My Happy Heart Books

My Happy Heart Books, a boxed set of 3 "Touch-and-Feel" board books, was written by Victoria Osteen, wife of religious celebrity Joel Osteen.
Hooray For Today! follows a child throughout his daily activities. From waking to his mother's kiss, breakfast, then playing with daddy and friends to naptime, bathtime and bedtime, he offers thanks to God. Each two-page spread ends the same way, with a grateful prayer for the activity featured on those pages: "Thank You, God! Hooray! Hooray! Thank You for fun times today!"
Hooray for Wonderful Me! focuses on the different attributes of children. Each two-page spread emphasizes a different skill or gift God gives us. "Thank You, God! Hooray! Hooray! You help me to be kind each day."
Hooray for my Family! highlights various members of family and how each is special and important. The child narrator gives thanks for her mommy, daddy, sister, brother, grandparents, pets and aunt and uncle. "Thank You, God, for family! I love my sis and she loves me ... My brother is so good to me!
All three books are illustrated by Betsy Day. Some pages feature textures such as embossing, glitter and cellophane. Others incorporate lift-the-flaps into the colorful scenes.
What I Like: They're sweet books with a great size (8 x 8"). The illustrations are very nice: cute, but not cutesy. My kids love these books. I appreciate the focus on prayer. It's not just about being thankful, but about thanking God.
What I Dislike: The rhyme and meter are off in several places, making it difficult to read aloud. (Were the author an unknown instead of an Osteen, I doubt the publisher would have accepted it.) In spite of being "Touch-and-Feel" books, they don't offer much variety in textures. While some pages do feature a rough, glittery sand or a hairy patch of dog fur, most only give reflective surfaces or a high gloss finish. Others have flaps to lift, but no new textures to feel.
Overall Rating: Good.
Age Appeal: 2-5
Publisher Info: Little Simon Inspirations, 2009; ISBN: 1416955496; Boardbooks; $19.99
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Special Info: Visit the author's website to learn more about her and her other projects.