Book Review: The Beginner's Bible Christmas Celebration Activity Book

I had the opportunity to receive and review a new sticker and activity book from The Beginner's Bible called A Christmas Celebration.  My youngest daughters (ages almost 3 and 6) love the colorful and engaging Beginner's Bible.  The friendly illustrations and child-friendly prose to share Bible stories never fails to get their attention.  So, I was thrilled with the idea of a fun activity book for them to share to review the different aspects of the Christmas story from the Angel's visit, the birth, the shepherds in the field, and the wise men.  There was something for both ages to enjoy.  Mazes, word searches, find the difference, and puzzles for the 6 year old to engage with story were matched by the fun of the over 50 stickers, hidden pictures, and coloring for the 3 year old.  Each page has a little summary of the story.  At a retail price of $3.99 it is worth picking up for a fun advent activity due to the quality of pages, colorful details, and numerous activities and stickers.  My girls are loving their book and I'm holding them back from finishing to spread the cheer.  I would recommend this fun activity for ages 3-8.

*I received a free copy of this book as a part of the BookLookBlogger program.

Book Review: Billy Graham's God's Good News Bible Storybook

Billy Graham- one of the notable and most respected pastors, theologians, and authors of our time.  In his most recent endeavors, he has created a beautiful Bible Storybook highlighting over 60 classic Bible stories in an easy to read, yet still engaging format followed by a small devotional to present a life application or takeaway.  This book is a brilliant hardcover storybook with thick pages- friendly to little, eager hands.  I appreciated the scripture reference at the top of each story so the reader can go back to scripture for more depth.  The summary of these Bible stories are child friendly, but engaging enough for even adults to enjoy and glean from.  With all of the wonderful stories, the winner of this this storybook are the beautiful illustrations.  Muted colors, movement, and personality in each picture help the stories come to life.  Scott Wakefield did a brilliant job with the illustrations in this Bible Storybook to compliment each of Graham's stories and devotions.  Overall, this is a fantastic Storybook Bible for any family's library.  While geared towards ages 5-10, I truly believe it is something the whole family can enjoy.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The Plans I Have for You

Whimsical and meaningful are two words that come to mind after reading Amy Parker's new book The Plans I Have for You.  In a fun, playful take on Jeremiah 29:11, Parker combines adventure prose and rhyme to show children how uniquely created each child is by God and how with His help they can truly become and do anything.  This clever book is enhanced by magical illustrations by Vanessa Brantley-Newton.  I loved the variety of occupations and ethnicities that are represented.  She also did a lovely job of staying away from all gender stereotypes for many occupations.  Each page is full of color and wonder.  My girls all loved reading this book and played an "i spy" game with the different jobs they saw (which fit in perfectly with my 1st grader's study on community helpers!).  Ideally, this book hits the mark for children ages 4-8.  My only small complaint would be that God's name is never mentioned and the sentence about "I've left you instructions right here in my book" insinuates the answers are in this adorable book, not God's word, the Bible, as I'm sure is intended.  It just required a little explanation to my 5 year old!  This adorable book would be a wonderful addition to any home or classroom library!

*I received a free copy from booklookbloggers for my honest review.

Book Review: For the Love

Authenticity.  It is something so appreciated yet so rare in today's culture.  People who are willing to be real, speak truth, and aren't beholden to the affects of what others might say.  Jen Hatmaker, well known for her viral blog posts (Her worst back to school mom is my favorite) and other books,  brings humor and scriptural truth to bring home points on love, marriage, motherhood, fashion, culture, and the church at large.  Her latest book For the Love is a series of shorter "essays" (chapters) put together that focus on pouring out Grace unto others and letting ourselves go of the ridiculous standards and competitive nature society has placed on us.  From encouragement (and almost permission) to be a "good enough" mom, wise scheduler, and avoider of pinterest perfect lives, to an entire chapter devoted to fashion tips like 'tights are not pants' (preach it sister!), to a lament and challenge for mission work in the church, to the importance of organic relationships and church experiences- Hatmaker brings scripture, personal experience, and witty humor to encourage and uplift the reader while at the same time challenging their comfort zone.  I appreciated her honesty, her hilarious one liners, and call to authentic relationships with God and with others.  This book is geared for an audience of mothers, however there are chapters that I believe anyone at any stage of life can be challenged by (The chapter on calling and purpose was particularly awesome).  My only complaint is that each chapter left me longing for a bit more.  For the Love is a fast and easy read while at the same time providing plenty of powerful moments to ponder.  I highly recommend Hatmaker's newest!  (and I bet you'll walk away wanting to be Hatmaker's BFF or at least want an invitation to supper club!)

*I was given a copy of the book from Book Look Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Believe Storybook

Randy Frazee (along with Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton and Steve Adams) have put out a beautiful storybook version of the bestseller Believe.  The concept is to encourage readers to Think, Act, and Be like Jesus.  In this 256 page hardcover book that is large enough for the whole family to see during reading time, the concepts are explored through a few major parts.  I'll explain these using one of my favorite examples in the book in the "Be Like Jesus" section.

Topic:  Love

The Key Question- What does it mean to sacrificially, unconditionally love others?  The question is followed by a brief description of how and where and why this topic is important to God and is in the Bible.

An Old Testament Bible Story- David and Jonathan.  Told in story form (with scriptural references in the subtitle) with beautiful illustrations, the Old Testament comes to life through the filter of answering the Key Question on the topic.

Jump to Jesus- Consistently on an illustrated profile of Jesus, this page connects the Old Testament story with a story about Jesus or a story Jesus told.

New Testament Story- A Good Shepherd Loves his Sheep.  This story is the one referenced in the Jump to Jesus and connects how Jesus us loves us sacrificially and unconditionally and therefore we should too.

The Jesus Answer- A short wrap up of how Jesus loves you and how we can take all that love and share it with others.  It would be considered the encouraging action step for the lesson.

Key Idea- A statement of commitment or promise, almost a prayer to take away.  In this case it is "I will try hard to love God and love others."

Key Verse- 1 John 4:11.  A verse for memory that connects to the key question and topic.

There are 30 chapters that are all set up in this format.  Here are a few brief points of personal preference of Believe Storybook.

What I love:

This book feels great.  It is large enough for the whole family to huddle around and enjoy together.  It has thick, quality paper and beautiful illustrations.  I love the Key questions.  They are very insightful, great for starting discussion in the family.  The connection between Old Testament, Jesus, and the New Testament is also helpful (while not completely unique as The Jesus Storybook Bible did something very similar).  It gives the reader a fuller picture of God's story rather than segmenting into stories.

What I didn't love:

In my opinion the stories are overly simplified or too short.  I also wish the Key Idea's were Jesus focused not "I" focused especially in the "Be Like Jesus" section.  It borderlines on the self help perception when Key Ideas are "I can deal with hardships because of Jesus...I don't get angry quickly...I choose to be kind...etc."  I would prefer an approach of humility and dependence on Jesus rephrased "Jesus helps me deal with hardships, The Holy Spirit gives me patience, etc".

This book has great potential to be a springboard for great discussion as a family.  I would encourage families to use it as a guide, but then taking time to read the stories straight from scripture.  A whole week of family quiet time could be focused on one chapter if you went a little deeper on your own.  Believe Storybook would in my mind be great for children 5+ and could even be used independently for some children who read well 8+.

Overall, this is a great resource and tool for a family looking to grow in their intimacy and knowledge of Jesus.

*Thanks to book look bloggers for a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Princess Joy Sticker and Activity Book

The Princess Parables are well loved in our house (of three girls!).  My daughters are ages 2, 5, and 8 I thought it was a perfect opportunity to receive and review a new product of the Princess Parables- a sticker and activity book.  You can get them specific to any of the princesses.  And at only $3.99 suggested retail its pretty easy to grab a few favorites!

Princess Joy Sticker and Activity Book is a beautifully illustrated and presented activity booklet. There is a basic story celebrating a birthday, but it is mostly fun puzzles and coloring for a child to do.  It worked great that my 5 year old loved the coloring and mazes while the 8 year old enjoyed the letter and number puzzles.  The pages are a thick, glossy paper to make "reusing" the stickers simple.  However, this made it harder to use crayons well for coloring and the markers bleed a bit more if you touch before drying.  There are lots of cute stickers (only a few are used for a specific page) and while they are "reusable" there really doesn't seem to be a good place in the book to use them, so they were used in other projects and therefore the reusable feature isn't important.

Overall, these are fun little activity books perfect for a rainy day or car ride.  They remind me so much of a disney quality but with a Godly heart and example behind it makes them a GREAT find.  It is even better when you combine these activities with the other read along books Princess Parable offers.

*Thanks to the booklook blogger program for a free copy for my unbiased review.

Book Review: How to Love Your Neighbor- without being weird

I have to admit, I chose this book partly because the title made me giggle.  How to Love Your Neighbor- without being weird  by Amy Lively proved to be more rewarding than a simple laugh.  Lively is a talented and engaging storyteller.  She infectiously brings you into her home and her heart, sharing her journey of faith and obedience of loving her neighbors.  This book chronicles her foundation in faith, a stretch of faithless wanderings, and finally a rejuvenation and redemptive story for not only herself but her marriage and family.

"How to Love your neighbor" is the challenge to completely abide and obey the commandment of "loving they neighbor".  Lively defines what a neighbor truly is, the doors to which people enter our lives, how to use your God given gifts and aptitudes in an active way, how to be intentional about interacting with neighbors, and the challenges we may face and how to overcome them.  And it all points back to who Jesus was on Earth and how God designed his people to be.

Some of my favorite lines from the book were:
"I'd rather go to Africa than across the street"

"Your home is where people put their feet up and let their guard down.  It's where relationships go deep."

"It's weird to insist that everyone enter a relationship with you through one door- the Religion Door.  It's weird to approach your neighbors with an agenda."

Lively writes a wonderful and challenging book.  It would work superbly as a small group study or book club as it has great questions to ponder and/or discuss.  There are also challenging action points she presents to help you set a plan into motion to meet your neighbors and begin growing those relationships.

I know I have been challenged as an introvert that there is "no exception clause" to this commandment and that I spend far too much time connecting with "friends" on flat screens than I do in the "original social network" my neighborhood.

How to Love Your Neighbor by Amy Lively (check out its site too) is worth the read and worth the sacrifice to implement.

*I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House publishers in exchange for my unbiased review.