Embracing the Full, Hard and Good Life, While Pausing Often by Quiet Waters
Often I receive books to review, and many of them are children’s books. This week I have received Love Letters from God, Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart.
This is such a pretty book, with very inviting, colorful illustrations. Inside, each story includes a pop up “letter from God” that draws from the Biblical story.
Oh, reading in March has been delightful, deep and at times challenging. It has been a little bit of light-hearted fiction, along with some encouragement and some admonition to consider the truth in “all is grace.’ It really is fantastic how a good story can get a mind thinking, bring direction to a life, and minister to a heart. I hope that you have experienced some of that this month!
I just realized that I don’t have any photos of the books I actually read this month. The photo above, that I took in February, was of a stack of books I thought I would read in March. But that only partly happened. Only a couple of these books were read. Others were returned to the library, as renewals were not available. Those library fines sneak up on me too often!Continue Reading
It is a joy to have the opportunity to receive new books in exchange for my review. Only God Can Make a Kitten is one such book. This is a delightful story, with gentle rhyming and soft, whimsical illustrations. The story goes rollicking around in a conversational style, as a mother cheerfully answers the many questions of her young one. And at the end of the story, a wonderful, firm affirmation of the child’s person hood and purpose is spoken. Love that!
On another note, my 15 year old is always quick to grab any book that comes into the house. After I opened the package she sat right down to look Only God Can Make a Kitten over. While she says she truly enjoyed the illustrations and the story, she absolutely did not enjoy the rhyming. We conversed about that for a bit. We have seen a number of new children’s books and many of them are written in rhyme, something that is beginning to feel overdone. Stories without rhyme would be good to see more often!
Only God Can Make a Kitten is a good book to add to a family’s library. If you are interested in receiving new books in exchange for your personal opinion, check out BookLookBloggers!
The Legend of St. Nicholas
Just in time for early Christmas season planning the book “The Legend of St. Nicholas, A Story of Christmas Giving” arrived on my doorstep. For many years we have added a book or two to our family library for the holiday season and I am delighted to have this beautiful addition to the collection.
This retelling of the St Nicholas legend is modernized, but told in a lovely gentle tone. My first impression of the book was from the dust jacket. The dust jacket is colorful and has wonderful texture. A finger brushed across the title finds smooth raised letters and then glittery snow.
While I find it important to stick to a more historical retelling of St Nicholas, this book’s modern spin may help children associate better with the story, and be an additional encouragement. It is challenging to help children think outside of themselves and sweet stories are often a great way to draw attention to the beauty of generosity.
In The Legend of St. Nicholas, the new artwork, created by Marley and Me illustrator, Richard Cowdrey, captivates audiences and tells the story of a young man named Nicholas, who was moved by the plight of the poor and needy. Nicholas spent his life secretly helping the poor all over the world, giving gifts on Christmas Eve to remind people of the greatest Gift of all, Jesus Christ. This gentle Christmas book introduces the original St. Nicholas and offers inspiration for readers to become cheerful givers themselves. The final pages in the book include fun Father Christmas traditions in other lands.
About the Author
Dandi Daley Mackall is the author of over 400 books and still can’t believe she gets to write for a living, helping children of all ages grow spiritually. She and her husband, Joe, both write from rural Ohio, where they’re blessed with three children and a variety of horses, dogs, and cats.
About the Illustrator
Richard Cowdrey’s favorite things to draw and paint are the things that reflect the awesomeness of God and His creation. From vast landscapes to the littlest bug on a leaf, Richard marvels at the beauty in the details. Richard’s bestselling children’s books include Bad Dog, Marley and A Very Marley Christmas.
Thank you to BookLookBlogger network for the opportunity to receive and review this book.
Hello Friends and Readers. The blog has been very quiet for a time. There are seasons of quiet when there are no words, and it is necessary to be still. This has been one.
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Welcome Back!
It has been quite awhile since a Sponsorship Saturday has appeared here on the blog. Every once in awhile I’ve been sending stories and public domain books in our letters to sponsor children. The response has been fantastic. The kids of all ages seem to like the stories.
Earlier in the month I found another story for the children we sponsor through Compassion. As I read the story and thought about it, a topic from Scripture came to mind. So, I spent some time putting it all together and sent The Sheep and the Pig along with a letter to our sponsored children.
