Eric Says Thanks by Dai Hankey – A Review
I’ve heard it said a few times recently that ‘gratitude is subversive’. I like that. It’s probably fair to say that, living amidst what has been deemed ‘Generation Me’, thankfulness can sometimes seem a bit of a rare find. The under-current of entitlement thinking hardly seems particularly conducive to gratitude.
That said, I once read a Buddhist who argued that gratitude was subversive because it taught us not to ask for more (and thus subverted the consumeristic norms of capitalism). Yet her point ended up being that gratitude’s positive ‘blessing’ was that it reinforced that we were sufficient in ourselves. I’m sure there’s something valuable in refuting the whole consumer thing, but that analysis also struck me as odd. It seems to me that gratitude is actually all about being dependent upon Another. As a Christian I believe that to be God, our Father in heaven, the giver of all good gifts. In that sense, we’re quite obviously not sufficient.
As one writer in the Bible puts it:
Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.
– 1 Chronicles 29 v 14
That’s all a long way round to saying that I think it’s brilliant to have children’s books that emphasise the importance of saying ‘thank you’, but that also, crucially, introduce us to the generous God from whom we have received every good thing we have.
And that’s exactly what we have in ‘Eric Says Thanks’, a new kids’ book by Welsh pastor and part-time rapper Dai Hankey.
In essence the story is a fun adventure, with inquisitive and chirpy Eric embarking on a quest to find out who’s to thank for the toast he enjoys for breakfast.
After asking his mum, she points him in the direction of the baker, so Eric heads off to visit him. However, the baker in turn suggests Eric thank the delivery driver, and this pattern continues as we get to meet a whole host of other cheery characters in this bread supply chain. Finally Eric visits the wise old farmer who suggests that actually Eric should be thanking God.
Dai’s rhyming prose is a delight to read aloud. If you’ve heard Dai speak or you follow him on Twitter, then you won’t be surprised to discover that plenty of Dai’s trademark ‘epic’s and ‘buzzing’s are found on Eric’s lips. Likewise, the illustrations by Xavier Bonet are fun and bright, with what I felt was an American 50’s retro feel to them.
Admittedly, our oldest daughter (2) is not quite in the intended age of the audience (3-7), yet she’s still enjoyed the story. And because she’s already becoming accustomed to our family rhythms, such as ‘giving thanks’, there’s that connection between the story and real life. In that sense the story is a great tool to embedding thankfulness in practice – rooted in the ultimate Giver. As Dai suggests in the book, you can take your kids on their own ‘Eric trail’ and think through all the different people to thank when you’re enjoying a meal together – not least God himself.
A minor thing is the size of the font, which does seem smaller than most of the children’s books lovingly scattered around our family room.
Eric Says Thanks is a really fun children’s book, with a simple but revolutionary message. Pick it up from its publisher here. And here’s Dai giving a read-through:
*****
Full disclosure: The publisher sent me a copy of the book for free, but I hope this is still a fair and honest review!
Hello, my name is Robin. Welcome to That Happy Certainty, where I write and collate on Christianity, culture, and ministry. I’m based in Barrow-in-Furness in South Cumbria, England, where I serve a church family called 
This book is great! It’s also a springboard for talking about two issues that are close to my heart – dependence and social justice. From time to time people tell me I’m very independent – I think this is intended as a compliment but I have taken to retorting “No I’m not! I am utterly dependent and so are you – independence is a delusion!”. People with disabilities have physical limitations which can be seen as rendering us dependent while other people are independent. Able bodied people are tempted to see disabled people as different, ‘they’ are not like me, ‘they’ need help. People with disabilities are tempted to find ways into the ‘independent’ club rather than owning our dependence and pointing out that actually that’s what makes us human, not sub-human!! Eric needs his Mum to toast his bread and give it to him. His Mum can do that bit for herself but she needs lots of other people to play their part or no one would be buzzing off an epic brekkie! Re social justice, Eric’s story brings into view all the people who provide for us. Do we respond to them in thankfulness or are we complicit in their exploitation, asking no questions beyond what is costs me in pounds, shillings and pence? Do we remember that the God who created and sustains us will ask of us an accounting for how we have treated others which surely includes those who provide our food and clothes?
Thanks for taking the time to reply Elizabeth. Those are two really important connections to gratitude that I’d not really spotted. I’ve heard a few people say that John Wyatt has been really good at making that point about how we’re made to be dependent on others. Have you come across him? The social justice point has huge ramifications that I admit I can find slightly overwhelming. How do you begin to put that into practice?
Yes, I heard John Wyatt speak at Keswick, he was excellent. I’ve also read his book ‘Matters of Life and Death’ which is also really good.
I like your question “How do you begin…..” because anything we do is just a beginning and it can seem like trying to turn the tide with an eggcup so that it’s tempting to just say it’s hopeless and not bother at all. Personally I try to make sure that I buy fair trade where possible, I try to avoid companies if I’m aware that concerns have been raised about the way they treat employees or suppliers – or at least the worst offenders, I imagine all the major supermarkets use their muscle to squeeze their suppliers but Tesco really do seem to be the worst so I don’t use them for my internet grocery shop. The ethical consumer website is helpful. I think supporting local businesses eg buying meat from the local butcher is a good thing to do if feasible for a number of reasons – it’s a good way to be involved in the local community, support local employment, reduce food miles and I would imagine that where smaller businesses are involved the balance of power between the people who make up the supply chain is likely to be more conducive to justice and fairness – particularly where everyone involved is local so that mistreatment would be more visible.