God Helps Me Bible by Juliet David and illustrated by Clare Caddy

Genre- Religion/Bible

Published by- Lion Children’s Books

Copyrighted- March 2012

Number of pages- 104

Age Group- Young Children (1-3)

Description of book- hardback (spiral binding), list price $12.99, ISBN 978-1-85985-916-2

This book has twenty-five Bible stories that are to be read to young children, with sentences at the end of each story to help the listener learn how God has helped the main character. 

A spiral binding allows the book to lay flat, which helps the child look at the illustrations more easily.

About the Author-

Juliet David lives in London with her family.  She has written Bible activity books and children’s stories.  She enjoys traveling to Israel and other Bible lands.

My thoughts-

This is a wonderful Bible for pre-school age children.  My children are six and eight, but they really enjoyed reading it, having it read to them, and looking at the illustrations.

What I liked:

• Opens flat because of the rings
• The heavier weight paper
• The letter to the reader, which included the question, “Can you think of ways God has helped you and your family?” and the idea for thanking God for helping the person in the story and the reader.
• Loved the illustrations- they were perfect for each story.

What I Disliked:

• Jonah’s story could have been more about going to Ninevah.
• Most of these are typical stories that are in most children’s Bibles.

I would recommend this book to families with young children, because the children will enjoy the illustrations and how they can become involved in the story.

What B (boy, age eight, second grade) Liked and Disliked:

The pictures are kind of funny.  Like in the part about Noah, with one monkey smiling and one frowning.  The frown is really funny.

In a different section, there is Joshua, he marched around Jericho and destroyed it.  He marched around it seven times. 

Zacchaeus is one of my favorite stories.  He climbed up in a sycamore tree too see Jesus, because he was too short to see through the crowd. 

In another part of the Bible, I learned how Paul got out of jail.  An earthquake shook the town and the prison fell down.  Luckily no one was hurt.   

If you want to know more, read the book.  I thought this book was good for kids my age and also babies.

What C (girl, age six, kindergarten) Liked and Disliked:

I liked when Moses saved his people.  God told him to raise his staff and then the water would come up and it would set back down when they were done crossing.  I liked the story, “A Mother Saves Her Baby.”  She hid baby in a special basket and floated it on the water.  And when the kings daughter came out to bathe she saw the basket. 

I didn’t like it when Haman was trying to kill Esther’s people. 

I liked the illustrations and stories.

I would recommend this book for everyone.

Dad Says-

This book has nice artwork and is very colorful. The simplicity of the stories will keep the younger child’s attention.The variety of stories moves it beyond a simple cardboard book into something that toddlers will want to have Mom and Dad continue reading to them.

The downsides of this book is that nothing is mentioned about the sacrifice and return of Jesus. While this is a tough issue to relay into words and ideas that young children will understand, His story still needs to be told. The book also misses the idea of repentance (Jonah & Zacchaeus). Three year olds understand the idea of being sorry for something they have done.

Overall this is a good book for 0-2 year olds and I would give it as a gift or a recommendation to my friends and family.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received God Helps Me Bible by Juliet David and illustrated by Claire Caddy for free from the Kregel Publications’ Blog Tour.  All links were current when posted. I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Problems in Plymouth by Marianne Hering and Marshal Younger

Problems in Plymouth by Marianne Hering and Marshall Younger, Book 6 in the Imagination Station Series

Genre: Juvenile Fiction/Readers/Chapter Books

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Website to Visit: The Imagination Station

Age Appeal: 7 and up

Important Information: Paperback book, ISBN 978-1-58997-632-0, Copyright 2011, 117 pages

Price: $4.99

In this sixth book, eight-year-old cousins, Beth and Patrick, are at the Plymouth Colony in the year 1621.  Hugh, from the 1400’s, arrived there shortly before they have and Patrick and Beth are immediately worried about what trouble he could cause.  Squanto is captured and three Native Americans are injured, did Hugh cause these problems?  Beth and Patrick need to find Hugh and stop him before the Pilgrims and Native Americans go to war.

Will they succeed and finally get Hugh back to his home in 1450 England?   

Authors:

Marianne Hering has written more than 12 children’s book and is the former editor of Focus on the Family magazine. She lives in Colorado with her husband and children.

Marshal Younger has written over 100 episodes for the radio program, Adventures in Odyssey.  He is a freelance writer and lives in Tennessee with his wife and four children.

Illustrator: 

David Hohn lives in Portland, Oregon where he works in his studio on many different projects.

Our Experience:

B and C were very excited to receive Problems in Plymouth.  One of the favorite things the kids and I like to do together is read. This was one of the books we couldn’t put down.  The kids wanted to read it for our school time reading and our nighttime reading.

My Thoughts:

I thought this book was fun to read to the kids.  We spent some of our school days and some nights reading this book.  B didn’t want to read this book himself until we read it together.  I think he wanted to have the enjoyment of being surprised along with us.   I know this was a work of fiction, but I have never seen the Pilgrims portrayed as such kind and Christian people before.  I was very glad to see this portrayal. 

The only part of this book that I was not sure about was the illustration of the Native American village with teepees instead of wigwams.  I thought it was primarily just the Native Americans who lived on the plains that used teepees.

What B (boy, age seven, second grade) Liked and Disliked:

I liked everything about the book, except for Hugh.  Hugh is mean.  Beth and Patrick went to Plymouth in the Imagination Station.  In the end Hugh went back to his proper time in England. 

I think this book is good for kids my age to read to themselves or to have someone read to them.

What C (girl, age five, kindergarten) Liked and Disliked:

I liked it.  They didn’t fight very much.  Mr. Whittaker could not go into the Imagination Station, because Hugh had the ring.  I think Hugh was an old man.  Beth and Patrick got the ring back from Hugh. 

I liked everything.  It is good for kids my age.

Would I Recommend?:

I would highly recommend Problems in Plymouth. It should be in every public and school library.

Disclaimer:

I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Three Trees by Elena Pasquali and Illustrated by Sophie Windham

Genre- Fiction/Christian/Christmas/Easter

The Three Tree: A Traditional Folktale by Elena Pasquali and Illustrated by Sophie Windham

Published by- Lion Children’s Books

Copyrighted- 2011

Number of pages- 32

Age Group- Young Children

Description of book- hardback, list price $14.99, ISBN 978-0-7459-6289-4

On a hill sit three trees.  They dream of become a royal throne, strong ship, and a tall strong tree.  They are cut down and their dreams seemed to come to an end.  Each tree is made into something special; a manger, fishing boat, and a rugged cross.  They have each had an important role to play.

Excerpt from the Book.

About the Author- Elena Pasquali has worked in children’s publishing and has enjoyed researching folk tales.  She enjoys learning different languages and cultures.  She grew up in South Wales.

About the Illustrator- Sophie Windham lives in Herefordshire with her husband, children, and many animals.  She was shortlisted for the Kate Greenway Medal and has illustrated many picture books.

My thoughts-

This is a remarkable book that we can use to celebrate all Christian seasons.  The folktale is wonderful and I could study the illustrations all day.

My kids really enjoyed reading this book.  It came in the mail when our supervising teacher was here and B took it right away and read it to her.  They both enjoyed the experience.

B, C, Dad and I enjoyed it again later as our bedtime story.  I plan on reading this story to my children for Christmas and Easter every single year.  And I will be saving this book for my grandchildren.

 What B (boy, age seven, second grade) Liked and Disliked:

I liked The Three Trees.  It was a good book.  My favorite part was when the first tree was made into a manger and when Jesus was put into it.  My second favorite part was when the second tree was made into a boat and it held Jesus.  My third favorite part was rather sad. It was when the third tree was made into a cross and Jesus died on that cross.  There were good illustrations. In one of the pictures there was even a rainbow.  There was even a picture of a boat in the book.  My favorite picture was when the innkeeper was putting hay into the manger and there were animals all around.

I think this book is good for kids my age.  I think younger kids would like it too.

What C (girl, age five, kindergarten) Liked and Disliked:

I liked the first picture of the trees.

There is a cat in one of the pictures.  I loved everything, but one part, when Jesus died on the cross. Joseph and Mary had baby Jesus.  The fisherman caught a lot of fish when they went out to fish.  Jesus came back to life.

It is good for kids my age and younger, like my two-year-old cousin.

Dad Says-

I enjoyed The Three Trees for several reasons.  That it's ok to dream; that it's ok to dream big; when things don't go as planned don't give up; patience is a necessity; God has the ability to fulfill your dreams according to His plan.  This is a book that can remind us and our children throughout the year to keep our hearts and thoughts on God while He lights the path before us.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received The Three Trees by Elena Pasquali and illustrated by Sophie Windham for free from the Kregel Publications’ Blog Tour.  All links were current when posted.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Family Illustrated Bible by Sally Tagholm

Genre- Children/Nonfiction

The Family Illustrated Bible retold by Sally Tagholm and Reference spreads by Peter Chrisp

Published by- New Leaf Press, A Division of New Leaf Publishing Group

Copyrighted- 2011

Number of pages- 356

Age Group- Elementary School Children

Description of book- hardback picture book, list price $24.99, ISBN-13:978-0-89221-704-5

Do your children enjoy reading and learning stories from the Bible?  This book will give your family hours of enjoyment and years of  learning.

Formerly known as The Children’s Bible, The Family Illustrated Bible has stories retold by Sally Tagholm with many beautiful illustrations and photographs.  Peter Chrisp did the reference spreads, which give valuable historical information on topics such as Mesopotamia, the Assyrians, and King Herod.

About the Author- Sally Tagholm has written numerous children's books on history and animals.

What C (girl, age 5, Kindergarten) thought- I liked this Bible. I liked the stories of “Moses in the Bulrushes” and “The Golden Calf.”  I liked the illustrations, especially of Samson and the lion.

Kids my age would like this book. 

What B (boy, age 7, second grade) thought- I like the front cover with Noah and the ark.  Flowers and an elephant are in the background.  My two favorite stories are, “The Good Samaritan” and “The Unmerciful Servant.”  I like the reference section called, “Exile and Return,” in 597 BC when King Nebuchadnezzar II captured Jerusalem.

I thought the whole book was very great.  It would be good for kids my age to read to themselves.  

My thoughts- I thought this story Bible was great!  The stories were well written and as a family we learned a lot of historical information from the reference spreads.  The map at the beginning of the Bible was nice too.  It is always nice to be able to find the cities that are discussed in the Bible.

I would highly recommend this story Bible to all families who have young children and want teach them Bible stories.

Dad’s Thoughts- I like the illustrations.  The information was detailed, but not enough to overwhelm you. The maps and pictures help to show that these are real places, instead of just reading about it, you can see where the events occurred.  Overall it is a good buy.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received The Family Illustrated Bible, retold by Sally Tagholm, for free from New Leaf Press, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Story of Noah’s Ark by Lori C. Froeb

Genre- Children

The Story of Noah’s Ark by Lori C. Froeb and illustrated by Luana Rinaldo

Published by- Kregel Publications

Copyrighted- 2011

Number of pages- 16

Age Group-  Young Children

Description of book- paperback, list price $9.99, ISBN 978-0-8254-5552-0

 

Do your children enjoy the Noah’s ark story from the Bible?  This deluxe set, written by Lori C. Froeb and illustrated by Luana Rinaldo, has the storybook and wall clings that your children can put on the wall and create all sorts scenes of the animals and Noah’s ark.

About the Author- Lori C. Froeb lives in New York.  She is a children’s book editor and has written many children’s books.  It was a blessing to her to write this book.

About the Illustrator- Luana Rinaldo has written and illustrated many books for children and babies.  The books have been translated into more than 14 languages.  She lives Zurich, Switzerland.

What B (age 7, second grade) Thought- I like the story about Noah’s ark, but they forgot to put in Noah’s sons and their wives.  There were wall clings, those were really fun.  They were really fun, because we made a neat scene with them.  Noah built a big ark to hold every kind of animal, two of every kind (one female and one male). 

There were good illustrations.  There were snakes, dogs, giraffes, pigs, turtles, monkeys and many more animals that I really enjoy.

I think this book is good for kids my age.

What C (age 5, kindergarten) Thought- I like the book.  I think it was fun to have it read to me.  My favorite part was the rainbow and the animals were safe inside Noah’s ark.  Slowly the water began to evaporate and Noah sent out the dove to find dry land.  And the sun slowly began to come out.  And the rainbow began to come out as a sign that God would never flood the earth again. 

I like the wall clings.  It was fun putting them on the wall, instead of on the window or door. 

I think it would be good for kids my age.

My thoughts-

My kids love Noah and the ark and wall clings, so this book was perfect for them.  I read the book different times to them and B enjoyed reading it to C.  After they put the wall clings on the wall, they looked at the illustrations to see what animals they had put on the wall.

I thought this book was cute and well written.  I really enjoyed studying the illustrations on each page.  The wall clings looked spectacular on our wall.  I did remember to put them on one of the smooth walls in our house, because we stuck wall clings on our bumpy walls once and they did not stick. 

I wondered why Noah’s sons and wives were not included.  When I read the story of Noah’s ark, I like having all the characters and the rest of the complete story.

I highly recommend this story, because all kids should know the story of Noah’s ark and the wall clings make it even more fun.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received The Story of Noah’s Ark by Lori C. Froeb and illustrated by Luana Rinaldo for free from the Kregel Publications’ Blog Tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Bombus the Bumblebee

Genre- Children/Fiction

Bombus the Bumblebee by Elsie Larson and David and Elizabeth Haidle

Published by- Master Books, A Division of New Leaf Publishing Group

Copyrighted- 1997, second printing 2000

Number of pages- 40

Age Group- young children

Description of book- hardback picture book, list price $11.99, ISBN: 0-89051-177-2

Extras- “A talking time,” creative activities, plus wonderful scientific information about bumblebees

Bombus the bumblebee is a lovable bee, who is learning about self-acceptance and the acceptance of others from the honeybees.  Bombus learns that God made him exactly the way he was supposed to be made.  God did create diversity and we need to learn about it.

What C (girl, age 5, Kindergarten) thought- I liked Bombus.  I liked that he couldn’t go into skinny blossoms.  Bumblebees are fatter that honeybees.  The honeybees said Bombus wasn’t right for flying, because honeybees have zig-zag dances.  And they all took flight and he watched them.  He thought he was meant to crawl, but he wasn’t. 

I liked everything.  I would recommend this book for kids my age. 

What B (boy, age 7, second grade) thought- I liked Bombus.  The honeybees didn’t think he could fly, but that wasn’t true.  The illustrations were also pretty good.  In the pictures the honeybees are skinny and Bombus is huge.  What to know an interesting fact?  The name of the book is Bombus the Bumblebee, right?  And the scientific name for bumblebee is bombus. 

I liked the whole book, there was nothing I disliked.  I would recommend Bombus the Bumblebee for kids my age.

My thoughts-

Wow!!  What a great book to teach children about self-acceptance.

Bombus was a lovable bumblebee who wanted to be accepted by others.  I can watch my kids playing with others to see how important acceptance and self-acceptance is.  I have noticed that the kids who have the best self-acceptance have the best acceptance of others.  We (as Bombus) need to remember that God accepts us as we are and we should not take what others say about us to heart.

The illustrations in the this book are great.  The honeybees are drawn  so well.  You can see their haughtiness and how they think they are so much better than Bombus.

I would highly recommend this book to all families.  As parents and especially was Christians we need to teach others about self-acceptance and the acceptance of others.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Bombus the Bumblebee by Elsie Larson and illustrated by David and Elizabeth Haidle for free from Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Funny things children say

You never know the funny things that children say. Just now my three-year-old daughter said, "Why are you being grumpy? It is my day to be grumpy."

I have never had one of my children say the funny things that people send to different magazines. I just had to share it with all of you.

Please share if you have anything funny your children have said to you.

From Mommy to Mom to Mother

I got this in an e-mail the other day and I just had to share it.
This could not have been said better!!!!

MOTHERS
Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.
Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox ..
Real Mothers often have sticky floors,filthy ovens and happy kids.
Real Mothers know that dried play dough doesn't come out of carpets.
Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.
Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'and get their answer when a little voice says, 'Because I love you best.'
Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade...It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother...

The Images of Mother
4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!
8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!
12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.
14 YEARS OF AGE - Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either..
16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.
18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!
25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it!
35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.
45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?
65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes,because that is the doorway to her heart,the place where love resides.The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows,and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

Have you ever been a "single parent" for a while?

I have been a Navy wife in the time that I have had two children at home. Here are a couple of stories from my experiences. There will be more tomorrow.

I had now better get off the Internet in case Jon is trying to call. I am very lucky, because he is able to call almost every day. I enjoy telling him how smart Bridger is and how much trouble he can get into. For example, last night while I was fixing popcorn Bridger decided to play with the baby powder. He poured it all over the side table, the floor and himself. I took the vacuum cleaner and cleaned everything, including him. I needed to vacuum anyway: the dogs shed all the time and dirt is brought in from the backyard.

Disaster does strike after supper. I am running water in the sink for the dishes when the dogs start barking. I try to get them to come in, but only two come. I go outside to get the others and then I remember that the faucet is on. I try to get through the sliding glass door, but it has locked. I had learned after the first time I was locked out that it is important to always keep the side door to the garage unlocked to have a back-up entry into the house. I was fortunate that time that the sliding glass door was open. I hurry through the garage and get to the sink. I am lucky that water isn’t going all over the floor, but into the other basin instead. I turn the water off and go back to the garage to call the dogs inside. They come immediately, because the other dogs are back inside.

I would enjoy any stories that you have.

Is this how you remember chores?

My children are three-years-old and five-years-old and they have really begun to help around the house. They fold their own laundry, put it away, empty the dishwasher, wash and put the dishes in and also do the hand-dishes.

Sometimes they will argue about who gets to put the dishes in the dishwasher and who gets to wash them. They both like washing them. Sometimes B will not want to do the dishes, so I ask C to do them. Then they both want to do them.

I do not remember wanting to do the dishes that badly. When my brother and I used to do the dishes, the best job was putting the dishes in the dishwasher, not washing them. I was the one who usually got to wash. I am not sure why that is. I am fast at washing dishes now though. We used to have to always wash and dry the hand-dishes. B and C are lucky; they can just let them air dry.

Tonight they needed to empty the dishwasher. It started out well. B got on the stool and C handed the dishes to him. It started to unravel when it was time to put the silverware away. C usually does it and wanted to do it tonight. B decided he was going to, so C decided to have a temper tantrum. I told her she could look at a book while B put the silverware away. It worked until B wanted to look at the book too, instead of putting away the silverware. I told him if he put away half of the silverware he could look at the book. All of the silverware was put away and the book was looked at.

I never knew that people could be so excited about doing chores. I just hope it keeps up. I like having the help. It also helps that their dad helps out around the house too. It shows them how a family should work together.

My Children

Have you ever had children that argue about setting the table or doing the dishes? I have a five-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl that argue over who gets to help me. I have to be honest, I love it. It is nice that they are working around the house to help me out. I have spent many years doing all the dishes and I am having a nice break. I can't wait until they are old enough to do the cooking. I know they will be good cooks. All of this help they are giving will us to be a closer family. I thank God that I have such wonderful children.