My Story Bible

Author & Illustrator: Jan Godfrey & Paolo Bertolini Grudina
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Genre: Children / Bible stories
ISBN: 978-1-4143-2671-9
Pages: 142
Price: $12.99

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Children love to listen to and read Bible stories. But reading from the actual Bible text is too hard for small children, so it’s great to have a simplified version that kids can understand.

My Story Bible contains 66 of the most loved Bible stories, condensed into two page snippets that kids can read in one sitting. Bright and cheerful illustrations fill the pages, showing the happiness and love God’s people feel.

Kids can’t easily grasp the deeper meaning of Bible stories and they need to have them written in words they can comprehend. But I felt this Bible story book may have gone a little too far. Many of the names like the Prodigal Son, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments were removed to make reading easier. But in losing these titles, I felt the stories lost some of what made them unique.

Children will enjoy these stories, since they’re written in a very upbeat and kid-friendly manner. But those who revere the Bible as it’s written might have some issues with the changes made in My Story Bible to make it easier for kids to read.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Running With the Bats

Author: Chris Holaves
Illustrator: John Goomas
Publisher: Astakos Publishing
Genre: Children / Bilingual
ISBN: 978-0-9792991-1-7
Pages: 64
Price: $15.95

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A boy is invited to play baseball with his friends, but before long, night creeps in. Now he’s all alone, and suddenly flying creatures swoop down. They chase him around, following him home, as he runs in terror through the darkness.

This boy has never seen a bat, and as they dive for mosquitoes, he panics and tries to shoo them away as he madly dashes away. The illustrations by John Goomas in pencil drawings of flying bats, trees with no leaves, and silvery moons peeking through wisps of clouds, create a spooky scene reminiscent of Halloween.

Running With the Bats is a rhyming story in English, translated into Spanish for a completely bilingual experience. Although bats seldom act the way they did in this story, the “attacking bats” made for a more scary read that kids will most likely enjoy. The last few pages explain some bat facts so these fuzzy winged creatures won’t seem so threatening.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Mommy, Draw Stars on My Tummy

Author: Martine Groeneveld
Illustrator: Brad Kunkle
Publisher: PT Book Publishing
Genre: Children / Touch therapy
ISBN: 978-0-9822959-0-8
Pages: 48
Price: $19.95

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One of the best things a mother can do for her child is to touch her. Hugs and kisses go a long way in the parent-child bonding process, but children can also benefit from other forms of touching. In Mommy, Draw Stars on My Tummy, registered nurse and licensed massage therapist Martine Groeneveld shows us other fun ways to connect with our children.

Kids love rhymes, games, songs and stories, and all of these are provided, along with some special touch techniques. Ants play while mom touches and rubs the child’s ear. “Guess the letter or number” can be played by touching the child’s back and drawing the symbol with your finger. And the itsy-bitsy spider can crawl up legs or arms while mom and child sing.

Touching children in a loving and appropriate manner has been proven to have many health benefits, including stimulating weight gain in babies, improving alertness and responsiveness, improving cognitive performance and brain development, and reducing aggression.

If you’re looking to help your child through touch therapy, or you’re simply looking to bond more closely with your child while having fun, Mommy, Draw Stars on My Tummy will be a valuable resource. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Mr. Bo Finds a New Home and a New Name

Author & Illustrator: Timothy Battle
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Genre: Children / Cats
ISBN: 978-1-60696-938-0
Pages: 28
Price: $9.99

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A handsome cat waits in a cage at the animal shelter. Although his tag says he’s Linus, only he knows what his real name is. Trouble is, he just can’t tell anyone!

All Linus can do is try to be his most winsome self, hoping to attract someone to his cage. He knows what a great cat he is, and he tries to show it to the people that visit. Finally, the magical day arrives, and Linus gets to leave the shelter and go to his new home.

Everyone loves a happy ending, and seeing a cat go home makes the reader feel good. So if you’re looking for nothing more than a sweet animal adoption story, Mr. Bo Finds a New Home and a New Name fits the bill. But this book lacks the action and tension that would have made it more memorable.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Postcards From a War

Author: Vanita Oelschlager
Illustrator: Mike Blanc
Publisher: VanitaBooks
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9800162-9-1
Pages: 40
Price: $15.95

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Matthew Brian Jackson’s mom is in the Air Force. She gone off to fight in the war, and Matthew doesn’t understand why she left. But his grandpa shares his own story of what it was like when his father went to fight in World War II.

Author Vanita Oelschlager shares her own father’s pictures, postcards, and letters in this beautiful fictional tribute to a man who proudly served his country. Postcards From a War shows kids what it’s like to live with an absent military parent, and how much those parents still care about their kids even though they’ve had to go away.

This story is told with the utmost respect for the US military, sharing the gratitude the author feels towards their service to our country. And while it doesn’t explain why wars happen in the first place, it offers hope that someday today’s generation of kids may find a way to avoid it, and come to more peaceful solutions to the world’s problems.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Tell Me a Story

Author: Amy Friedman
Illustrator: Jillian Gilliland
Music: Laura Hall
Publisher: Friedman & Danziger
Genre: Children / Audio CD
ISBN: 978-0-9790867-0-0 / 978-0-9790867-1-7 / 978-0-9790867-3-1
Price: $18.95 / $16.95 / $18.95

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Kids have always loved a good story, especially those that describe magical places far, far away. And stories about animals and clever maidens can keep them fascinated for hours.

In the Tell Me a Story series, Amy Friedman has created some of the most interesting and memorable tales children have ever heard. These stories are read by stage and screen’s most talented actors, and accompanied with music by renowned composer Laura Hall.

“Kerplunk” is a funny tale about an animal who panics over the sound of something falling, and works all the other animals into a frenzy without knowing why. “A Sense of Theft” is a playful look at what really constitutes stealing. And “Whisker of the Lioness” lets us see that sometimes we already have the answer to our problem, and we don’t even know it.  And many other fun stories are included.

If you’re looking for a new way to entertain your kids with clever tales that make them think, Tell Me a Story will be a big hit. These stories can be listened to again and again, and enjoyed by all ages. I highly recommend this wonderful audio series.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Butterfly’s Treasure

Author & Illustrator: Schim Schimmel
Publisher: SchimmelSmith
Genre: Children / Nature
ISBN: 978-0-615-29509-1
Pages: 32
Price: $15.95

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Young Caterpillar is just about to go to sleep before his metamorphosis. But before he does, Old Monarch visits him after a year’s journey around the world, and shares the secret of Earth’s treasure.

In his travels around the planet, Old Monarch has seen all the wondrous sights of Africa, Antarctica, the oceans, and the forests. He visits gorillas, dolphins, penguins, and snow leopards. And he’s constantly awed by the beauty of this amazing treasure he’s found.  So now he wants to let Young Caterpillar in on this secret, just as he overheard father lion tell his son.

In this beautiful book, Schim Schimmel has once again created a masterpiece in color, with bright, vibrant and stunning animal pictures to delight the reader. This timeless message of treasuring the earth’s beauty comes alive in his magnificent illustrations, reminding us that only we can save this planet before it’s too late. The Butterfly’s Treasure belongs in every nature lover’s collection.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Can I Have Some Money Please?

Author: Twyla Prindle
Illustrator: Lorie Miller Hansen
Publisher: Prindle House
Genre: Children / Personal Finance
ISBN: 0-9759527-2-2
Pages: 32
Price: $7.95

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Little Twyla wants some money, but she doesn’t know how to get it.  Someone wise explains there are three simple steps to prosperity.  If she can follow these spiritual steps, she will have as much money as she needs.

Prayer, tithing and generosity are all important in creating an abundance of money. Children and adults alike will read, in gently flowing rhyme, how to create that positive energy that attracts wealth into one’s life.

Can I Have Some Money Please? is not really about income, but more about trusting in the source of all wealth – God. If we trust that our needs will be met, and don’t hoard what we do have, we will always receive all we need.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Secrets of a Christmas Box

Author: Steven Hornby
Publisher: Ecky Thump Books
Genre: Children / Christmas
ISBN: 978-0-9815883-0-8
Pages: 248
Price: $18.95

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It’s Christmas Eve, and the family has pulled out the Christmas Box to decorate the tree. They string the lights and strategically place their ornaments on the branches, before celebrating the magical evening. But what happens once they turn in for the night?

As the family sleeps, awaiting Santa’s arrival, the tree-dwellers come awake and have their own celebration. After a year in the Christmas Box, they’re eager to enjoy each other’s company and snack on pine needles. But not all tree-dwellers rejoin the tree every year, which leads Larry, Debbie, Tinsel, and newcomer, Splint, on a journey to find the Christmas Box for some answers.

Not all is well in the land of tree-dwellers, and there is malice among the revelry. Will this brave foursome find out what’s going on, and will they make it back to the tree in time to join the others for the big sleep?

Secrets of a Christmas Box is a fun holiday tale, with romance, intrigue, friendship and adventure. Although there are some sad moments, all ends well as the tree-dwellers finally find safety. Reading this unique Christmas story every year may well become a new family tradition.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Little General and the Giant Snowflake

Author: Mattea Harvey
Illustrator: Elizabeth Zechel
Publisher: Tin House Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9820539-1-1
Pages: 64
Price: $10.95

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The Little General lives in an orderly, general-like world. He counts out his peas into neat rows, lines up his hedges, and doesn’t believe in the imagination. But as his troop practices battle formations, the troop across the way plays with imaginary animals, not even bothering with tactics and strategies.

One day a mysterious giant snowflake appears to the Little General. No one else can see it, or so he thinks. He tries to ignore it, but it’s just too powerful. His life starts to change, as his dreams become colorful and fanciful. What mysterious power does this giant snowflake have over him?

The Little General doesn’t know that one of his soldiers also sees the snowflake and knows the proper way to handle it. And the answer is a lot more simple and fun than he could ever imagine.

In The Little General and the Giant Snowflake, Mattea Harvey has written a delightful story about a very orderly little man who needs to lighten up. Dreams, snowflakes and lemmings dance throughout this story, creating wonderful word pictures, and the pencil drawings add charm to this enjoyable tale. I highly recommend this darling little book.

Reviewer: Alice Berger