The Lying King

Publisher's Description of The Lying King:Can warthogs fly? Do tigers eat broccoli?

For answers, follow along as Warthog lies his way to the throne in this timeless, yet most timely, Tale from the Watering Hole.

Will the Truth catch up with the king?

Find out as Alex Beard’s whimsical animals come to life to illuminate real world truths for children of all ages. With a nod to Aesop and Kipling, this funny and pointed parable has lessons for everyone, from the playground to the boardroom and beyond!

My Review:
 Politics and children's books, not two things that I would expect to go together.  Yet Alex Beard, in The Lying King, weaves a story of a warthog that rises to power through a series lies and the (supposed) inevitable outcome of such actions.

While this tales is definitely a nod to Aesop and/or Kipling in its style, I found it a bit disturbing.  While I can't lay my finger on what exactly unnerves me about the story, I can say that the plot seems to be written more for adults than children.  While the illustrations are engaging and the rhyming prose keeps us turning the pages, the story just feels off to me.

I will say that Beard's tale is a cautionary tale of choosing to look the other way when faced with overt lies.  Children may be able to glean the notion that lying is bad from this fable, but in the end, it isn't one I would put on our bookshelf.

review: My Holy Bible for Girls, Journal Edition

Publisher's Information:

The NIV Holy Bible for Girls, Journal Edition is the perfect way to apply Scripture to your everyday life. Designed with the thoughtful writer in mind, a whimsical cover and journaling lines inspire reflection in God’s Word. This Bible contains the full text of the bestselling New International Version (NIV) translation.

Features include:

• Lines on each page for journaling and notes
• Thick paper perfect for any writing utensil
• A presentation page for gift giving
• A “How to Use This Bible” page to get started on the right foot
• Ribbon marker
• The complete text of the bestselling New International Version (NIV)

My Review:

I have an artistic inclined 8 year old.  She has begun to notice that sometimes I write notes in the margins of my bible, illustrate my personal study journal and has requested to do so in her own Bible.  Honestly, I was hesitant to allow her to do so in her regular Bible for fear that her notes and doodles would make it difficult for her to read the text.  This solves that problem for me.

While I have looked at (ok drooled over) several different journaling and coloring Bibles, this is the first one that I have owned, and I now think I might invest in one for me as well.  There is ample room for notes or doodling on each page.

This is the NIV edition, which I believe is the only translation this Bible is available in.  I won't use this review to discuss the translation, as that is personal preference.  What I will say is that the text size was easy to read for both my 8 year old and myself.  Although smaller than many children's Bibles that I have encountered, it appeared slightly larger than most compact Bibles I own. 

Despite the fact that the margins are extra wide to allow you space to record your thoughts, this Bible isn't that much wider than your typical hardback Bible, although it is thicker.  And while this will not be the Bible my daughter carries to and from church (we use the NIrV in our children's church program) its size and weight wouldn't make it difficult to transport.  Although I think many would chose to keep it for more of a personal reflection Bible.

It doesn't include any study notes or footnotes, sticking only to the actual text.  For us that allows us to let the Spirit speak to us as we read rather than getting lost in the thoughts and opinions of others as to what a passage means.  We do have and use study Bibles, but it is nice to be able to sit down and just meditate on His word, without distractions. 

And while there is currently only the NIV translation available from Zondervan, the cover is beautiful and attractive and you have a choice of 4 different designs:

purple

Turquoise

Pink

Mint


Aren't they pretty?!?!  I also love that they include an elastic band attached to the Bible to keep it closed when not in use as well as a ribbon bookmark to save your spot while reading. 

And when I found these coloring sheets that you can cut out and they fit perfectly in the journal section my daughter absolutely fell in love! This is now her favorite Bible.

Larger than Life Lara

Larger-Thank-Life Lara by Dandi Daley Mackall

This isn’t about me. This story, I mean. So already you got a reason to hang it up. At least that’s what Mrs. Smith, our English teacher, says.

But the story is about ten-year-old Laney Grafton and the new girl in her class—Lara Phelps, whom everyone bullies from the minute she shows up. Laney is just relieved to have someone else as a target of bullying. But instead of acting the way a bullied kid normally acts, this new girl returns kindness for a meanness that intensifies . . . until nobody remains unchanged, not even the reader.

In a unique and multi-layered story, with equal parts humor and angst, Laney communicates the art of storytelling as it happens, with chapter headings, such as: Character, Setting, Conflict, Rising Action, Climax. And she weaves an unforgettable tale of a new girl who transforms an entire class and, in the process, reveals the best and worst in all of us.

My Review

Let me start by being totally upfront, this book is now required reading in my homeschool.  As a matter of fact, I am using it in a Creative Writing class that I teach in my local co-op as well.  It is THAT good!

Let me start with what I love.  Chapter titles like: Character, The Beginning, Villain, Setting, Dialogue, Conflict, Twist, Rising Action, Climax, and Resolution.  Not only is this a great, character building story, but it walks the reader through all of the key elements of a story and explains them from the point of view of a ten year old.  Not only that, it includes great examples of active learning as well.  For example, when Laney's teacher had them look up "suspense," she didn't understand the definition so she looked up the word "apprehension" that was in the definition, which made her look up another word until she finally understood the definition.  Way to go, Laney!

I like that this story addresses bullying without glossing it over.  Lara never makes a friend in this book.  Even Laney stays a few steps back, afraid of how others will react should she befriend Lara, despite the help Lara provides her in the story and Laney's growing respect for her.  Children this age can be very cruel and unthinking when a peer is different-especially different in a way that isn't socially acceptable.  Mackall makes sure that comes through.  It conjured up memories of my own childhood, and experiences my children shared with me during their elementary public school years.

There is a LOT of good in this story, but admittedly, there are things I did not like as well.  First was Lara's character.  This is a 300 pound 10 year old that somehow manages to keep a smile on her face and rather than respond in anger or display her hurt feelings when she is bullied or done wrong, she responds in verse.  Yep, poetry.  For example, when a boy in class passes a note to her comparing her to a pig (with the pig coming out the better of the two in his opinion), not only does Lara choose to keep the note from the teacher, who knows it is an unkind note, but she breaks out in verse.  

Hey, Joey Gilbert, thanks for the note.
In a class clown election, you'd get my vote.
I watched you pitch, and I think you're great.
But you'll get more power if you arm is straight.

I have a hard time imagining a 10 year old being mature enough to not only compose herself enough to thank someone for a cruel not, but to also offer constructive advice on his baseball pitching!  While I understand the purpose, teaching children to rise above bullying and be the better person, I just don't think it is realistic.

My final point contains a spoiler, so stop here if you are planning to read the book and hate spoilers.

The bullying gets so bad that Lara's parents decide to pull her out of school.  The class planned and/or participated in a horrible "joke" along the lines of Carrie without the blood.  And as bad as it was, Lara still refuses to name her tormentors.  On the day she arrives to collect her things, as she is leaving, the class children suddenly come to an epiphany that Lara is a wonderful person for covering for them and create rhyming signs to hold up as she drives away proclaiming their repentance.

DOING THAT WAS A MEAN ATTACK.

IF I COULD I'D TAKE IT BACK.

WE WERE STUPID AND WE WERE MEAN.

YOU WERE THE NICEST PERSON THAT WE HAVE EVER SEEN.

And so on.  While it would be wonderful if a bully actually did repent of his/her misdeeds, this scene is so very unlikely.  Lara sees the signs, she smiles and drives off.  The End.  

And while I may not have liked the end, or how Lara was portrayed, it opens up a door for communication, provides an opportunity to talk about how to respond to bullying and whether bullies are still "good" people.  And that makes this a good book in my opinion.  And THAT is why it is now required reading in my house....

Celebrate Easter review

The Beginner's Bible Come Celebrate Easter Sticker and Activity Book Description:

The Easter story comes to life through age-appropriate puzzles, activity pages, and stickers in this friendly and fun The Beginner's Bible Come Celebrate Easter Sticker and Activity Book featuring classic art and simply written content from The Beginner's Bible.

My Review:

Marketed for children ages 4-8, this is a great way to talk about the Easter story with you child.  My 6 year old daughter loved being able to add stickers to scenes, spot differences between pictures, and solve the codes.  I felt like some of the activities were very young for her (trace the word RAN, dot-to-dot puzzle was very simple and only went to 12) but she didn't seem to mind.  With a price tag of less than $5 this would be great to add to a quiet bag for church or to add to an Easter basket.

a Father's Love review

A Father's Love (I Can Read! / Adventure Bible) Description:

A Father’s Love is a level two I Can Read! based on the NIV Adventure Bible. In it, young readers learn about how great a father’s love can be for his child. At this read-alone level, newly independent readers follow a young man who decides to go out on his own, with his inheritance. He wastes his money and makes bad choices but eventually realizes that home and family are more important than anything. When he goes home to make amends, his father welcomes his son home with open arms and joy.

Written for the newly independent reader, vocabulary and content is at a more advanced reading level, making this series appropriate for children almost ready for their first chapter books.


This I Can Read! series of Bible stories makes use of the unique features found in the NIV Adventure Bible such as “People in Bible Times” and “Words to Treasure”.

My Review:

As a fan of the NIV Adventure Bible I was eager to take a peak at this book.  It is my first expose to an I Can Read book based upon a Bible story and after going through this, I doubt it will be my last.

My youngest is probably at a level 1, simple sentences for eager new readers according to the back of the book, yet she was able to read this book with some help from mom or dad.  There were about 20-25 words per page and the words were spaced well to make reading easy.  The illustrations by David Miles fill the entire page, including the area where the words are written on some of the pages.  I was worried that this might be a distraction but my princess managed without a problem.

I liked that it included a key Bible verse at the end (Luke 15:32) and I especially liked the "words to treasure" section which helps to the reader on God's plan.  I do wish that the story had included the Bible reference for the story since the story is written with developing readers in mind.  This to me indicates independent readers and I am big on referring them back to the actual Bible text whenever possible.

That being said, I found that the story remained true to the Biblical account, and was written in an engaging way.  I like that this is a way to get God's stories in the hands of a child without handing them the complete Bible, which would definitely overwhelm young readers.

Get to Know King David review

Get to Know King David Description:

A shepherd and a king, David lived an adventurous life. He protected his family’s sheep from lions and bears. He fought a giant with just a sling and stone. He even spent years hiding from men who were trying to kill him. And eventually, David became a great king. But David was also a man of God. Learn more about this hero from the Bible and his exciting place in history. Discover what it was like to grow up in ancient Israel and then be a king of God’s people. King David - part of the Get to Know series - will teach you everything you need to know about an imperfect young man whom God used to do great things!

My Review:

I love that Sanders begins by explaining that David is not a myth, or a story, but was a real, live person-and gives evidence to prove it.  So many children grow up hearing the Bible stories but mentally place them in the same category as Greek mythology or tall tales.  I also like that she states, point blank, "the Bible is a reliable historic document".

Sanders account of David draws from various sources, The Bible (of course) as well as The Works of Flavius Josephus, various archaeological texts, and texts concerning the manners and customs that prevailed during those times.  She is careful to note areas that are supposition (i.e. "What did David think about and do all day when he was watching his father's sheep?  We don't know for sure. But......" p. 19) which is a huge plus in my book.  She also includes references to specific Bible verses to allow the reader to read for him/herself.

This book includes the same great additions I mentioned in my review of Get to Know Apostle Paul, such as Did You Know?, Bible Hero, definitions included on the same page as the word was used, maps and full color pictures.  I also enjoyed the Student Resources section at the end that included several suggested books for those who want to dig a little deeper.

While this book is being marketed to upper elementary students, I found the information and the visual layout appealing as an adult and my 14 and 16 year old children did too.  Definitely a great addition to your Christian library!

Look for my review of Get to Know Jesus in the near future.

Nancy Sanders currently has four books in the series.  Check them out below:

Get to Know Apostle Paul review

Apostle Paul (Get to Know) Description:

Apostle Paul—part of the Get to Know series—is a unique biography about Paul. Focusing on the life and character of this Biblical hero, using color photographs, maps, and other visual resources to tell the whole story, young biography fans will come to learn more about this man of the God, his writings, his impact on the early church, and the role he plays in history.

Featuring a bibliography and scriptural references throughout, this is sure to become a favorite for young readers and for first book reports.

My Review:

Written for ages 6-10 by the author of many of the Imagination Station Series from Adventures in Odyssey, this is a title that you will want to add to your bookshelf.  Not only does it give an account of who Paul was and what he did, but it is chock full of extras like the "hero" notations of other people such as Ananias, Barnabas, and Amos.  Or the "did you know" sections full of interesting tidbits.

The photographs help the reader to really picture what things may have been like during Paul's time, the maps help us to keep all his travels organized, and the artwork opens a door for some great conversations. (What do you think Paul may have looked like?  How do you envision the scales falling from his eyes? etc)
There were few minor things that rang as wrong with me, such as, "Jesus taught that the traditions of the Jews were not as important as the Scriptures said." on pg. 27.  I never read anything in Scripture that said traditions were important, and such a statement comes across as Jesus contradicting Scripture which was not the case.  Still, they were very minor and probably wouldn't even come to a child's attention.

I look forward to reading the rest in the series and adding them to my child's library.

NIV Adventure Bible Review

Adventure Bible for Early Readers, NIrV Description:

Ready for Adventure?
The Adventure Bible for Early Readers takes you on a fun, exciting journey through God’s Word. Along the way you’ll meet all types of people, see all sorts of places, and learn all kinds of things about the Bible. Most importantly, you’ll grow closer in your relationship with God.

Here’s a quick tour through the features:
Life in Bible Times - Articles and illustrations describe what life was like in ancient days
People in Bible Times - Articles offer close-up looks at amazing people of the Bible
Let’s Live It! - Hands-on activities help you apply biblical truths to your life
Did You Know? - Interesting facts help you understand God's Word
Words to Treasure - Great verses to memorize
Twenty special pages - Games and other Bible fun, all with a jungle safari theme
Book introductions, a dictionary, and color maps


Includes the complete New International Reader’s Version (NIrV), perfect for children learning to read and explore the Bible for the first time on their own.

My Review:

I admit, I like the NIrV translation for my youngest daughter.  It draws from the NIV version, which is one of many literal translations of the Bible.  (For more on literal translations visit here.)  This means that the NIV text is a word for word translation of the original Greek and Hebrew texts with the intent of conveying the literal meanings rather than attempting to capture and interpret the thoughts and meanings that the original texts were attempting to convey.  The NIrV takes the NIV text and uses smaller words, even including definitions of more difficult words within the text, shorter sentences, and they broke the chapters up into smaller sections in order to assist young readers.  (Click here to read more about the adaptations of the NIrV.)

More than just an easier to read text, this Bible is colorful and engaging.  Each page is colorful, with either colored chapter numbers, section headings, text boxes, or illustrations.  The Bible is full of "Did You Know?" titbits, "Words to Treasure" memory verse suggestions, and "Live It" ideas.  I like that the pages, while thinner than a typical child's story book, are not tissue paper thin as most bibles are.  I love that the words are spaced in such a way that a new, independent reader can easily read them without getting lost in lines spaced to close together.

I love the book introductions that include who wrote the book, why it was written, what we can learn about God in the book, important people, when and where it happened and the stories included in the book.  But what I like best is the my daughter loves having and reading her very first "real" Bible.  This is a great was to transition from Bible story books to the true word of God.

Don't Dangle Your Participle Review

Don't Dangle Your Participle Description:

Words and pictures show children what a dangling participle is all about. Young readers are shown an incorrect sentence that has in it a dangling participle. They are then taught how to make the sentence read correctly. It is done in a cute and humorous way. The dangling participle loses its way and the children learns how to help it find its way back to the correct spot in the sentence. This is followed by some comical examples of sentences with dangling participles and their funny illustrations, followed by an illustration of the corrected sentence. Young readers will have fun recognizing this problem in sentence construction and learning how to fix it.

My Review:

I wish all of the grammar rules were taught in such an appealing manner!  Seriously, where was this book when I was in school?  Oelschlager does an excellent job of explaining not only what a participle is, (an adjective ending in -ing and occasionally -ed) but she explains what it means to "dangle" those participles as well.  And just to be sure that the reader understands why this is important, she includes several humorous illustrations such as this:

My 5 year old enjoyed the story, my 14 year old "got" the story.  For the first time she really understood the concept of a dangling participle.  That makes this book a success in my opinion!

I plan to add some of her other books to my Language Arts library such as:
Life is a Bowl Full of Cherries 
Out of the Blue: A book of color idioms and silly pictures
Eye to Eye: A Book of Body Part Idioms and Silly Pictures
all of which discuss idioms.

My Bedtime Story Bible

My Bedtime Story Bible by Jean E. Syswerda

Description:

My Bedtime Story Bible focuses not only on biblical characters and stories, but also on the quiet times of those characters before sleep. Parents will enjoy reading My Bedtime Bible Story to their children just before bed. And children will enjoy hearing stories about bible characters and the truths they can learn from them---all in a manner that promotes quiet, settled moments rather than noisy, busy times.

My Review:

If you are looking for a story Bible that accurately relays the story of the Bible, this isn't it.  Not that it is inaccurate, it just doesn't focus on the stories.  Rather it focuses on the characters, such as Daniel, Adam and Eve, Noah, Joshua etc.  21 of the 28 tales are Old Testament with the remaining 7 being New Testament.

Even though the stories each focus on a particular character, it isn't as much about what they did, but about their fictional bedtime routine.  For example, the story on Nehemiah is 3 paragraphs long.  In the first paragraph it tells a party to celebrate the completion of the wall around Jerusalem.  In the second paragraph Nehemiah is looking out his window at night and contemplating the beauty of the wall, the efforts that were made to rebuild it, and that God would bless the people if they obeyed Him.  The final paragraph focuses on Nehemiah getting ready for bed - he was tired, he thanked God for the day and His help, and then goes to sleep.  Each story ends with, "Good night, (the name of the primary person in the story). Good night.  Sleep tight." and a "Tuck In" prayer starter.

It is a sweet introduction to the people in the Bible, and a neat way to help your child connect to and see them as the real people they were.  However, if you are looking for a bedtime story book to read with your child that gives them a clear picture of the story of the Bible, this is not it.  That being said, I still think it would be a great book to add to the shelf for a child, and it definitely opens doors to allow the parent to introduce God's word in a more concrete way.

The Berenstain Bears Keep the Faith Review

The Berenstain Bears Keep the Faith (Berenstain Bears/Living Lights) Description:

Brother and Sister Bear’s friend Ferdy Factual loves science. Brother and Sister like science too. They like digging for fossils, examining the moon through their telescope, and peering at tiny things under a microscope. But Ferdy tells Brother and Sister that he doesn’t believe God created the world. In fact, he doesn’t believe in God at all. This is a new idea for Brother and Sister. Together with Mama and Papa, they visit Preacher Brown to find out what it means to have faith and learn a lesson from Daniel who had faith in a den of lions.

My Review:

I grew up reading the Berenstain Bears, and I am pleased to be able to share them with my children as well. When both Stan and Jan Berenstain passed away I was sure the series was over.  And yet their son, Mike, is continuing the adventures.  Keep the Faith is just such an adventure.

In typical Berenstain fashion, Brother and Sister are faced with a situation that leads to a moral or Biblical lesson.  In this case, their friend Ferdy doesn't believe God created the world.  

When they question Mama about it she tells them, "Well, some folks don't believe in God the way we do," which brings about the inevitable question, "Why do we believe in God?"  This leads to having faith and a visit to Preacher Brown.

Preacher Brown uses a Bible story to illustrate what it is to have faith and the Bear family leaves the meeting with the understanding that, "their faith in God was important for them".

I have to say that a part of me was a bit disappointed in this book.  Brother and Sister were never told and never decided, how best to respond to Ferdy Factual or other friends who may not believe God created the world.  I felt like that was an important element of the story and it was just left hanging....

What I did like was the definition of faith given by Preacher Brown-trusting in God's love.  Simple and easy enough for any child to understand.  I also liked the "activities and questions from Brother and Sister Bear" at the end of the book.  It guides mom and/or dad in ways to dig a little deeper with your child.  

All in all it's not a bad book, but not a great one either.  It does leave on open door for parents to discuss a serious topic with their child but I wish the book had gone a little further than it had. 

Review: Wonderfully Made

Wonderfully Made by Joyce Meyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



"God gives all of us unique gifts. We just have to discover what they are."

Joyce Meyer's children's book reminds us that everyone is special in God's eyes, and we each have a unique gift and talent if we just take the time to discover it. Hayley Hippo is so busy trying to imitate the talents of her friends that she becomes frustrated that she can't find her own talent. When a friend reminds her, "God didn't make you to be like everyone else, He made you to be you!" she finally discovers her own gift.

The illustrations are cute and the story is endearing. It captured the attention of my 4 year old and opened the door for some wonderful discussions.



View all my reviews

God Gave Us Easter review

God Gave Us Easter Description:

"God loved us so much he wanted us to always be with him too. That’s why God knew he’d need to give us Easter.”  

As Little Cub celebrates Easter with Papa, Mama, and her brother and sister, she begins to ask her papa questions about this very special day of the year.  Papa lovingly explains God’s plans for his children, while taking Little Cub on a memorable walk through her stunning Arctic world, and he shares how Easter came about in clear, simple terms that even the littlest cubs can understand.




My Review:

In case you hadn't noticed, I really love this series.  Princess and I have read God Gave Us Christmas, God Gave us Love, and God Gave us You.  When I had a chance to review God Gave us Easter I was tickled.  Let me say, this book was a great addition to our library!

Easter can be a difficult celebration for little ones.  You want them to understand that it isn't about the bunny or the candy but about the sacrifice Jesus made that paved the way for our relationship with God.  This book does that wonderfully.  Little Cub and Papa Bear are talking about Easter and when Papa Bear tells Little Cub that Easter is better than Christmas Little Cub inquires why and the message begins.

I especially like that we are reminded that "Easter is part of a bigger story he (God) had in mind for a long, long time".   Papa goes on to explain the symbolism of the Easter egg and how it reminds us that even death couldn't trap Jesus.  There is no way to talk about Easter and not address death, but this book does so in such a way that it remains true to the meaning and yet isn't scary while not trivializing death.

The illustrations are just as beautiful in this book as they are in the other books in the series.  Laura Bryant does gorgeous work.  This is a book that you will want to add to your Christian preschool library!


Download a free coloring page to go with this book here.

View a sample of the book here.

Purchase a copy of this book for your very own here.

Princess Addison Gets Angry review

Princess Addison Gets Angry (Princess Heart) description:

Princess Addison is used to getting whatever she wants. But when it starts raining and she can't go outside with her dogs, she gets very angry. Princess Addison becomes Princess Angry and must learn how to deal with her emotions.

My Review:

Princess Addison gets Angry is a part of  the Princess Heart series, which addresses emotions such as anger, happiness, sadness and being scared.  It was written for young children, preschool or younger.  As such the sentences are short and the story is simple.

I understand that in order to address anger, the princess must have something to be angry about, but this particular princess just strikes me as being spoiled.  The story opens with the fact that she has a butler.  I suppose all 'princesses' do, but explain to a 4 year old princess of your own what a butler is and then why she doesn't have one and you will see how this could become an issue.

Then Addison becomes angry over not being able to go outside with her dogs due to rain.  There are a HUGE amount of things that a preschool child might become angry about: a friend takes a toy, someone takes your turn in line, having to clean up before you are done playing.  Not many preschoolers I know are going to get angry about not being able to go outside when it rains.  This may just be me though.

Mom does give some good, universal advice though.  It's okay to get angry, but never hit people or break things.  You can take a deep breath, go for a walk (but it's raining so I'm not sure how this would work within the story??), read a book, and/or tell someone about it.  Being angry doesn't last forever.

The illustrations are adorable, reminiscent of Mary Engelbreit.  The story has a good moral and some practical advice.  It is going to take some work on the parents part to help your preschooler to draw similarities between Princess Addison's situation and their own angry situations though.

Bible Stories that End with a Hug review

Bible Stories that End with a Hug! Description:


Little children love getting—and giving—hugs! Hugs generate warmth, affection, and a feeling of acceptance. Show your little ones just how much you treasure them while teaching them about the Bible and God’s unconditional love for his creation. Bible Stories that End with a Hug! features 75 easy-to-understand Bible stories with charming illustrations, lessons on how to apply the stories to your child’s daily life, memory verses from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, and a special “Hug Time” during which you can share a great big hug with your child.

For children ages 2 and up


My Review:

First I really want to say thank you to Tyndale for allowing me to review this book and participate in their blog tour.  I have LOVED Stephen Elkins books (see my review of his Hide and Seek devotional here) and was tickled pink to know this one was coming in the mail.  I just knew that Princess and I would love it.
The bad.  This arrived Christmas Eve and my regular postal delivery woman was on vacation.  I really wish I knew who had delivered my mail because had this been a gift I would have been very disappointed.  Where I live we don't get mail delivered to our door, or even to a mailbox by the driveway.  I get mail at boxes like the one below that are stationed throughout my subdivision.

image source

Usually when a package arrives that doesn't fit my totally awesome mail lady just drives to my house (which she has to pass anyway to get to the next community mailbox) and drops it off at my door.  Whoever delivered my mail this time decided to fold the package in half and force it into the box.  This was an intentional act of destruction because this is a HARDBACK book.  It took some effort to fold it.  So now this really beautiful book has a crease down the back cover.  Hopefully that doesn't happen to you.

On to the book.  It was written for young children, and as such my precocious Princess found some of the stories a bit simple.  Not a huge deal since this is more of a devotional type book rather than a story book.  For example, here is the entry for Luke 2:41-52 entitled Growing by Knowing:

When Jesus was a boy, what was He like?  Did He like to sing or draw or read?  Did He play with friends or chase butterflies?  We don't know for sure.  But we do know Jesus loved to go to church (called the Temple) to talk about God, His Heavenly Father.

What does the Bible tell us about Jesus as a boy?

When Jesus was 12, His family took Him to the Temple.  For three days Jesus listened to the teachers there and asked questions.  He was growing by knowing.  This pleased God! ...

And that is the end of the story.  The book goes on to discuss how we can start growing by knowing and then give a suggestion to "Give the one who is growing by knowing God a great big hug!"

A perfect place to start for a very young child, but for us this is more of a recap or a story introduction.  Now just because I say she found them simple don't think she didn't love them.  They are just short enough to fit in before bed but as you can see from the excerpt above there is lots of room to take it deeper.  You can discuss with your little one all of those questions.  Each entry gives the Bible verses it is from so you can also read the original text and compare.  Simon Taylor-Kielty does a beautiful job illustrating the book.  

The illustrations appear to be oil pastels and are soft.  All of the characters are portrayed child-like.  For me this is a drawback.  While visually appealing to my daughter it gives the wrong impression at times.  (Mom, why was Esther married before she grew up?)

What I really like it the give a hug element to each devotion. While it can be used to reinforce what you just read to your child, and that it is a quality they possess ( you can hug your child every time), we chose to use it as an opportunity to encourages princess to be observant of those around her, to look for the qualities discussed in others.  I LOVE that.  You can never start too young teaching them to look for the good in others and to focus on someone other than themselves.

All in all, a great addition to Princess's bookshelf, and I bet it would be in yours also.  

Find it on Amazon at the link below

Jesus Calling Bible Storybook Description:

Jesus is calling out to our hearts, and you can hear His voice in every story in the Bible. These carefully selected stories are paired with new children’s devotions from Sarah Young and will help young hearts understand God’s grand plan to send His Son, Jesus, to save His children and prepare a place for us in heaven. 

Bestselling author Sarah Young has touched millions of lives through her devotionals based on Scripture and written as though Jesus is speaking directly to the reader. This book will lead God’s children, young and old, to talk to Jesus through prayer and to listen to His voice speaking love to their hearts.

My Review:

I LOVE Sarah Young's way of presenting God's promises to us in a personal way.  I first discovered Ms. Young when I read 40 Days With Jesus: Celebrating His Presence, which prompted me to purchase the year long devotional (Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence). When she published Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions For Kids I bought it! I type up the devotionals and add a picture to them and include them in my daughter's lunch box every day. When I saw this title,Jesus Calling Bible Storybook I was excited to have one to share with my preschooler.

But this one is so much more than the others! It includes 49 Old Testament stories and 51 New Testament stories presented with beautiful illustrations (thank you Caroline Farias)and a great age appropriate narration. According to Young this book was "designed to help young children come to know God's Word and enjoy the Presence of Jesus in their lives. This book tells the wonderful story of God's great love for His people." I have to say that this has definitely been accomplished.

The Bible portions that have been included show God's love from creation, through Abraham, David, and finally the life of Jesus as well a reminder that "one day, things will become perfect the way God wants them to be. Someday God's love-brighter than the brightest sun-will be the only light we need...in the vision that Jesus showed to John, God and his children lived together as one perfect, happy family--the way it was supposed to be back in the Garden with Adam and Eve all those years ago." I found the stories to follow the Biblical account very closely and that made me happy. So many children's Bibles turn the accounts into fairy tales.

What I especially enjoyed is that at the end of each story is a Bible verse that corresponds to the events as well as a devotional in the expected Saray Young style. For example, the devotion after the story of Ruth and Naomi reads: Everything that happens fits into My plan for good if you love Me. Trust Me with big things, like your friendships and future dreams. You can also trust Me for little, everyday things. Remember how I took care of Ruth and Naomi. Nothing is too big or too small for Me. So talk with me about everything.

And the watercolor illustrations are absolutely GORGEOUS! I would love to frame some of them!

(images from https://www.facebook.com/JesusCalling)

If you have a young child, this is a book you need to have on your bookshelf!