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"Big Red" Holy Bible

I chose this book through the BookSneeze program because, with our first child on the way, I thought that it’s never too early to make sure we had a children’s Bible in the house. The fact that it had illustrations using 3D art was a nice bonus. Although, just to clarify, it is 3D art in the sense that it was made with (I am presuming) 3D software. It is not 3D in the sense that you need glasses to look at the pictures; otherwise they’ll be all blurry. That being said, I enjoyed the illustrations. They were something different than other children’s Bibles I remember from my youth. The cover art is good. It looks fun and definitely establishes it as a Children’s Bible. Honestly, I’m all for any version of the Bible that gets the Word to more people (be it children, different languages, etc). I know it’s still a few years off, but I like knowing that when my children start reading, they’ll have a Bible that they’ll be able to understand and learn about Jesus and God’s love. I would recommend this book to anyone with children at or nearing reading age.

Disclaimer: I received this book free of cost through Thomas Nelson Publishers’ BookSneeze program.

Really Woolly Bible Stories

Let it be written: “Really Woolly Bible Stories” is an absolutely wonderful children’s book! I was excited about this book from the moment I saw it available on Thomas Nelson Publisher’s BookSneeze website. First of all, the cover is absolutely adorable. I mean, could they possibly have gone more over-the-top with cuteness? A lamb, a bunny, and a baby duck reading Bible stories – hats off to the illustrator (Julie Sawyer Phillips). This book also has one of my favorite features in a children’s book: thick pages. The cover and pages are nice and tear-proof. Very handy for the little ones that like to grab and point at the pages and pictures.
When it comes to the stories themselves, they do not disappoint. Each flip of the page brings a new Bible story. It’s kind of like a children’s version of Cliff Notes – that also rhymes. It’s great to see a book that tells Bible stories for the very young children. The author, Bonnie Rickner Jensen, has done a wonderful job of conveying classic Bible stories for the little ones. I give Really Woolly Bible Stories my highest recommendation for children’s books. Both the writing and illustrations are absolutely perfect.

The King's Christmas List

This is a suprisingly terrific childrens book. I honestly enjoyed “The King’s Christmas List” (by Eldon Johnson) much more than I thought I would. I had selected “A Christmas Prayer” over this book a couple weeks ago because I was skeptical about this book. It turns out; both books had absolutely wonderful messages for the little ones. Where “A Christmas Prayer” is tailor-made for the younger children, “The King’s Christmas List” would probably be better suited for kids that can handle the simpler books and are ready to start with some more lengthy reading. While reading this book, I wondered if a younger child would be able to sit still long enough for this book. There are a few pages that have quite a bit of text on them for a typical childrens book. This is why I would recommend “The King’s Christmas List” for kids who can handle even the simplest reading on their own. As far as the illustrations, this is a very well drawn book. There is typically plenty of detailed illustration on each page – which helps when it comes to those text-heavy pages. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. It is a great reminder of the true meaning of Christmas and the gifts we should be giving (and the gift we have received).


Note: I received this book for free through Thomas Nelson Publishers’ BookSneeze program.

A Christmas Prayer by Amy Parker

Let me start by saying: this is a GREAT children’s book! The message was pitch perfect with what you would want your child to be learning at Christmas time. The language was great. Not too much, but not too little. Also, it had good flow and rhymed really well, which is a plus for kids’ books. The first, and most instantly noticeable thing about this book is the binding. It is one of those books with the puffy covers, so it’s kind of soft on the outside. It’s a great touch for a children’s book. It also has the thick (kind of cardboard-like) pages. Which are great if you have kids that like to grab at the pages. They’ll have a tough time ripping those pages out. The illustrations are somewhat stylized. In some cases, this can be bad. In other cases, it’s good. This is one of those cases where it is good. The illustrations are done well and don’t distract from the words or the message of the book. Overall, I thought this was a great children’s book. This was the first children’s book I’ve received from the BookSneeze program through Thomas Nelson Publishers and I will definitely be selecting more. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with young children who want a book that highlights what we should really be thankful for at Christmas.

One Hand, Two Hands

One Hand, Two Hands by Max Lucado is a pretty good children's book. It has your standard cute-ness required of a chilren's book and a pretty good message as well, which is always a plus. There were a couple of little oddities I noticed while reading through this book, however. There's a few parts that don't quite rhyme that are a little awkward to read. And one line about snapping your hands - maybe he meant fingers, I'm not quite sure - that didn't seem to make much sense. That being said, the book had a fantastic ending where the true message came through. I would've liked to see more of the message of using our hands for things God would want us to do throughout the book, rather than seemingly tacked on at the end. The moral of the story is still told, but I would’ve liked to see it begin coming into play sooner.
One of the best things about this book is the work of illustrator Gaby Hansen. Every page shows a cute scene that the little ones are sure to enjoy. Sometimes it’s easy to take for granted good illustration in a children’s book, but let’s face it, that’s what the kids are most interested in (to start with anyway). Overall, I thought this was a very nice children’s book with a good message and fantastic illustrations. Though there were a couple oddities with the writing, I wouldn’t say they pulled the book down. While it’s not the greatest children’s book in the world, it is one of those with a great message to relay to the little ones. That, in my opinion, is what matters when it comes to children’s books.

'The Map' by David Murrow

Robert Langdon he is not. I was very excited about this book when it became available on BookSneeze. The premise, half pulse-pounding mystery novel, half insightful book on men and their general absence in the church, was quite promising. As the Dan Brown novels, while not exactly historically accurate, are amazingly fun reads, I was very interested in this book. It was when I received the book and began reading it that my fascination began to decline. To be honest, I didn’t even finish the first half.
Perhaps I set my expectations too high. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by the pure entertainment of the Robert Langdon novels. Whatever the reason, I couldn’t even make it through the first half of this book. In particular, what really broke me out of any kind of connection I had with the story was how often Murrow mentions his previous works. I realize he’s playing this off as being actual events in his life, but saying on multiple occasions something to the effect of: ‘I’m David Murrow, author of ____ book and _____ book’ was a bit much. I half expected him to finish the thought with ‘… available at online retailers for the low price of $9.99 plus tax!” When I read an entertainment book (even if it only makes up half the actual book) I want to be entertained. Not reminded of the author’s other accomplishments.
This, coupled with the obvious attempt at writing a Dan Brown-esque half-book, without fully succeeding, caused me to not even make it to the second half of the book. (Which, from what I’ve read, is the actual message!)
This being said, I believe that this half-fiction, half-inspirational/educational method has a lot of potential. I know I’ve mentioned Dan Brown a lot in positive ways, but I was even unable to get through his first two books. Perhaps Murrow should take another crack at this method of book-writing. Perhaps someone else should. Either way, whoever the next author is to attempt this, I hope they realize that they need to put a lot of thought and time into getting the reader interested in both halves of the book. I give The Map 2 out of 5 stars for it’s premise and attempt to get his message out to mystery/action readers.