S Club Mama

Prayer comes naturally to me in only one form: for my children. I have to work harder to take the time to pray for most all else. Matthew Paul Turner must know the heart of parents for their children because his new book “When I Pray for You” perfectly articulates those prayers laid at the feet of Our Savior.    What I love: This book knows prayers - real prayers from parents: prayers for well-being (emotional and physical), for their futures, their passions. Prayers when they are cute and cuddly. Prayers for when they aren’t. Prayers to help them along or watch them fly solo. All the prayers summarized in this lyrical, beautifully illustrated book. Too often when a book is about prayer, it's very vague. While this book does not articulate specific prayers, it does encompass what we pray about when we pray for our children!  I’ve read through it with each of my kids - 11, 9, 3, and 7 months old. Each line fit them perfectly (especially the one about light saber...

My nine-year-old son has started to read The Prince Warriors trilogy by Priscilla Shirer. He's working his way through the second in the series. I loved when he came to me while reading the first series, saying, "Mom, there's a Bible verse in here!" He sure couldn't say that when reading "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." I love the faith infused in this Prince Warriors series. It's been fun to hear him tell his friends and older brother about this series (and it's worth 9 AR points!). So I had to read "The Winter War" by Priscilla Shrier, the first in the sequel series to The Prince Warriors. Image via Amazon.com "The Winter War" is basically an allegorical story, much like The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings series. There is a Christ figure (Ruwech), a God-the-Father figure (the Source), and even the Holy Spirit (The Sparks). There's an enemy (Ponèros) and his henchmen (Thayne and Lava Forgers). It took me a l...

My family first fell in love with Dandi Dalley Mackall's book "God Loves Me More Than That" when my boys were preschool aged. It has beautiful illustrations and a wonderful message based on Ephesians 3:17-19. I love being able to affirm that this author writes lovely books! Now she has a new book which can be summed up in four words:  Wow!  Uh-oh!  Yes! Ahh! That is the gospel in "Wow! The Gospel in Four Words." image via Tyndale Publishers The gospel is central to our lives and I love being able to share it in understandable ways with my children. My daughter is two years old and cannot fully comprehend even in this book of the gospel but she understands "wow" and "uh-oh" and those are words to build upon until she fully understands the gospel of "yes" and "ahh." The illustrations by Annabel Tempest in this book are vibrant. My Charlotte can easily spot Jesus. She's got that  Sunday  school answ...

My greatest desire would be to fulfill this Scripture:  "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." 3 John 1:4 Truly, the Lord has blessed me with my children and I try my very best to instill in them a love for the Lord. My hope is that this discipleship of my children will lead to their ownership in their faiths. That they may walk in the truth. One way I've found necessary in our lives to teach them is through books. We are bookworms, my children and I (my husband has come very far in his non-reading ways lol). My boys naturally lounge with a book daily. Even Princess, as small as she is, likes to be read to. One of her first words was "buh" which means "book." She is quite violent in placing them on your lap for you to read to her but it's with a good heart, a bookworm heart. image via amazon.com I love to have books that speak of God. Our favorites include "Look What God Made," "G...

I was the story time lady for 2 1/2 years at our local library - I love children's books! I especially love well-written children's books. There are a few things to look for in a good story time book. I'd like to share those with you using the illustration of "The Beautiful Garden of Eden" by Gary Bower because it exemplifies those characteristics. 1. It must be beautiful. This, of course, has more to do with the illustrations than the writing but a book with pictures that look like I drew them (definitely no artistry coming from my hands) are not going to draw in a child. The Beautiful Garden of Eden is illustrated by Barbara Chotiner. They are not too intricate but not too elementary. It's a beautiful blend of the two that lends wonderful pictures with this story. I love the bold colors she uses - deep pink and luscious green. I adore her details of the serpent's scales and the bramble thorns. image via Amazon.com 2. The words must dance. This is...

Many of you may remember a little book phenomenon called "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. It came around either in my late high school or early college days and was a sensation world-wide. I can tell you right now, what that book is about: living for Christ! Although I've never read the book myself, I know what it's about because I know what Rick Warren is about - living for Christ! image via BookLook I had the opportunity to read "The Lord's Prayer" by Rick Warren . It's a board book for small children, walking them through this prayer made by Jesus in the New Testament of the Bible. Warren provides the commentary to the prayer, taking kids through the whole prayer little by little. The prayer and commentary are accompanied by illustrations of children by Richard Jesse Watson. These beautiful pictures give a clear idea of the meaning of the Scripture. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will...

While my boys naturally go toward books about superheroes and space cats, I do try to have books that point them to Jesus in our home. Having the opportunity to read "Goodnight, Manger" by Laura Sassi (illustrated by Jane Chapman) was really a blessing. We have far less really young kid books about Jesus and God as we have grown up in our faith as our boys have grown up. Now having our little Princess, I'd like more books her age to point her to Jesus. "Goodnight, Manger" does just that. It's rhyming stanzas show Mary and Joseph putting the baby Jesus to bed only to be interrupted by barn animals and wise men and angels singing "Hosanna." Everyone tries to help the newborn King to sleep. image via amazon.com It's a really sweet little story that will show your young ones Jesus. If you're looking for theologically deep (which who is at 16 months old?), this is not for you. It depicts the wise men and shepherds visiting at the same ti...

My middle son always complains that I always get books for myself and never for them. He doesn't know that I am usually on the lookout for books for them, but the opportunity for adult books comes up more frequently than child books. image via Blogging for Books I love this sweet, sensitive boy! I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to get him "Me: A Compendium" by the Wee Society. I had to look up what a compendium was –   a collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject, especially in a book or other publication . To me it just seemed like a fill-in journal. I knew my son would love it! (but I have not watched it) LOL He started to fill it out immediately. I thought he would color it more and add more color but he insisted on using this new pen that he had gotten his school. He did a wonderful job of filling everything out. He only asked for help a few times on spelling. You probably should've asked a few more times...

I am always on the lookout for books that can strengthen the faith of my children. What I've often found is that through strengthening their faith, mine is as well. "Can I Really Jnow Jesus?" by Carolyn Larsen is one of those books that is easily read but is full of the right material. image via me; I love how clearly the gospel is presented Too often and I find that children's books are not deep enough to take our children from drinking spiritual milk to eating spiritual meet. I think that this is a book that bridges that gap. It is split into three parts: questions and answers about Jesus, questions and answers about salvation, and questions and answers about prayer. I like this book is factual and when it can use history to cement the Bible, it does. One question is "how can we know Jesus really existed?" and the book says, "the Bible, of course, tells us that Jesus existed as a human on earth." Then it goes on to tell about a Jewish...

I love children's Bibles but I like to read stories, too. The " Little Bible Heroes: Daniel and Miriam " (it's a flip book - one book per side) by Victoria Kovacs is a wonderful choice. A lot of children's Bibles skirt around hard issues of the Bible. For instance, in the story of Moses, some don't mention why Moses' mother sent him down the river. However, "Little Bible Heroes: Miriam" says "the ruler of Egypt is an evil pharaoh who orders all the Hebrew baby boys to be killed." And "Little Bible Heroes: Daniel" says "Later, the king has terrible dreams. He orders all the wise men put to death because they can't tell him what he dreamed and what the dreams mean." This world is a place with evil and sin in it and I think it's healthy to not hide it. A friend said it caused her some major faith doubt when she was older and realized that the story of Noah's Ark wasn't just animals coming in two by ...

I did not grow up praying. I still feel very awkward when I pray. I have read a lot about prayer because that's how I learn best. I still feel awkward. However, I have learned that God doesn't heard our awkwardness but our hearts.  My desire for better prayers (if there really is such a thing) lead me to read " Prayers that Changed History" by Tricia Goyer. I thought this author was familiar to me and I believe she has written articles for the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) magazine.  "Prayers that Changed History" is written for older elementary students, I think. I really like how it's written and arranged, though. You read a story about an historical character, then a question is posed based upon this story, a bit on how his or her story changed history, a Biblical account that is similar to this story, and finally how this can show in your life. Just a great explanation to really explain the relevance of this story in history and to the Bible...

I have fond memories of reading The Berenstain Bear series growing up. One my own sons are etching into their memories as they love BB books. We have a few out of their Living Lights series which is their faith-based books vs straight social stories that I grew up on. I love some of them: "All Things Bright and Beautiful" and "Love Their Neighbor." If you remember from an older post of mine, I reviewed their "God Bless America" and was taken aback by their using a reference of the Promised Land to America. Calling America the land flowing with milk and honey. Not really what God had in mind, I don't think. Like a friend said on Facebook the other day 'patriotism is not Christianity.' image via BookLook However, I decided to give it another chance with their Storybook Bible. How wrong can you go with Bible stories? And for the most part, it is a great little book. What I liked: The length of the stories is terrific. Not too complex. Pre...

I'll be honest. I don't read my kids a lot of non-fiction books for one simple reason - they are boring! This includes books on cars or plants or animals or biographies. Our ratio is probably 20:1, the one being the non-fiction we read. Not that I don't like information. I really do, but fiction books provide a LOT of information, just in a more fun way. So I was leery of this biography on Paul: "Get to Know Apostle Paul." I also know my kids needed to hear more about the lives of people they read about in the Bible (or we read to them from the Bible about). picture via BookLook My kids are not so keen on chapter books, no matter how many times I explain you don't read a chapter book in one sitting (unless you're their mama). But we have both been pleasantly surprised by this "Get to Know Apostle Paul." It's taken us awhile to get through because we only read 1/2 - 1 chapter a night (we average 3 books at night so sometimes we read bits...

I have done reviews over this Graham Blanchard series before, but I was really excited about "Your Core" by Callie Grant. This little board book is a perfect starting place to explain souls to your children.  Graham Blanchard Inc., a Christian publishing company based in Austin, Texas, is on a mission to encourage and equip parents to effectively teach their kids about God, even at a very young age. They are the only company specializing in board books that help parents share faith with their children from infancy. image via the Graham Blanchard website The simple text and vibrant illustrations share that we all have something inside of us, like balls and the earth have a core. How our core is something God knows about us and made for "Him to fill." This isn't a deep theological exploration of our souls but just a beginning to help us teach our children that we are made for more. We are made for eternity with a lasting soul. Your Core is an Absorb book ...

A long time ago, I read "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. I learned my love language is (or was, at least) Words of Affirmation and my then-boyfriend's (now husband's) is Physical Touch. It's perfect that our boys are so sweet to their mama and they love to wrestle with their daddy. I've waited a good long while to learn my children's love languages and " A Perfect Pet for Peyton " by Rick Osborne and Gary Chapman is a great opportunity to learn more about their love languages. image via Amazon The book was a little wordy for us; we don't usually read such long picture books, but we took it a few pages at a time and I'm certainly glad we did. It was a great little story about a set of twins having a birthday party at Mr. Chapman's Perfect Pet Emporium. I sure wish there was such a place filled with awesome animals and adventures for kids (I can't imagine the cost of that though! Do I sound like a parent enough?). ...

I love the Berenstain Bears, even more since I read Jan and Stan's biography. However, I've loved learning about Weekends at Grandma's, Bullying, the In-Crowd, Trick-or-Treating, the New Baby, and all of the beloved Berenstain Bears books since I was a little kid. Now I'm passing on that love to my children. The only thing better than passing down classics is passing down new classics with God in mind. The Berenstain Bears have always been moral books but I love the new Living Lights series that quotes Scripture and teaches moral lessons with a biblical worldview. I love hearing Mama Bear speak God's Words and the kids learning that God is the creator. image via Amazon " God Shows the Way " is a 3-in-1 book that has these titles: "Faith Gets Us Through," "Do Not Fear, God is Near," and "Piggy Bank Blessings." In "Faith Gets Us Through," the Cub Scouts and Papa go through Spooky Cave. Luckily, they've br...

Last year, I had the privilege to hear Angie Smith speak at a Women of Faith conference. I am a fan from her red hair to the wise words given to her to share from the Lord. I first heard of Angie during the time prior to their daughter, Audrey's birth. I cried in their grief and rejoiced at their blessings. I loved reading Angie's book, " Mended ." I was overjoyed to be able to read " Audrey Bunny ." I really enjoyed the illustrations in "Audrey Bunny" by Breezy Brookshire that accompany this story. I really enjoy the moral of this story = that you will be loved by somebody even with your imperfections.  I even loved that the story was told in the person of the bunny who wants to be loved but has an imperfection. via Amazon I did enjoy this book from the bunny to the little girl who loved her. I love that the bunny is named Audrey after their daughter. I don't know how much of this story is true or not (Caroline is another Smith daught...