Heaven is for Real : : a Little Boy's Astounding Story of his Trip to Heaven and Back

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Inspiring Book submitted by clacroix on July 12, 2011, 4:09pm Heaven Is For Real is a very inspiring book that taugh me a lot about Heaven and the amazing faith of little children.

Heaven is for real: real touching submitted by kamoilanen on August 9, 2011, 8:58pm Always interested in other-worldly topics, I loved this book. I especially appreciated it as a parent who also has struggled with seeing my kids suffer and asking 'why'? I liked hearing how another parent (the author) tried to understand what his very young child experienced without putting words into his mouth. Amazing what this kid "sees'' on his brief visit to heaven. Quick read, too. Worth it!

life changing submitted by unknown on December 15, 2011, 10:48am This book may change your life

Believe submitted by RG Reader on July 4, 2012, 4:10pm If only we could all have the unquestionable faith of little children... We all need a little encouragement sometimes, and this book does that. I keep thinking about it. The author's (dad's) correlations of his son's statements with Bible verses was interesting and intriguing. If you don't believe in God, or heaven, or hell, read this book.

life changing submitted by unknown on July 5, 2012, 10:44pm This book will change the way you look at life

Out of the mouths of babes submitted by arr on August 6, 2013, 8:44pm Unbelievable story. A must read.

Thought-provoking submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on August 25, 2013, 11:05am A straightforward telling of a little boy's account of his trip to heaven.

Here's the thing. I'm willing to believe that this is the boy's true account of his true experience. I'm willing to believe that it supports his family's beliefs thoroughly. See, the night my dad's first wife died 300 miles away, she showed up at his bedside and talked to him. I believe that. A friend who had a liver transplant was greeted by two angels. I believe that, too. So why not believe this boy's account?

But it makes sense to me that what he experienced would be what he could understand, what his family could understand and hear, and what makes sense in his life, culture, and context. That doesn't mean it's the ONLY understanding of heaven and the afterlife. And the family doesn't claim that it is. But when the book has sold a million copies (so it says on the cover), I get concerned about how people are hearing the message.

I somehow doubt that a four year old Muslim child in the Middle East would have conniptions at people's funerals because he needs to know if they "know Jesus." And the boy's account of meeting Pop (his grandfather who died before he was born) sparks the family into telling unknown stories about Pop having "found Jesus" just two days before he died. Why can't he just be in heaven because he was a deeply good man who did right? And it's all well and good that there will be a fight against Satan and "the men will have swords and the women and children will be behind them," but let me tell you... if our children are threatened, almost every mother I know will be standing in the front line to defend them. 'Cause it's not like the men around us are somehow already proficient at sword-fighting, y'know? The boy in the story was given an experience that fits his family, community, and church, and I believe him. But I don't think it's the be all and end all of what comes next.

Preachy submitted by AprilCDB on June 19, 2015, 1:40pm I had a hard time reading this book, and not for the reason you might think. I felt like the book was a bit on the preachy side and I have a hard time believing that their son was never ever exposed to some of the things they claim he never was exposed to and yet miraculously described in detail to match the bibles depiction exactly. I agree with a previous comment that this isn’t the end all of what comes next and what he experienced is what he could understand within his own context of life. Having a young child myself, my child often tells me about things that I wonder how he knows about them because he's never been "exposed" to it, yet he knows exactly what Spiderman, Superman, and Sponge Bob Squarepants look like. Does that mean Spiderman, Superman, and Sponge Bob Squarepants really do exist or does it mean he's been exposed to it somewhere outside of his home and parents that we, his parents, are unaware of? Don't discount what a child may or may not have been exposed to that the parents may or may not be aware of.

Heaven Is For Real submitted by SBNB on June 30, 2015, 10:05pm Interesting book. Interesting story.

Wonderous submitted by chioma on June 18, 2016, 9:46am This book is truly amazing. You get to see life from the perspective of a child. I read this book in just an hours sitting, I could not put it down. It makes us really believe that to enter the kingdom of god that you have to be like a child. You get to hear about all the thing that Colton heard about. Like how all the angels have different colored sashes and all have halos above their heads. Or how heaven has so many rainbows, and god is really, really, really big. Or how the holy spirit is blue-ish, or how Jesus has the most beautiful eyes. This story really changes how you look at life. It changes your moral. This is a definite must read!

Excellent submitted by tshish on July 9, 2016, 10:16pm Great book to read and discuss with tween and teens.

Highly Enjoyable Book! submitted by Cherrytreelane on August 21, 2018, 10:55pm I really loved reading this book. Very real portrayal of the hardships the family went through, then the gradual revelations , with a child's simple manner and child's point of view from Colton of what he had experienced. I appreciated how the parents tried not to lead their son by their questions, and mentioned when they had slipped and led early on. I found it warm hearted and inspirational, both on a human level and on a faith level and am so glad that the family created a book and movie detailing their experiences.