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.

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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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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Meet the Leapers

Meet the Leapers by Jennifer Gordon is the story of a frog family who live in the Soon Forgotten Pond. One day and angel visits the Daddy Frog and tells him to get his family to the largest lily pad in the pond in order to save them from the great storm God is sending.  Daddy Frog is told to encourage the other creatures to change their ways before the great storm comes. Sadly, no one listens to him. However, because the frog family obeys God, they are safe.

What I Like: I always look for how illustrations match up with the actual text of a book. Having a non reader, I know that he will connect with a book based on the pictures he sees. Scott R. Strub did a fantastic job connecting the text to the illustrations. Not only do they complement the story on each page, but the text is tastefully applied to the page. It is never put in an area that will make it difficult to read.

What I Dislike: I thought the attempt at making this story an adaptation of the account of Noah's Ark was a bit of a stretch.

Overall Rating: Very good

Age Appeal: 4-8-year-olds

Publisher Info: Jennifer Gordon, 2013; ISBN: 978-1-62890-413-0; paperback, 22 pgs., $8.95

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The Story of Jesus

There are two possible covers for this book.

The Story of Jesus put out by Flowerpot Press is a colorful board book designed to give children a synopsis of the Life of Christ.

The book begins with the birth of Jesus, highlights His teachings and miracles, touches on his death and resurrection, and ends with his ascension into Heaven.

What I Like: This book gives children a glimpse of the life of Christ. It was definitely written with the young child in mind. His story is told in such a way that very young children can easily understand it.

The illustrations are child friendly. Except for the picture of his birth, Jesus is depicted in a red robe so young children can pick him out in the illustrations immediately.

What I Dislike: Unfortunately, the shipping is going to cost more than the book itself.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: 3-5 year olds

Publisher Info: Flowerpot Press, 2011; ISBN: 978-1-897533-75-8; board book , 16 pgs., $0.01 + $3.99 S&H

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The Honey Bees Truth Be Told

The Honey Bees Truth Be Told, written and illustrated by Paula J. Giordano, is the second book in the Honey Bees series designed to teach children that God's Word can help them find a solution for any situation they find themselves in.

In The Honey Bees Truth Be Told, Bella has a problem- she lies about everything. She lies about having been to a theme park, and she lies about her abilities to do tricks on a balance beam. Bella's grandmother, Oomah, shares two Bible verses with her to show her what God thinks of lying. The next time she is confronted with a situation where she is tempted to lie, Bella remembers those verses and chooses to be truthful instead.

What I Like: As with the first book The Honey Bees Going to a New School, I love how the author teaches children to practically apply God's Word to their lives.

What I Dislike: As in my review of The Honey Bees Going to a New School, I felt that the use of a single paragraph per page made for difficulty in reading the story and not confusing which character was speaking which line.

In this book, the illustrations cover the entire page and the words are placed on top of the illustrations. This made for difficult reading what the letters printed in black were placed on top of very dark parts of the illustrations.

Overall Rating: Good

Age Appeal: 4-8 years old

Publisher Info: Xulon Press, 2012; ISBN: 978-1624193545; paperback, 34 pgs., $24.99

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The Honey Bees: Going to a New School

The Honey Bees: Going To A New School, written and illustrated by Paula Giordano, is the first of two Honey Bees books which teaches biblical truths and reminds children to always look for a solution to their problems in God's Word.

In The Honey Bees Going to a New School, NiNi is a little bee who is scared about going to a new school. Her grandma, Oomah, teaches her through Scripture that God will never leave us and will be with us when we are afraid.


What I Like: So many times, children are taught only Bible stories but are not shown how to practically apply God's Word to their lives. This book teaches children to take the principles from those Bible stories (David and Goliath is used in this story) in order to apply them to every day life.

What I Dislike: My four year old questioned why the bees looked like humans. Although I understand where the author/illustrator was coming from, to a young child, the idea of bees looking like tiny humans can be confusing.

I also was confused at times by the writing style. Everything on a page was written in one paragraph. At times, the only separation between a conversation between two characters were the quotation marks. Personally, having a conversation broken up on different lines is easier to read. It was also a bit hard to read since the verb tenses changed between past and present within the same paragraph.

Overall Rating: Very Good

Age Appeal: 4-8 years old

Publisher Info: Xulon Press, 2012; ISBN: 978-1-61996501-0; paperback, 30 pgs., $19.99


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Hooked on the Book

Hooked On The Book: Patrick's Adventures Through the Books of the Bible (Morgan James Kids) by Liz and Jack Hagler is a chock full of great information put in a kid friendly way to give children a great overview of what is contained in each book of the Bible.

Each large comic strip styled page of this 96 page book gives a fantastic overview of each book of the Bible along with little tidbits and great connections to give kids not only a book by book view but the overall thread that starts in Genesis and ends in Revelation.

The book is broken into chapters to give logical places to stop to keep children (and adults) from being overwhelmed by all of the content

I do not usually like busy pages in kids books, but the busyness of the pages in this book works.  So much information is given concerning each book of the Bible, I think the authors chose the best format to present it.

What I Like: As a homeschool mom, I try to teach both of my children the same information as much as possible. I was able to read this book to both of my children (ages 4 and 8), and they were both equally engaged.

I also really liked the illustrations. They appear to be hand drawn but they really work with the style of this book. Some of the information has been cleverly inserted into the illustrations, which kept me looking at the pages long after I had read the actual words.

What I Dislike: I really liked this book.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: 6-12 years old

Publisher Info: Hagler Publishing, 2011; ISBN: 978-0-615-46549-4; hardcover, 96 pgs., $19.95


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Suzette Gives Thanks for Instant Bible Lessons for Nursery: Give Thanks to God

Last year brought some changes not our home and family in a wonderful way. After being members at our current church for (at the time) six years, I was asked to step into the position of Interim Director of Children's Ministry until a full time Children's Minister could be found. I continue to serve in this capacity, and it has been a blessing to our family in so many ways.

I am thankful for the extra income it has blessed us with. I am thankful for the people I have met. I am thankful for the glimpse of our wonderful staff and all of the hard work they do behind the scenes so our Sunday mornings are flawless. I am thankful for the friendships I have made which will carry on long after my services are no longer needed. I am thankful for the children I have the privilege of serving each week.

When I received today's book, I knew God had led Kristina and Cynthia to pack it in my box because it was so relevant to the ministry I am currently involved in.

Instant Bible Lessons for Nursery: Give Thanks to God by Mary J. Davis is a consumable book of eight lessons, complete with reproducible coloring pages, songs, and Bible lessons.

The lessons in this book are designed for nursery aged children with simple lessons which go over the same concept repeatedly so little ones can remember it. Each lesson can be broken up to be spread over an entire month which is great in giving little ones consistency in their lesson.

As is implied in the title, this lesson book focuses on thankfulness. The lessons include:

• Thank You God for My Family
• Thank You God for My Friends
• Thank You God for My Home
• Thank You God for My Pets
• Thank You God for My Food
• Thank You God for Water
• Thank You God for Clothes
• Thank You God for My Church

The last chapter of the book includes extra "Give Thanks" activities, including games, rhymes, and crafts.

Even children in the infant nursery can be taught to be thankful just by having the caregiving adult repeating the simple themes and verses while being rocked.

What I Like: I love the simplicity of the these lessons. Nursery curricula put together by larger groups often include "too much" stuff, and little ones are not designed to sit through and listen to a long drawn out lesson. The length of the lessons in this book are the perfect length for little ones. All of the pages in the book are also perforated for easy removal and photocopying.

As the Children's Ministry Director at our church, I look forward to implementing this book in our nursery.

What I Dislike: I liked everything about this book.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: 0-2 year olds

Publisher Info: Rainbow Publishers, 2012; ISBN: 978-1-58411-119-1; paperback, 96 pgs., $13.95


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The Case of the Campfire Caper

The Case of the Campfire Caper (Bill the Warthog Mysteries) by Dean Anderson is one in a series of Bill the Warthog Mysteries books.

In this book, Bill and Nick and several other boys go on a week long trip to camp. As each chapter accounts a part of the day Bill and Nick are living, a small "mystery" occurs. Based on the information read through the chapter, children are encouraged to figure out the solution to the mystery and why the content of the day was important to the biblical theme woven throughout the story.

In The Case of the Campfire Caper, the theme throughout the book is Creation. Rather than going through the typical "Day one- God made light," a subtle mention of light is made and then children are asked why if was so fitting for light to be the answer to the solution on the first day of camp.

The solution answers are at the back of the book and include another page of reading to end each chapter. Although this book would be great for boys (the characters in this particular book are all boys), my seven and a half year old daughter enjoyed it very much.

What I Like: Because the Creation account is so foundational to our faith, I love finding books that reiterate and review Creation for my children. I also like the way this story causes children to stretch their minds a bit in order to solve the mystery in each chapter.

What I Dislike: I liked this book very much.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 8-12 years.

Publisher Info: Legacy Press, 2011; ISBN: 978-1-58411-081-1; paperback, 112 pgs., $7.99


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My Jesus

My Jesus by Shawn Todd is a simple yet wonderful book proclaiming Jesus. Each page gives a brief of description of who Jesus is, His relationship with us, or what He expects of us and a verse where the faith foundation being taught can be found.

Each layout includes one page with the Biblical concept on one page and a great illustration on the other. The illustrations are also by Shawn Todd and he does a fantastic job of making the illustration as relevant to the concept being taught as possible. The book cover is an example of the illustrations found in the book.

What I Like: I think Shawn Todd did a fantastic job of bringing the basics of our faith to life for children. Between the simplicity of the statements on each page and the illustrations, children will long remember the basic tenants of our faith for a very long time.... which as a parent is something I want.

What I Dislike: It took me a moment to warm up to the illustrations, but as soon as I did, this book quickly became one of my favorites because of the content and how the illustrations match beautifully.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 4-10 years

Publisher Info: Shawn Todd, 2014; ISBN: 978-0615940762; paperback, 40 pgs., $6.95

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God Helps Me Bible

God Helps Me Bible by Juliet David is a darling little Bible  book for toddlers. It is chunky in size, which is perfect for little hands. The illustrations by Claire Caddy are beautifully simple and toddler appropriate.

Each Bible account is two half pages long which is perfect for a toddler's attention span. At the end of each account, the reference of where the account can be found is included.

Twenty-five accounts are included, and each accounts with the phrase "God helped....." The author states her goal at the beginning of the book. "As you read the story with your parent, perhaps you can repeat the last sentence of the story: 'God helped...'"

What I Like: I like that this book is spiral bound so the pages lay flat, which makes for easier reading by parents and toddlers.

What I Dislike: I like everything about this book.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 1-3 years.

Publisher Info: Candle books, 2012; ISBN: 978-1859859162; spiral-bound hardcover, 104 pgs., $12.99.

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Up Down All Around

Up Down All Around by first time author Kevin M. Kelley is a beautiful retelling of the Creation account.

This book is different from any other book written about the Creation account that I have read. I love how the author speaks of God, calling Him Elohim, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, introducing children to the concept of the Trinity in a beautiful way and God's name in Hebrew.

The idea of Up Down All Around comes after the explanation of Creation. Up Down All Around has to do with the harmony that God intended between Himself and us (up), between us and his creation (down), and between us and those around us (all around).

The illustrations align beautifully to each page of story. God's hands and body are outlined in white in the illustrations showing that he is present during the Creation of the world.

What I Like: One aspect of the book which is love is how God is continuously show as one God in three Persons. The Trinity can be hard to explain to children, but I think this book is a great starting point. As children hear this book read to them over and over again, it will give them the pieces for one day understanding one of the foundations of our Christian beliefs.

With the purchase of this book, there is a code included in the back of the book. This code enables the purchaser to access the audio book file, allowing this book to be heard by children at times when the parents are unable to read to them.

What I Dislike: I liked this book very much.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 5-12 years.

Publisher Info: Tate Publishing, 2014; ISBN: 978-1631220487; paperback, 28 pgs., $9.99

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Can God See Me?

Can God See Me? by Penny Reeve is a sweet book in the spirit of The House that Jack Built where each page builds on what the previous page said.

The question is asked, "Can God see me?" Throughout the story, a very fantastical situation is thought up by a little boy and the question is continuously asked. I love how the end of the story concluded with, "At the base of the hill, far away from the tree... I'm so thankful God can still see me."

What I Like: On a personal level, I love that when my daughter walked up to me as I was writing this review, she remembered the story and the conclusion most of all. It has been several months since we read this one together. As a parent, I love when a book impacts my own child to the point where remembers it vividly.

I also love the illustrations. They line up perfectly with the fantastical wording. The illustrations leave plenty of "white" space for the words to take center stage, yet they stand on their own to complement the story perfectly.

What I Dislike: Although I have a paperback version of this book, it is only available as an e-book for Kindle at this point.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 3-8 years old.

Publisher Info: Wombat Books, 2013; ISBN: 978-1-922074-97-3 ; Kindle, 24 pgs., $3.99.

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Why Did the Osprey Poop on My Head?

Why Did the Osprey Poop on my Head? by Helene Clarke is a small book which covers the question, "If God is so good, why do bad things happen?" It is a question that children ask.... and so do their parents.

Timmy is a little boy who is always saying, "God is good." One day an osprey poops on his head, and he wonders why, if God is so good, He allowed that to happen. The next day, at his uncle's funeral, Timmy overhears the adults asking the same question. One of the adults explains that bad things happen to everyone, but those who know that God loves them have hope.

What I Like: I like that this book covers a difficult topic in a way that children can relate to and does not get too deep into the reason for bad things happening. Most children are not ready for that particular conversation.

What I Dislike: I personally could have done without the poop, which is mentioned more than once.

Overall Rating: Very good

Age Appeal: 6-12-year-olds

Publisher Info: Tate Publishing, 2011; ISBN: 978-1-61739-839-1; paperback, 24 pgs., $8.99

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