A Remnant Surprise

Great-Grandma decides she's going to make quilts for each of her thirty-five grandchildren and great-grandchildren. But in A Remnant Surprise, written by Vanessa Roam and illustrated by Glori Alexander, Great-Grandma gets a surprise of her own.

Great-grandchildren Walter and Gretchen want to help their great-grandma make the blankets, and Gretchen crawls around on the floor, picking up pieces of leftover cloth. She asks Great-grandma if she can have them, which Great-Grandma allows, even though the remnants are too tiny to do anything with. Gretchen and Walter take the pieces home to their Mama, who keeps them all, and urges her children to keep gathering them up and bringing them home.

Soon, all of the blankets are done, and Great-Grandma gives them to her loved ones, and that's when Mama gets to work. With all the remnants, Mama makes Great-Grandma a very special quilt, so all thirty-six of them can be wrapped in blankets made of love.

What I Like: Everything is great. The story is touching (it brought tears to my eyes), the illustrations are soft and cheery, and it's a book that begs to be read again and again.

What I Dislike: There is no mention of God or the Bible anywhere.

Overall Rating: Very Good, only because I wish there was even a little lesson on giving and receiving, or suggested further reading in the Bible. If there had been, this would have been an immediate Excellent rating.

Age Appeal: 4 - 8

Publisher Info: Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC, 2011; ISBN: 978-1-61346-464-9; paperback, 24 pgs., $8.99

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The Berenstain Bears Follow God's Word

If there's anything my kids like more than a Berenstain Bear book, it's a collection of Berenstain bear stories all under one cover. Jan and Mike Berenstain's The Berenstain Bears Follow God's Word, then, is a treat, containing five books in one.

The first story in the collection is The Berenstain Bears God Loves You; Sister has hopes for a lead in the school musical, and Brother is sure he'll get on the school basketball team. But after doing their best during try-outs, they learn Sister is "just" the stage manager and brother is "just" the team manager. Depressed, both go home on a rainy day. But when the sun comes out, the Bear family heads outside to see a rainbow. Mama reminds: "The rainbow is a gift from God. It's a sign that the rain is past and the sun has come to warm the earth again. God puts the rainbow in the sky as a beautiful sign of his love for all the earth and all the creatures that he has made." Including the young bears. She also explains that while God wants us to behave well, he loves us even when we do wrong things. And Mama and Papa are proud of the cubs for taking on such responsible roles as stage manager and team manager.

Next up, is The Berenstain Bears and the Golden Rule. You can read Christine's review of this story here.

The Berenstain Bears Kindness Counts is next. In this story, Brother allows a younger cub to help him fly his prized model airplane, remembering how he felt when he was younger and Papa did the same. When the model plane crashes, Brother continues his kindness; he lets the cub know it wasn't his fault. He even lets the cub help him repair the plane. When the two go to the park to fly the plane again, Brother spots some older boys launching rockets. He asks if he can help and is at first turned down. But when they hear about how Brother let a younger cub help him, they decide he can participate in the rocket launch.

The Berenstain Bears Go to Sunday School comes next. The Bear family has been absent from church for a while because the cubs have been busy with soccer and ballet. But Mama decides it's time to start going again. They rise early - to no one's delight - and go to the little chapel. The family sings hymns together, then the children head off to Sunday School. Here, they recount the story of Noah's ark, and learn some funny things about their parents' childhoods. In the end, everyone enjoys the morning, and the cubs head off to soccer and ballet as usual.

The final story in the book is The Berenstain Bears Say Their Prayers. The cubs say their prayers every night before bed, asking God to bless those around them. But one day Brother and Sister head off to a baseball game, where they see Cousin Fred pray silently before a difficult play. Things go well for Fred and so Brother decides to pray that God will help him make a hit. Brother fails. He tells Fred, "I even tried praying like you did...But it didn't work for me." Fred confesses he only asked that God would help him stay calm and not get too scared. "Prayers are always answered," he says. "Sometimes, we just don't get the answer we expect." That night, when Sister teases Brother about his ball playing, Brother prays God will "help me out with my little sister." To his surprise, he finds he's not angry with her any more.

The book ends with questions and a few activities related to the stories.

What I Like: I read Berenstain bear books to my kids because they love them and they usually have a good moral they can apply to their lives. This collection of stories was no exception.
 

What I Dislike: It's strange to me that God Loves Us doesn't mention the biblical meaning of the rainbow. Kindness Counts is completely secular, although it has a good message. When I read this book to my children, I have to skip Go to Sunday School completely because my children go to "big church" with us; I also didn't like that the Bear family only dedicates the morning to God, going about their usual business the rest of the day instead of actually taking a day of rest. Finally, I wish the emphasis in Say Their Prayers was a little more on how to pray throughout the day.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: preschool to first grade

Publishing Info: Zonderkidz; 2011; ISBN: 978-0310725916 ; hardback, 160 pgs., $10.99.
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Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim's Progress

Once upon a time, in a dreary prison, a man named John Bunyan started seeing images. He wrote them down. His images became Pilgrim's Progress, one of the most famous English-language books ever written. Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim's Progress, is an abridged version, edited by Oliver Hunkin, complete with graphic illustrations by Alan Perry.

Christian lives in the City of Destruction, and he learned that the city is doomed to be destroyed with fire from heaven. His family and neighbors are concerned, feeling he's contracted an illness. Still troubled, Christian sets out on a quest, not knowing where he's headed. Immediately, he meets Evangelist, who instructs him to keep the "shining light in your eye" and he'll eventually reach a gate. Without a glance back, Christian heads off, despite the cries of his wife and children.

As Christian continues on his journey, he carries a burden, and meets many people, some who try to sway him off his path. He meets Evangelist again, who sets him back on the right road, and Christian remembers the words from the Book: "For narrow is the gate and few are they who find it."

Obstacles, detours, and new friends abound as Christian progresses to the Celestial City - but just as his eyes land on the city, he faces one last problem: the River of Death in the Valley of the Shadow. But God hadn't forsaken Christian, and he feels renewed strength when the sun becomes visible through the mist. He reaches the shore and climbs the hill to the City where he's greeted by the King's Own Trumpeters.

What I Like: First, an admission: I inwardly groaned when I received this book for review. I read a version of The Pilgrim's Progress when I was homeschooled, and hated it. So I had a hard time setting aside my preconceived notions about this book before even cracking it open. Happily, this version surprised me, and I was quickly drawn into the story.

As for what I like, I do have to say the artwork is brilliant. This version of the book was originally released in the 1980s, and it harkens back to some of the cartoons (like the animated "Lord of the Rings" or "The Hobbit') of the era. According to the copyright, this was done for Yorkshire Television Ltd., and a quick check of Amazon shows a DVD for $14.99 to accompany. I've not seen this, but it may be a good thing to have on hand for your kids, too.

The book itself is beautiful, a true classic that should be kept on your shelf for repeated enjoyment.

What I Dislike: The language is a bit old-fashioned, and more than once there are instances of British spellings. Not a huge deal, but I'd honestly like to see an updated version of the story that makes it easier for kids to understand. The dress and mindset of the 1600s can be difficult to relate to.

Also, some of the images are a little creepy, so for younger or more sensitive children, it may not be the best book to read right before bedtime.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: 7 - 12, though, as noted above, there are some frightening images which accompany the story. Use discretion.

Publisher Info: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1985; ISBN: 0-8028-3619-4; Hardback, 126 PGS., $25.00

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Himalayan Adventures

If your child is curious about life in other countries—especially those with breathtaking mountain views, various wild animals, and rustic villages--he may enjoy Penny Reeve’s book Himalayan Adventures. The book is a collection of fourteen short stories based on the author’s experiences in Nepal. Reeves uses interesting details to paint the landscape, people, and culture in clear, vivid word images. In addition, several black and white drawings illustrate key events in each story. Every adventure focuses on one central idea and Biblical insight, and all include a Scripture reference. For example, in “Snake? No Thanks”, Reeves tells about a few incidents where God protected villagers from a snake. She points out “We don’t always know what is going to happen to us, but we do know that God knows, and we CAN trust in Him.” She supports this idea with a verse from Deuteronomy 31:8. At the end of the book, Reeves provides a glossary of unusual words, a twenty question quiz (with answers provided), and a page of references.

What I Like: The stories are well written. Each one has a strong opening that will draw the reader into the tale. They are short enough to be used for a personal devotional time, a family devotional time, or in a Sunday school setting. The insights were thought provoking and universal. Reeves also did a nice job explaining different aspects of the native cultural and language.

What I Dislike: This is not so much a dislike as it is an “alert” note to parents. Some of the stories had an intense element that might be upsetting to younger readers. Those elements include references to a man-eating tiger, a boy that drowns, and a leopard attack. If your child is sensitive to such things, you will want to preview the story before allowing them to read it.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: Ages 8 +

Publisher Info: CF4K, 2006; ISBN:978-1845500801; Paperback, 96 pgs., $8.99

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Special Info: There are many other books in the Adventure Series, each crafted by a different author. Some of the titles are: African Adventures , Rain Forest Adventures, Amazon Adventures, Great Barrier Reef Adventures, Outback Adventures, and Wild West Adventures.

Jonah God's Messenger

Jonah, God’s Messenger, is the story of Jonah, the Biblical character who was swallowed by a large fish.

The story is told in simple easy-to-read terms that explains how Jonah ended up in the fish’s belly. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to warn the people there that God was not happy with them. But, Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh, he wanted to go to Tarshish. Jonah got on a boat to Tarshish, but on the way there, God sent a big storm. The people on the boat were scared so they asked Jonah what they should do. Jonah realized God had sent the storm because of him, so he told the people on the boat to throw him in the water. When they did, the storm subsided and Jonah was swallowed by the fish.

Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. He told God he was sorry for not obeying him and he was ready to go to Nineveh. God caused the fish to spit Jonah out and he landed on the shores of Nineveh where he delivered God’s message to the people there.

The cartoon-like illustrations by Dennis G. Jones are colorful and expressive and fit the text nicely.

What I Like: The story of Jonah is often a child’s favorite. It’s exciting to hear about a man being swallowed by a fish. Of course, Jonah’s story is special because the fish was sent by God to catch Jonah and teach him a lesson. This version of that story is written in a fairly straightforward manner that children who are capable of reading the text by themselves should be able to understand. However, there may be some parts that will require a bit extra in the way of explanation.

I also like the illustrations. They are very kid-friendly.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: Ages 4-8.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2011; ISBN: 9780310718352; Paperback, $3.99.

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Special Info: This book is a Level 2 Reader in the publisher’s I Can Read! Series. Read our reviews of other books in the series. Read our reviews of other books illustrated by Dennis G. Jones.