarily live with his social worker, Mrs. Kennedy, Mr. Kennedy and their son, P.J. Could it be fate that he's here again?
Mabel Elizabeth Singletary does a great job in bringing the challenges that foster kids experience to the forefront. Children within the foster care system go through many changes and, unfortunately, they just can't be kids. Foster children have to instead create a persona of obedience and toe the line, unlike other kids that are born into a family. In this book, seeing life from another side, the child’s side, is important. To see and understand what Jeremiah is feeling, seeing and thinking is a great start in connecting with a foster child. “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:20 (KJV). It was Jeremiah’s mustard seed of faith and the voice of Grandma Joanie that turned things around for him. What God wants from us is that we trust Him, despite what we see. Go out there, run, and finish your race.
