Channing O'Banning and the Turquoise Trail

Channing O'Banning and the Turquoise Trail by Angela Spady is the second of the Channing O'Banning books.

Channing is a precocious 4th grader who becomes interested in dinosaur bones and rocks after being given an assignment from her history teacher. She gets to learn more than she bargained for when her family takes a trip out West to New Mexico.

Throughout the story, Channing learns that true friends never abandon you when you embarrass yourself, that it is always important to make restitution when you lose something that has been lent to you, and that God has created a lot of different but amazing people with their own traditions.

What I Like: As with the first book, I love the relationship Channing shares with her grandmother. Nana is her sounding board when, in her mind,  her nine year old world gets turned upside down.

What I Dislike: As with the first book, I don't particularly care for the relationship Channing and her sister Katie have. They are constantly picking on each other, saying things that are not kind, and always looking for ways to verbally cut each other. As a mother with two children, I realize that sibling relationships are not always sunny, but I prefer to surround my children with examples of how siblings are to treat each other well. As I read this book with my eight year old, we talked about the attitudes the sisters had towards each other.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: 6-10-year-olds.

Publisher Info: Thomas Nelson, 2015; ISBN: 978-0718032364; paperback, 128 pps., $6.99.

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Angels: A 90-Day Devotional about God's Messengers

Angels: A 90-Day Devotional About God’s Messengers, by Christa Kinde, is as the title implies, 90 days of devotions about angels. Each day's devotion starts with a Bible verse about an angel that is mentioned in the Bible (i.e, Gabriel), or answers a question about angels. Other Bible verses are scattered throughout the text. 

Each devotion also includes a discussion about the day's topic and ends with a section called "Dig a Little Deeper." this section contains questions that require discussion and/or future research about the topic.

What I Like: I like the thorough way the author has addressed the idea of angels. She discusses the subject from multiple angles, giving in-depth evidence for their existence.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: Teens and up.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2015; ISBN: 9780310747659; Paperback, 192 pages, $9.99.

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The Kindle edition is available for $5.99.

Special Info: Visit the author’s website.

Channing O'Banning and the Rainforest Rescue

Channing O'Banning and the Rainforest Rescue by Angela Spady is a great chapter book for young readers who are looking for wholesome adventures.

Channing O'Banning is a 4th grader who learns about the value of friendship and offering others a chance at friendship. Channing and her best friends' worlds are rocked when Marco moves into town.  She decides that she doesn't like Marco when he befriends her best friend Maddy. Yet a family summer vacation and a chance to get to know Marco help Channing realize that it is important to give others a chance at friendship.

What I Like: I really liked the relationship that Channing had with her grandmother. I am a firm believer in the importance of cross-generational family bonds, so seeing Channing consider her grandma as a person she could confide in and trust and someone she truly wanted to spend time with was refreshing.

My daughter really enjoyed this book. We read it together and every night she would always ask for one more chapter. I love books that my children cannot wait to read.

What I Dislike: I did not like the relationship Channing and her sister had. I know that siblings do not always get along perfectly (I have two children of my own), but children need to be shown good examples of siblings relationships, not ones that are hostile and passive aggressive. These two girls were always antagonizing each other and verbally cutting of each other. I had to constantly remind my daughter that this was not how we expected her to treat her brother.

Overall Rating: Recommended.

Age Appeal: 6-12-year-olds.

Publisher Info: Thomas Nelson, 2015; ISBN: 978-0718032623; paperback, 112 pps., $6.99.

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The Plans I Have for You Devotional

The Plans I Have For You Devotional by Amy Parker is a book of 90 daily devotionals. The book is divided into six sections; each section has 15 devotions. Each section highlights a character of the Bible as well as a specific thought

Each section highlights a character of the Bible, providing Bible verses and stories to show how the section title relates to that particular character as well as to our individual lives. A couple of section titles are "There's Nothing You Can't Do" and "I've Given You a Purpose." Moses is highlighted in the section called "There's Nothing You Can't Do" and Mordecai in the other one. Each section is filled with poems, stories, quizzes, scriptures and other items of interest that relate to the topic of that section.

Black and white illustrations by Vanessa Brantley-Newton are plentiful throughout and are multicultural in nature.

What I Like: Just about everything.

What I Dislike: Since the book is divided into 6 sections and each section has 15 devotions in it, and since the number "90" in printed in the upper left-hand corner of the cover, I thought each devotion would be numbered, i.e., #1 - #90. They are not. That's not really a problem; I just thought they would be.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: I'd say this book would be great for tweens and teens, so ages 9 and up would be about right.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2015; ISBN: 9780310725220; Paperback, , 160 pages, $14.99. 

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Special Info: Read our reviews of other books by Amy Parker. Visit Amy Parker’s website.

Beyond the Attic Door

Beyond the Attic Door,  by Tracy Del Campo, is set in the year 1925, the year of "the Scopes' Trial." John Scopes, a school teacher, is on trial for teaching about evolution in the classroom. The topics of God and the Bible, and of course evolution, are being hotly debated throughout the land. Many people think the outcome of the trial will be the death of religion.

But for Lulu and her 7-year-old brother, Buddy, who were raised in a family with a firm belief in God, their beliefs are not being shaken by the trial. Actually, their faith is still very strong. They do believe in science but they don't believe in evolution; their beliefs are based on Bible truths.

When the children visit their grandmother for the summer, they come across a machine their uncle made. He has it hidden in Grandma's attic. Not knowing what it does, they accidentally trip the device and end up in the past, all the way back to Biblical times. Their uncle invented the machine so he could go back in time to witness a major Biblical event. With his camera in hand, he could then take pictures and bring them back with him to the present, so he could prove the Bible is true. Of course, his plans don't work out so well.

What I Like: I like how the author combines the ideas of evolution, the Scopes trial, and a time machine in one story.

What I Dislike: However, although the premise is a good one, the storytelling part falls short. It feels like the author is trying to do too much in the story in such a short format. Perhaps, if the book were longer, the ideas would have worked better. The way it is written, the story is a choppy and not quite believable.

Overall Rating: Good.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Westbow Press, 2014; ISBN: 9781490837079; Paperback, 90 pages, $11.95.

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Snuggle Time Prayers

Snuggle Time Prayers by Glenys Nellist is a beautiful board book with simple scripture based prayers for young children.

Glenys Nellist is one of my favorite children's authors. Her writing speaks in a voice that children can hear and understand. Based on her writings, I can picture her having a very safe voice, perfect for the ears of little ones.

Each prayer features a one line verse with a reference. The prayer then reflects the heart of the verse with personal application in a way that little ones can understand.

These prayers can be read one each night, or as in my 4 year old's case, several in a row because he liked them so much.

What I Like: I am big on finding great illustrations in children's books because little ones can see and be pulled in by the pictures before they can read the words. Cee Biscoe's illustrations perfectly match the voice of Glenys in this sweet book. The cover photo is a great example of the illustrations found throughout the book.

What I Dislike: I loved everything about this book.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 2-4 years old.

Publisher Info: ZonderKidz, 2016; ISBN: 978-0310749325; boardbook, 30 pgs., $9.99.

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My Big Book of Bible Heroes for Kids: Stories of 50 Weird, Wild, Wonderful People from God's Word

My Big Book of Bible Heroes for Kids: Stories of 50 Weird, Wild, Wonderful People from God’s Word by Glenn Hascall is filled with, as the title says, stories of 50 "weird, wild, wonderful people" from the Bible. Hascall writes about well-known Bible heroes such as Noah, Abraham, Joshua and John the Baptist. He also includes stories about lesser-known characters like Shiphrah and Jochebed (Yes, those are real Bible names!).

The author relates an incident that illustrates a special heroic trait of each Biblical character mentioned. Each story is followed by a set of questions called "Learning from a hero." The questions are designed to create discussion about each story so the reader can learn from what the hero did.

Full-color Illustrations by Amit Tayal highlight every story title page, providing life-like representations of the people mentioned.

What I Like: This is a great selection of stories. I especially appreciated that the author included some stories about women from the Bible.

Each story includes a page with the person's name and a Bible reference for the story. It also includes the person's "Heroic Quality." Some of these qualities are endurance, compassion, and respect. I like the idea that being a hero doesn't mean you have to have a "super" power, you just need an "Heroic Quality."

What I Dislike: Unfortunately, the writing style is rather boring. While the author chose good Bible characters to write about, he writes too much with the passive tense, instead of using action verbs. For instance, consider these two sentences: "Samson was the strongest man anyone had ever seen. When he was born, he was dedicated to God." The word "was" is used three times in just these two short sentences. That's okay, but I think it would have been better written like this: "Samson was the strongest man anyone had ever seen. After his birth, his mother dedicated his life to God." What do you think?

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: 7-10.

Publisher Info: Shiloh Kidz, 2015; ISBN: 9781634093156; Paperback, 158 pages, $14.99.

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Special Info: Read our reviews of other books by Glenn Hascall.

  

Ten Things I Must Know: Bible Stories

Ten Things I Must Know: Bible Stories, by Elizabeth Akinteye, is a book of 10 Bible stories based on the 10 Commandments. The stories are preceded by an explanation of each commandment.

Colorful illustrations by Kate Solenova, that each make up a two-page spread, are scattered throughout the book.  Each chapter includes a head-shot of a child, which alternates between a boy and a girl.

What I Like: Sometimes it doesn't make a lot of sense to a child when you just give them a rule, like "honor thy father and thy mother." What does that really mean? The author does a good job of presenting the concepts of the commandments, with not only an explanation, but also a story that illustrates the point further.

What I Dislike: The illustrations of the children, both on the cover and in the book, appear to be computer-generated and are not very realistic.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: Ages 7 and up.

Publisher Info: Grosvenor House Publishing, 2015; ISBN: 9781781489802; Paperback, 80, $13.99.

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Special Info: Visit the author’s website.

That's Not Hay in My Hair

That’s Not Hay in My Hair,  by Juliette Turner, is the story of soon-to-be sixth-grader Juliette (Jules) O'Connor. After her end-of-the-year school party, she and her mother are leaving New York City to live on a cattle ranch in Texas. Her mother was born and raised in Texas, but left the state to live in New York City to work on her career as a writer. She bought a ranch in Texas, but never lived there, only going back to visit. Now, she and Jules will live there full time.

Jule's mother is familiar with life in Texas and life on a 300 acre cattle ranch. But, Jules has no clue what things will be like. She is terrified by stories of snakes and scorpions and coyotes. When the two arrive at the ranch, fully expecting to be looked after by long-time caretaker Beau-Dee, they are surprised to learn he will be leaving the ranch for good the very next day. How will the two survive on the ranch by themselves?

What I Like: I appreciated all this little "factoids" that were thrown into the storyline. The author did a good job of adding useful and interesting tidbits to the narrative, increasing my knowledge of cattle and horses.

What I Dislike: It was difficult for me to get into the story. I thought from the opening chapters, when Jules is preparing to move out of New York City and into a cattle ranch in the heart of Texas, there would be lots of conflicts between the city life and the country life. There wasn't. There was barely any mention of it at all.

I thought there would be a lot of problems that they would have to deal with on their own that they would normally have relied on Beau-Dee's help to figure out. Although there were a lot of problems to deal with, they didn't exactly have to do things by themselves. There was always someone who was just a phone call away. Turns out they really didn't need Beau-Dee, although the opening of the story made it sound like they would.

The author included a lot of things in the text that left me with more questions than answers. Here are just some of them (Unfortunately, there were many more.): How could a dog drag mud into the house when it hadn't rained? If Texas was so hot, why did Jules wait so long to react to the heat? Who actually set off the fireworks at their 4th of July party? What kind of vine has thorns in it?  If Maggie's left foot was so sore, why was that the one that she stamped the ground with? How come Jule's mother was caught totally off guard when Jules mentioned her first day of school was the next day?

There was also overuse of the actions of eye rolling, smirking and shoulder and head patting.

Although the book was published by Zonderkidz, Christianity seemed to be just an after-thought. Jules does superstitious things like crossing her fingers and her toes. Her mom kept using the phrase "Holy Moses." Prayer was offered before only one meal, by Jule's grandmother, at the end of which she crossed herself, even though Jules stated she wasn't Catholic. Early parts of the book mentioned they went to church in NYC, but there is no mention of them going to church in Texas.

Overall Rating: Ho hum.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN 9780310732440; Paperback, 240 pages, $8.99.

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TheKindle edition is available for $5.99.

Special Info: Just for girls.

That's Not Hay in My Hair

That’s Not Hay in My Hair,  by Juliette Turner, is the story of soon-to-be sixth-grader Juliette (Jules) O'Connor. After her end-of-the-year school party, she and her mother are leaving New York City to live on a cattle ranch in Texas. Her mother was born and raised in Texas, but left the state to live in New York City to work on her career as a writer. She bought a ranch in Texas, but never lived there, only going back to visit. Now, she and Jules will live there full time.

Jule's mother is familiar with life in Texas and life on a 300 acre cattle ranch. But, Jules has no clue what things will be like. She is terrified by stories of snakes and scorpions and coyotes. When the two arrive at the ranch, fully expecting to be looked after by long-time caretaker Beau-Dee, they are surprised to learn he will be leaving the ranch for good the very next day. How will the two survive on the ranch by themselves?

What I Like: I appreciated all this little "factoids" that were thrown into the storyline. The author did a good job of adding useful and interesting tidbits to the narrative, increasing my knowledge of cattle and horses.

What I Dislike: It was difficult for me to get into the story. I thought from the opening chapters, when Jules is preparing to move out of New York City and into a cattle ranch in the heart of Texas, there would be lots of conflicts between the city life and the country life. There wasn't. There was barely any mention of it at all.

I thought there would be a lot of problems that they would have to deal with on their own that they would normally have relied on Beau-Dee's help to figure out. Although there were a lot of problems to deal with, they didn't exactly have to do things by themselves. There was always someone who was just a phone call away. Turns out they really didn't need Beau-Dee, although the opening of the story made it sound like they would.

The author included a lot of things in the text that left me with more questions than answers. Here are just some of them (Unfortunately, there were many more.): How could a dog drag mud into the house when it hadn't rained? If Texas was so hot, why did Jules wait so long to react to the heat? Who actually set off the fireworks at their 4th of July party? What kind of vine has thorns in it?  If Maggie's left foot was so sore, why was that the one that she stamped the ground with? How come Jule's mother was caught totally off guard when Jules mentioned her first day of school was the next day?

There was also overuse of the actions of eye rolling, smirking and shoulder and head patting.

Although the book was published by Zonderkidz, Christianity seemed to be just an after-thought. Jules does superstitious things like crossing her fingers and her toes. Her mom kept using the phrase "Holy Moses." Prayer was offered before only one meal, by Jule's grandmother, at the end of which she crossed herself, even though Jules stated she wasn't Catholic. Early parts of the book mentioned they went to church in NYC, but there is no mention of them going to church in Texas.

Overall Rating: Ho hum.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN 9780310732440; Paperback, 240 pages, $8.99.

Buy now at ChristianBook $7.19!

Or buy at Amazon $8.99.

TheKindle edition is available for $5.99.

Special Info: Just for girls.

I Want To Be Just Like Jesus: Bible Storybook

I Want to Be Just Like Jesus: Bible Storybook, by Stephen Elkins, is a Bible storybook for children. book contains 40 different short stories about Jesus, each dealing with one of Jesus' characteristics. For instance, some characteristics cited are Jesus Was Responsible, Jesus Was Sincere and Jesus Was Generous.

Each of the short stories is preceded by a Bible verse and followed by a section called "Jesus in Me" that explains what each character trait means and how children can be like Jesus. Each section ends with a "Prayer for Today" and a call to action. One reads: "To be just like Jesus.... I will be sincere."

The illustrations by Simon Taylor-Kielty and Ruth Zeglin are bright and colorful and very kid-friendly.

What I Like: I like the overall design of the book. Although each section is four pages long and is repetitious in terms of what it contains and how it is laid out, the backgrounds, borders and illustrations make each one different and very visually appealing.

What I Dislike: Although I like the illustrations, as the people depicted in them remind me of Precious Moments figurines, I don't like the illustrations of Jesus. He simply looks like a big kid with a beard. He doesn't really look like an adult.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: No no age group is given for the book. It's difficult to determine the exact age group, as the layout and illustrations would suggest a rather young audience, say 4-8-year-olds. However, many of the words used in the stories are way above that age group. I'll say the appropriate age is somewhere between 6 and 10 years.

Publisher Info: Tyndale, 2015; ISBN: 9781496408211; Hardback, 173 pages, $14.99.

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Special Info: Read our reviews of other books by Stephen Elkins.

Power Prayers for Boys

Power Prayers for Boys by Glenn Hascall is, as the title implies, a book of prayers for boys. Each chapter deals with a different "type of power." For instance, some chapter headings are "My Attitude: The Power of My Thoughts"; "My Family - The Power of Love"; and "My Respect - The Power of Honor." Each chapter has 15 prayers relating to the chapter subject matter and each prayer is preceded by a corresponding Bible verse.

The writers use several different versions of the Bible for reference: NIV (New International Version); CEV (Contemporary English Version); NCV (New Century Version); NLT (New Living Translation); NLV (New Living Version); and NLT (New Living Translation).

What I Like: This looks like a good book for boys to go use. It gives them guidance and insights about 21 different topics that are relevant to them in their daily lives.

What I Dislike: I don't really like the type size used for the pages. The book is printed in a rather small type face. I think it would feel more user-friendly if the type were just a bit bigger.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Shiloh Kidz, 2015; ISBN: 9781630588588; Paperback, 218 pages, $7.99.

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Special Info: The title suggests this book is just for boys. Although some of the issues are specifically addressed to boys, many of these are relevant to girls, as well.

Read our reviews of other books by Glenn Hascall.

Play and Learn Bible Stories: Noah's Ark Wipe-Clean Storybook

Play and Learn Bible Stories: Noah’s Ark Wipe-Clean Storybook by Shiloh Kidz, is an interactive storybook about Noah and the ark. Each text page includes some type of activity that goes along with the story segment on that page.

Most of the activities are sticker-related, with over 100 bright stickers to paste in various places throughout the book. The text pages are numbered, and the stickers are grouped according to corresponding page numbers, making them easy to locate. There are also some tracing activities scattered throughout the pages. The tracing can be done with any type of dry erase marker (not included). The activities can be repeated again and again, as the stickers are reusable and the pages can be wiped clean.

What I Like: Just about everything. The pages are bright and colorful, the activities are kid-friendly, and the activities can be repeated.

What I Dislike: The book is supposed to be for ages 3+. The activities will be fun for all, but the language used in the text is not what I would consider kid-friendly for this type of activity book. Youngsters will enjoy the bright pages and the activities, but most of them will have trouble with the language level used to tell the story.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: The book is listed for ages 3+, but I think an appropriate age group would be about 3-8.

Publisher Info: Shiloh Kidz, 2015; ISBN: 9781630588946; Paperback, $6.99.

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Glimmer Girls: A Dolphin Wish

Glimmer Girls: A Dolphin Wish, by Christian Grammy winning artist Natalie Grant, is the second book in the FaithGirlz Glimmer Girls series.  Once again, Mia and Maddie are solving a mystery  again with their little sister Lulu!  Their mother is a famous singer so the entire family gets to travel with her around the world to her concerts. In the last book they traveled to London.  In this book they travel to the San Diego, California. While there, they visit an amusement park and encounter a mystery involving the animals.  The sisters also deal with feelings of jealousy between them while in San Diego.

What I Like: I appreciate that this book can stand alone from the first book in the series.   You will not be lost at all if you haven't read the first book and decide that you want to start with this one.

If you read my review of the first book, you will remember that I was concerned about  one of the characters sneaking out at night and not receiving consequences.  This disobedience was addressed more thoroughly in this second book.   I also appreciated the family discussions and their reliance on God throughout the book.

What I Dislike:  There was nothing I disliked about this book.

 
Overall Rating: Excellent.
 
Age Appeal: 8-12.
 
Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN:0310752531; Paperback, 144 pages, $8.99.

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Special Info: You can read my review of the first book in the series, Glimmer Girls: London Art Chase by clicking here.

Berenstain Bears Mother's Day Blessing

Mother's Day Blessings by Mike Berenstain the latest book from the Berenstain Bears Living Lights Series. This series incorporates faith and values into the story line of each book. The Berenstain Bears Mother's Day Blessing is about the Bear family's tour through Bear Country as they celebrate Mama Bear and learn about why mothers are so special to all of us.  On the very first page the author shows a picture of Mama Bear with a passage from Proverbs 31... "She is worth far more than rubies.  Her children arise and call her blessed. Honor her for all that her hands have done."

What I Like: I enjoy how this series weaves the scriptures and values into each story. The series was designed to "help children learn how God wants them to live every day."

I also liked that the book showed mothers in a variety of different roles.  There were moms that stayed home with their children, moms that worked, moms that owned a business and a mom that worked in ministry as a Pastor's Wife.
 
What I Dislike: I wish that the book was a little longer.  I feel that the conclusion of the book was a bit rushed. 

 
Overall Rating: Very Good.
 
Age Appeal: 4-8 years old.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN:0310748690; Paperback, 32 pages, $3.99

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The Beginner's Bible: All About Jesus Sticker and Activity Book

The Beginner’s Bible: All About Jesus Sticker & Activity Book by Zonderkidz, is filled with very short stories and activities relating to Jesus. The stories are about Jesus’ birth, his baptism, his first miracle, etc. A short story is told on each page, and activities relating to that story are included on that page.

Activities include stickers, tracing objects, coloring and drawing pictures, counting exercises, and several different kinds of puzzles. Colorful, cartoonish illustrations fill each page.

What I Like: This looks like a great book to not only keep little ones busy, but also to help them learn about Jesus.

What I Dislike: Although there are lots of stickers (more than 50) included with the book, and many places where they go throughout the pages, the stickers are not marked according to what page they are supposed to go on. I looks like it would be rather complicated for youngsters to locate the stickers themselves.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: No age group is given, but I would say this is the type of book for children in preschool and kindergarten.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2015; ISBN: 9780310746935; Paperback, $3.99.

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7 Days of Awesome

7 Days of Awesome by Shawn Byous is a picture book written in rhyme about Creation. The story's Dr. Seuss-like narrative and whimsical illustrations take children through the 7 days of Creation.  The book stays in rhyme throughout the entire book.  The scripture references in the book are taken from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.

What I Like: I liked that the book was based on the Biblical story of Creation that was written in Genesis.  The book is accurate in referring to what was created on each day according to the Bible. 

What I Dislike: I am not a fan of books in rhyme.  I feel like the wording is forced more often than not in order to make the rhyme work.  I also did not find the drawings to be appealing.  The style of artwork looked old fashioned to me. 

Overall Rating: Ho-Hum.

Age Appeal: Ages 4-8.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN: 03010743494; Hardcover, $16.9.

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Glimmer Girls: London Art Chase

Glimmer Girls: London Art Chase, by Christian Grammy winning music artist Natalie Grant, is the first book in the Faithgirlz Glimmer Girls Series.  Mia and Maddie are 10-year-old twins who fly to London with their little sister Lulu to watch their famous mother Gloria Glimmer sing in concert. While there they encounter a mystery.  The girls and their nanny try to solve who stole art from the National Gallery.

What I Like: I liked the elements of faith that were written throughout the book.  The characters struggled with feelings of jealousy, not fitting in and fear.  These were all addressed with the characters being told to pray and trust in God.

What I Dislike: There is a part in the story where the 10-year-old main character sneaks out of her hotel room in London to try to solve the mystery on her own.  She ends up being okay but I was disappointed that she did not receive consequences for sneaking out and putting herself in danger.  I think this really would have been a good opportunity for a teaching point on honesty, obedience and safety.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN: 987-0-310-75265-3; Paperback, 208 pgs., $8.99

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Under The Sea Holy Bible

The Under the Sea Holy Bible, NIV, is a perfect gift for children ages 6 to 10. Themes of underwater fun and sparkling fish grace the interior of this wonderful children’s Bible. The outside is covered in foil and sparkle. The interior has color inserts featuring whimsical underwater scenes with themes of God’s care and love for each of us and all of creation.

What I Like: The cover of the Under The Sea Holy Bible is absolutely adorable with the sparkly and foiled illustrations. Kids will be drawn to it. Within, there are several bright blue pages mixed within the bible pages that highlight teachings that kids could relate to easily. The ten commandments are listed in a simplistic form that makes sense to children. Another page highlights all of the children and teens mentioned throughout the bible and a small reference to who they were and what they did along with the scripture where you can find their story.

There is glossary in the back as well.

What I Dislike: Because I love the special blue pages so much, I was disappointed that there weren't more of them.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: 6-10 years old.

Publisher Info: Zondervan, 2016; ISBN: 978-0310754046 ; Hardcover, 1152 pgs., $24.99

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I Can

I Can by Karthryn O'Brien is a bright, colorful and beautifully illustrated book that helps young children understand and memorize scripture.  The book teaches Philippians 4:13, "I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." The verse is broken down simply and the author uses repetition and rhythm to facilitate the memorization.  The author gives examples of how each part of the verse connects with a child's everyday life.

What I Like: I love that this book helps young children to apply scripture to their own lives.  With the colorful and relevant pictures children will be able to immediately connect the Bible to their own experiences.

I love that this book not only teaches the scripture but also develops a love for the Lord and scripture early on in a child's life.  I think that Philippians 4:13 is a foundational verse that all children should have memorized!

What I Dislike: There was nothing that I disliked. 

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 3-6 years old.

Publisher Info: Tyndale House Publishers, 2016; ISBN: 978-1496411174; Hardcover, 32 pages; $14.91.

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