The Berenstain Bears Mother’s Day Blessings~A ZonderKidz Review

    Brother, Sister and Honey bear are on a mission!  They want to do something for Mama bear on her special day, Mother’s Day.  They cannot come up with anything special enough so they talk with Papa decide on something that fits perfectly!  They want to surprise Mama so they don’t say anything.  As they are driving to church Mama points out all the mother’s in the town who are working on their special day,  emphasizing to the bear cubs that a mom can be a homemaker, doctor, police officer and so on, something that the bear cubs didn’t know or realize.  So what is the speical surprise?  Did Mama like the surprise?  Did she have to spend the day cleaning up their messes? Check out this cute Berenstain Bears book to find out!

You can get this book or check out other great titles from ZonderKids by clicking here!

Thank you to ZonderKids for the opportunity to review this book!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the above mentioned product in exchange for a frank and honest review.  A positive review is not guaranteed.  All opinions are my own.  Your results and opinions may differ.

A Daring Sacrifice by Jody Hedlund~A ZonderKids Review

A Daring Sacrifice is well written love story, by Jody Hedlund.  A story of sacrifice and loyalty.  Juliana was a nobleman born into that life.  When her uncle wrongs her and her father is killed she flees and lives with the poor peasants.  She takes care of these people by stealing from the noblemen.  Daily, she sacrifices her life for the peasants to make sure they have something to eat, knowing that if she were caught she would be harmed, or killed.
     Then she is captured by Collin, a childhood acquaintance.  He recognizes her for who she is brings her back to his castle and makes a bargin with her that he will give her a purse of money if she stays with him for a week.  She then makes the deal if he agrees to stay with her the week after and she where she lives and how the poor live. 
    Neither of them thought about what would happen when her uncle came to the castle as an invited guest.  If he found out who she was what would he do?  So Julianna flees the castle.  Collin realizes that he wants to marry her and goes after her.  Does she feel the same?  Did uncle capture her?  Will Collin win his bet and make Julianna realize where she came from and what she deserves?  Will Collin see the poor and want to join/help them? You just have to read it to find out.  What a great love story about sacrifices, the true meaning of love, where it will carry you and what it can make you do.
  
 I would recommend this book teens and up, anyone who loves a good fairy tale.

You can check out this book and other great books at Zondervan.

Thank you to ZonderKidz for the opportunity to review this book!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the above mentioned product for free, in exchange for a frank and honest review.  A positive review is not guaranteed.  All opinions are my own.  Your results or opinions may vary.

God is Watching Over You by P.J. Lyons

  God is Watching Over You is a chunky soft cover board book with cardboard pages, great for little fingers to turn.  Through out the pages of the book you follow a little lamb as the reader is reminded that God is always watching over us.  “I’ll read you books, You’ll say a prayer, Then climb beside your treasured bed.  Bedtime Kisses, right on cue.  God is watching over you.” is one of the pages with gentle reminders that God is always there. 
     Illustrated by Tim Warnes, the characters all have charismatic demeanor, beautifully illustrated!  This book is a must have for anyone with a child under the age of 5.  Our children are never to  young to be taught about our Father.  This book would be a great gift for a baby shower book or new parents!

Thank you ZonderKidz for the opportunity to review this book!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the above mentioned product for free, in exchange for a frank and honest review.  A positive review is not guaranteed.  All opinions are my own.  Your results and opinions may vary. 

101 Ways To Have Fun from Faithgirlz and Girls’ Life Magazine~A ZonderKidz Review

     The editors of FaithGirlz and Girls’ Life magazine have put together this great book of fun things to do.  Whether you have a few hours with friends,  are planning an all day event or having a sleep over, this book is loaded with a lot of different activities.  Each of the 9 chapters takes a section: Just For You, Friend Zone, Get Active and Get Crafty are just some of the Chapter titles.  There is also a chapter on starting a business!
     Great ideas like: making up goofy predictions, building your own outdoor games, Becoming Fit Friends Forever is what you find with in the chapters.  Each topic or idea explains how to set them up and what you will need for each activity.  A must have book for any girl!

You can check out this book and other great books at Zondervan.

Thank you to ZonderKidz for the opportunity to review this book!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the above mentioned product for free.  In exchange for a frank and honest review.  A positive review is not guaranteed.  All opinions are my own.  Your results and opinions may differ.

PREVIEW: Baby Wren and the Great Gift by Sally Lloyd-Jones A Zonderkidz Review

    

   Each and every one of us has a special talent or gift from God.  Sometimes we know them early on in our lives and sometimes they take a few years to be discovered.  Baby Wren figures out quickly that she can't do the same things as the other animals. 
   Written by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jen Corace, you follow Baby Wren as the other animals ask her to join them on their adventures, doing what THEY do best.  Kingfisher, for example, invites baby wren to go fishing..which she can't do.  Come swim with us, again she can't swim.  Each time Baby Wren sees another one of God’s beautiful animals she is amazed at what they are doing, yet realizes she can’t for various reason:  she is too small, she can’t swim.   
  Then Baby Wren finds what her special gift is!  She then shares it with the other animals, just as God wants us to share our talents/gifts with others.     A great message for little ones to hear, that we are all different and bring something with us so to speak.  It takes all of us with all our different gifts,  working together to make it all complete, just as God intended.

You can preorder this book from ZonderKidz by clicking here!  The book will be released April 5th, 2016.

Thank you to ZonderKidz for the opportunity to review this book!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the above mentioned product for free, in exchange for a frank and honest review.  A positive review is not guaranteed.  All opinions are my own.  Your results and opinions may vary.

Under the Sea Holy Bible ~ Zondervan Review

The Under the Sea Holy Bible is a hard cover, colorful and sparkly Bible.  It is written in the NIrV version so it is easy for young readers to understand.  A great way to get them into the word. 
     I have to say that I was disappointed that there are not more pictures.  To be themed under the sea, the cover fits perfect!  I felt that there could/should have been more marine life through out the book.  Other than the covers, there are 6 sides (3 pages) that have colorful marine pictures.  My daughter liked the colorful page that had things like: the 10 commandments on it, the A,B,C’s of becoming a Christian and love phrases for kids, for examples.
     I love the colorful and hard cover.  I love that it is written in the reader version so that our young ones can get in the to the word and understand what it is about.  I was just a bit disappointed that there were not more of the colorful pages.

You can check out this book and other great titles at ZonderKidz.

Thank you to ZonderKidz for the opportunity to review this book!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the above mentioned product for free, in exchange for a frank and honest review.  A positive review is not guaranteed.  All opinions are my own.  Your results and opinions may vary.

That’s Not Hay in my Hair! by Juliette Turner~A ZonderKidz Review

That’s Not Hay in my Hair, is a story written by Juliette Turner.  She is a 14 year old who was moved from the big New York City, to her mom’s ranch in Texas.  When the book opens it is the end of the school year in New York and Juliette is going to her end of year party and getting ready for the move,  goodbye’s are always tough.  Once she gets to Texas she has to adjust to living in a new place and a different setting,the ranch versus the city.  I would say the book covers a summer’s span of her life.
The book is an account, in my opinion, of her summer on the ranch:  cows in a ravine and road, stranger popping over in the wee hours to let you know your animals are out, sick animals and newbies just born are all a part of this new lifestyle Juliette has been moved into.  I enjoyed reading about her adventure, however, it wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would have been with the creative title.  Let me explain…I live in a rural area and have experienced a lot of the agriculture mishaps and “adventures” that come with that lifestyle.  Every day on the farm is an adventure when you are raising animals.The experiences that Juliette and her mom experience are all part of the adventure of life on a ranch or farm. 
     A great story for those who have never experienced farm or ranch life.  I can attest that this is really what life is like when raising animals!

You can check out this title and other great titles at Zondervan!

Thank you to ZonderKidz for the opportunity to review this book!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the above mentioned book, in exchange for a frank and honest review.  A positive review is not guaranteed.  All opinions are my own.  Your results and opinions my differ.

Angels in the Bible Storybook by Allia Zobel Nolan~A ZonderKidz Review

     Do you believe in Angels?  How about the ones you see on TV?  Do you think they look “real” or portray what a real angel is like?  I do believe in Angels!  I am not sure what they look like to know if what is portrayed in the media is accurate, however I think that God sends us angels at different times for different reasons to help us on our journey here on earth. 
     In Allia’s book, Angels in the Bible Story book, she uses concrete evidence from the bible that shows us angels do exist!  Allia pulls from the new and Old Testaments, (15 from each), to show the reader, in an easy to read format, the part angels play in helping us and serving God.  There are many stories in the Bible where Angels are shown as messengers and they are also shown as a "siren" used to warn of bad, like Herod. What a great book to help illustrate the important roles that God’s angles have serving him.  

About the author:  Allia Zobel Nolan is an internationally-published author of over 200 children’s titles and adult trade titles. Her books reflect her two main passions, God and cats. Zobel Nolan lives and writes in Connecticut with her husband, Desmond Nolan and their two feline children. 

You can check out this book or other great titles from Zonderkidz!

Thank you to ZonderKidz for the opportunity to review this book!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the above mentioned book for free, in exchange for a frank and honest review.  A positive review is not guaranteed.  All opinions and results are my own. Your results and opinions may differ.

Inspiring Words~30 Verses From The Bible You Can Color

I do have to say, the first time I saw that adult coloring books were on the market I had mixed feelings.  It struck me as exciting and funny.  I thought why would we need "adult" coloring books.  It isn’t that I don’t like to color, I LOVE it (only not with markers) and I find it very relaxing.  I have always colored with my kids.  I just didn’t really see the need for an adult book.  We don't really have any coloring books any longer here.  When the kids want to color, I look for printable pages.  We go to different websites and look for their favorite characters, like Stawberry Shortcake or Lego Ninjago.  Of course my all time favorite has to be Snoopy, I also love Mickey and the gang, however the possibilities are really endless as to what you can get to color.  When I saw this was for review I was excited to see what they hype was.
     For this book, there are 30 bible verses that are decorated with outlines of different shapes and prints that you can color in any way.  Printed on thicker paper, it makes the end product nice and can be used with multiple mediums.  With the heavy pages I don't recommend tearing them out of the book.  They should be cut, I didn’t tear a couple of the pages out of the book straight!    The picture that you color outlines or frames the verses, making a nice piece of art that could be framed!  My 10 year old daughter was coloring a page with me.  What a great gift it would make especially to someone who may be in need of hearing the particular verse.
     Living in a tech absorbed world this book would make a great gift and a great way to spend some quality time together, with needed a plug!

You can check out this book, or other great books by Zondervan!

Thank you Zondervan for the opportunity to review this book!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the above mentioned product for free, in exchange for a frank and honest review.  A positive review is not guaranteed.  All results and opinions are mine, your results and opinions may differ. 

The Looney Experiment by Luke Reynolds ~A ZonderKidz Review

        The Looney Experiment, written by Luke Reynolds is recommended for ages 11-14 years old.  A heartwarming story about an awkward 8th grade boy.  His father has decided he needs to find himself and leaves the family.  Atticus is in middle school, a very pivoting time for children as they are growing up.  He lacks confidence in himself that he should have, he gets picked on, doesn’t stand up for himself and is afraid to speak out.  He even likes a girl, but is too afraid to talk to her!  Some of the same things middle school age children deal with every day.  For Atticus will things ever change?  Things are not looking much better when his teacher goes on maternity leave.  He then finds himself with a substitute teacher, Mr Looney, a 77 year old man who has unconventional ways of teaching. Thru Mr Looney’s teachings Atticus’s life is change forever!  A great story of courage and self empowerment.

     About the author:
Luke Reynolds currently teaches seventh-grade English in the public school system in Harvard, Massachusetts. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two young boys and a young dog who is intent on waking up those young boys as often as possible. Luke is a lover of writing, running, pancakes, hiking, and all things goofy. His website is www.lukereynolds.com, and he blogs at reynoldsluke.blogspot.com. His previous work includes nonfiction such as: Break These Rules: 35 YA Authors on Speaking Up, Standing Up, and Being Yourself; A Call to Creativity; and Imagine It Better: Visions of What School Might Be.
 
  You can check out this book and other great titles from ZonderKidz!

     Thank you to ZonderKidz for the opportunity to review this book.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the above mentioned product for free, in exchange for a frank and honest review.  A positive review is not guaranteed.  All opinions and results are my own.  Your opinions and results may differ.

Faith Builders Bible ~A ZonderKidz Review

The Faith Builders Bible NIrV, is recommended for ages 6-10 years old.  The colorful, brick, hard  cover  is very inviting for children, especially those who love to create with the blocks.  At the  beginning of the book, there are brick towers, if you will, that colorfully display the books in the Old Testament and the New Testaments. Sprinkled throughout the book are a couple of dozen pictures illustrated with block characters and scenes, like the Nativity or Jesus feeding the people, that your child could easily make for themselves.  What block builder wouldn't want to create the stories for themselves?

From the back of the book:
Building a strong foundation on God's Word Brick by Brick.
  Perfect for the brick builder in you, the Faith Builders Bible, NIrV contains the complete text of the east to read New International Reader's Version (NIrV) of the Bible with 24 full color pages of Bible stories.  Ideal for home, school, or church use, it is small enough to fit into almost amy backpack or bag.
Features:
   Colorful brick creations showing some of the best loves stories of the Bible
Complete Bible test of the easy to read New International Reader's Version (NIrV)-The NIV for kids
Presentation page

You can check out this Bible and other great books from Zonderkidz here!

Thank you to ZonderKidz for the opportunity to review this book.

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the above mentioned book for free, in exchange for a frank and honest review.  A positive review is not guaranteed.  All opinions are my own.  Your results or opinions may differ.