Heroes & Villains of the Bible

Heroes and Villains of the Bible is a collection of 50 bible stories.  This is not a story style book, the stories are actual text from the International Children’s Bible with wonderful digital Art. I would have liked to have seen more of this art to keep the younger kiddos engaged in the stories, but this book is aimed toward the older kids.  This book could be used as a read aloud with your younger ones, which is what I intend on doing. I really enjoyed this book and I liked the simplicity of it. With each story there is a brief introduction that will give the kids a little background knowledge, then at the end of the story there is a commentary to help the kiddos relate the story to life. Which, I thought was a wonderful tool for parents who don’t know how to interpret and relate the situation in the story.

I received this book for free from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my honest review

Thank you, God, for blessing me By Max Lucado

Thank you, God, for blessing me is an adorable book for toddlers by Max Lucado. Little Hermie loves to thank God for all his blessings, such as his home, food, and his little bug friends. Little Hermie takes notice of all the things God has blessed him with and this little padded book is a great way to teach our little ones of all the blessings in our life. After reading this book to your toddler you can say a little prayer with them like, “Thank you, God, for giving me a home, parents and family who loves me, and for blessing me with your wonderful love, Amen.” 
We really enjoyed this book, and the message is written for ages 2-4 years. My oldest is five and he wanted me to continue reading when we reached the end. Once I explained that was the end of the story he asked me to read it again. This book is aimed for toddlers, but can be read to the older kiddos, just be prepared to read it a few times and it’s such a cute book that you won’t mind.

I received this book for free from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my honest review

100 Songs and Devotions

100 Read & Sing Devotions is absolutely wonderful, what better way to share the word of God with your little one, than with a devotional. It’s richly illustrated by Tim O’Conner and the devotions are created by Stephen Elkins. With each devotional, your child will love learning about bible stories and teaching, to hide God’s word in their little hearts and a prayer. Also, included are two CD’s full of music that goes with each devotional.
This devotional can be used anytime during the day, my four year old daughter like to leaf through the pages while she is listening to the music, some songs she already knows and others she is learning. I read one devotional to my five year old son before we get into his reading in the evenings, because he starts kinder really early in the morning and I don’t like rushing through the devotions. It’s a very special time for us to spend together and reading the word of God. We are absolutely thrilled to include this devotional into our daily reading.

 I received this book for free from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my honest review

The Sweetest Thing By Elizabeth Musser

Anne “Perri” Singleton is a young girl who has everything going for her; she attends an exclusive girl’s school and has a desirable social life, nothing short of a privileged life. But, just as Perri’s life takes a turn for the worst she is befriended by Marry Dobbs Dillard, a minister’s daughter and a passionate individual. Perri and Dobbs are opposite in every way, yet their friendship blossoms in the mist of the Great Depression.

I truly enjoyed this book. I chose to review this book because I wanted to read something about friendship. Friends make the biggest difference in the world, to have someone who knows your struggles and will pray for you and encourage you. That is what this book is about, true friendship. The title speaks for itself; friendship is “The Sweetest Thing.”

I received this book from Bethany house for the purpose of an honest review

The Waiting Place

The Waiting Place is a collection of essays of Eileen Button’s life. The theme that is carried throughout her memoir is the waiting place or what she calls life’s little delays and opportunities that she uses to trust God. Her book has the traits of an insightful and intelligent woman with an added humor and spunk that will have you laughing as she shares her life experiences.
I love the way she is so transparent and honest with her readers, in one way or the other you will see yourself in the author’s shoes. We all experience the waiting place in our life and this book will encourage you to trust God through your trials.

I received this book free from BookSneeze for the purposes of an honest review.

God's Promises for the American Patriot

Dr. Richard G. Lee and Jack Countryman have put together this wonderful little book filled with inspirational passages and scriptures that will not only feed and encourage your faith, but will give you a glimpse of the lives of people who have taken part in forming our country. These are two quotes that both spoke to my heart and encourage my appreciation for the bible.

“The first and almost the only book deserving of universal attention is the Bible. I speak as a man of the world…and I say to you, “Search the Scriptures.”
-John Quincy Adams, 6th President

“Inside the Bible’s pages lie all the answers to all of the problems man has ever known…The bible can touch our hearts, order our minds, and refresh our souls.”
-Ronald Regan, 40th President

In this book you will find brief stories of individuals that have established and shaped our nation on the promises of God. It is also filled with bible scriptures that are correlated with passages. One that thrilled me was by John Glenn:

As Glenn observed the heavens and Earth from the windows of Discovery, he said, “To look out at this kind of creation out here and not believe in God is to me impossible. It just strengthens my faith. I wish there were words to describe what it’s like.”

One of the scriptures that correlated with this passage was: Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows his handiwork.” So many times I have looked up towards the heavens and said to myself only God could create all this and I never gave it a thought about how someone could say almost the same thing as they view the earth from the heavens.
God’s Promises for the American Patriot would make a great gift to anyone and it would also make a great devotional.

I received this book for free from Booksneeze for the purpose of this review.

The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers

An Adventure Kids will love

As far back as he can remember, the orphan Grady has tramped from village to village in the company of a huckster named Floyd. With his adolescent accomplice, Floyd perpetrates a variety of hoaxes and flimflams on the good citizens of the Corenwald frontier, such as the Ugliest Boy in the World act.
When Floyd stages an elaborate plot to revive Corenwalders’ belief in the mythical swamp-dwellers known as the feechiefolk, he overshoots the mark. Floyd’s Great Feechie Scare becomes widespread panic. Eager audiences become angry mobs, and in the ensuing chaos, the Charlatan’s Boy discovers the truth that has evaded him all his life—and will change his path forever.

Review:
I struggled through the first few chapters and about half way thru the book I couldn’t put it down. I was so wrapped up in Grady’s world that I was hooked. Without giving the ending away, I was surprisingly pleased with the ending. This book would make a great read aloud that can be read in a series of several nights, because each chapter has a beginning and an ending. You will enjoy reading about the adventures of The Charlatan’s boy.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

The Story of the Bible by Larry Stone

If you are wondering who wrote the bible and how it came to be, that's what this book is about. Included are wonderful illustrations and life-sized pull-out pages, along with a timeline that you can reference to as you are reading and learning about the history of the bible. Mr. Stone gives detailed accounts of the bible translations and its production history. This book will bring you to tears as you learn of martyrs and heroes of faith, the early years of the church and persecution.

I believe the bible to be God's word and Mr. Stone has reinforced that and inspired me to have the utmost respect for the bible. If you are lacking inspiration to read your bible this book will challenge and inspire you as you read through it. When I received it in the mail, I was excited and eager to get started. I was amazed that it was not a difficult read, but broken down into nine chapters that can be easily read in nine days, which is what I did. A big plus about the book is that it's absolutely beautiful and would make a wonderful gift. Be blessed as you journey through The Story of the Bible.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from booksneeze.com for the purposes of this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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GIVEAWAY

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