Monday, October 25, 2010

I Lift Up My Soul: Devotions to Start Your Day with God by Charles Stanley

A compilation of readings from Charles Stanley’s multitude of works. As a daily devotional, it’s laid out with a one page devotion for each day of the year, and includes a key verse and scripture passage as well. These Bible centered reflections are a positive and uplifting way to begin the day. As each passage is short and takes little time to read, this devotional would also be an asset to any busy schedule and could be pulled out and read anytime of day. In fact, the only fault I could find with this particular book is that if you are looking for a devotional with very “meaty” daily readings, this might disappoint. I would recommend this as a good devotional for everyday use and as a guide to other works by Charles Stanley that could elaborate on each of the daily topics. I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Really Woolly Bible Stories by Bonnie Jensen

Great book of Bible stories for little ones! Each is actually more like a poem written to briefly introduce these popular stories to children. They are written in rhyming fashion, which is both fun to listen to and to read. The popular stories are each covered: creation, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, David and Goliath, as well as many of the stories of Jesus. There are sixteen stories included in all, plus an introduction and a great little prayer at the end. The illustrations are wonderful. They are colorful and help to tell each story. There is also a reference with each story that directs readers to where in the Bible they can read more about each one. This would be a great baby shower gift or perfect for younger children, as it is a board book with a slightly padded cover. Really Woolly Bible Stories would also work well as a first reader for slightly older children. I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

"Big Red" Holy Bible - Contemporary 3-D Art International Children’s Bible

"Big Red" Holy Bible - Contemporary 3-D Art International Children’s Bible is a good choice for children age 8 and up, especially boys. The cover is attention grabbing as it is an almost holographic looking design. There are quite a few full color, detailed pictures throughout this Bible. Each depicts a scene from a particular Bible story. I love the International Children’s Bible translation, as it empowers younger children by giving them access to God’s Word. It is very readable and understandable. There are a few things I don’t care for in this particular Bible, however. The cover is very flimsy and mine is already crinkled and has edge wear after only a few days of use. The pictures are detailed and interesting, but they are grouped in sections throughout the Bible and don’t appear near the stories they depict. This makes it confusing and also makes the overall presentation seem very plain as there are whole sections with no illustrations what so ever. I would not give this as a gift Bible due to the flimsy structure, but I would use it with my own child as a good resource and a good translation for elementary aged kids. I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.