Silent Sally

For a lesson about helping others and being a DOER (not just hearing/talking about what God wants us to do but actually DOING it), check out Eric Wall’s book Silent Sally.

The rhyming book follows Sally as she spots classmates and neighbors in need and then steps up to assist them. Her peers think she is odd until they start to realize that her actions make a positive impact on the world. Yet even though they note her kindness, they still they continue to goof off in class, break the rules in the lunchroom, and trash the playground. Meanwhile Sally, ever vigilant, quietly stands alone as a model student.

Eventually, the teaching staff notices Sally’s efforts and the school decides to hold a celebration in her honor. Everyone is surprised when Sally doesn’t turn up to claim her award, and are amazed to find out she didn’t show up because she was out helping yet another person in need.

“Now they all were amazed/ Silenced as they heard the way/ Sally had missed the party to help yet another./ They were finally understanding/ The example Sally was setting,/ As they all began to discuss it with each other.”

So inspired is he by Sally’s selfless example, the principal declares a holiday, and the whole school goes out to do kind deeds in their community.

Special Note: Eric wall has contributed his artistic talents to several feature films, including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Bolt, and more. Silent Sally is his second children’s book; his first is an adorable-looking book called The Harbor Light

What I Like: The story has a good lesson about being sensitive to those in need around us, and about how even the very smallest acts of kindness can make a very big difference. Through Sally, readers are provided with several simple ideas to help others—picking up trash, putting away toys, sharing a snack, caring for the class pet, and more. Even young readers will get that AHA moment when they realize that Sally does things that they can easily do as well. The artwork was cute and cartoonish, which will make it appeal to younger readers.

What I Dislike: The poetic meter was awkward at best, making the story very difficult to read out loud. Some of the rhyming matches were a stretch as well. I think it would have been much more palatable (and crisper) story if it were written in prose instead. Also, I thought it unrealistic to portray every other kid breaking rules or goofing off, for the school to throw a party because Sally helps a teacher to her feet and walks her to the office to rest, and for the principal to call a holiday.

Overall Rating: Good

Age Appeal: None is given. I think it's best suited for the K-1 crowd. The text is too long for preschoolers.

Publisher Info: Horizon Light Media, 2012; ISBN:978-0984683307; Hardcover, 32 pgs., $14.99
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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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Lily's Passport to Paris

In Lily's Passport to Paris, your pre-teen girl will journey to "gay Par-ee" with Lily Robbins. Whether it's putting up with fellow-Americans Dan and Betty Edwards, picking up the "details" of her pilgrimage, or learning about Lily's first crush, Christophe, Lily's Passport to Paris by Nancy Rue is sure to entertain. This is the 14th--and final--book in The Lily Series.

Along with her mom and siblings, Lily goes to Paris for a month where her mom will be helping in a mission for poor kids. She's understandably nervous about leaving Oxford, England, where she and her family have been for a while. She's just begun making friends, and she's afraid her new friends, Kimble and Ingram, will move on in the few weeks she's gone. However, she's willing to see what God has in store for her.

In Paris, Lily meets Christophe, a young orphan, and his older sister, Odette. Christophe is intriguing, but Odette is downright scary. As Lily begins making friends with Christophe, and after he shows her "his Par-ee," he and his sister abruptly leave, leaving Lily bewildered, and her older brother, Art, sure of the fact that young Lily has her first crush.

When Christophe returns in the middle of the night to tell Lily goodbye, she begs him to stay. He tells her he can't--that Odette wants to take them away from the mission so she can get a job to support them, rather than taking the charity of Pastor Renee. Lily, desperate to keep her new friend and share God with him, begs him to meet her in a few hours so she can talk to her mom. An arrangement is made where Christophe takes Lily and their chaperone, Art, out every afternoon.

The arrangement angers Odette, and she physically threatens Lily, then warns her to keep quiet or she'll harm Lily's younger brother and sister. To top it off, Lily's backpack goes missing briefly, which includes her all-important passport. Several days later, Christophe comes and confesses Odette has Lily's passport; he stole it for her.

So much for Lily's mission to show God to Christophe.

Christophe believes his sister has left France--after all, she has Lily's passport, and with a little hair dye, could pass herself off as Lily. But then he decides she may still be in Paris near Notre Dame Cathedral. As Art, Lily, and Christophe head for the Metro to take them to the famed cathedral, Art has a diabetic insulin attack and Christophe has a severe asthma attack, leaving Lily to try to save the day. After she calls her mom and Pastor Renee for help, Lily spots another redhead--something rare in Paris. She realizes it's Odette, and goes up to the woman and tells her Christophe is looking for her and that he's in trouble with his asthma. Odette doesn't seem to want to believe her, but eventually does.

After a scary night with Christophe in the hospital, Lily is finally able to see her new friend again. Pastor Renee agrees that he and his wife will take in Christophe, and Odette will go to a "special home" for young women like herself, at least for a while. And Lily's dad arrives with a surprise for her: Reni, a friend from back in New Jersey.

And while Lily will miss her friends in both Paris and Oxford, she's looking forward to returning home... and seeing what God has in store for her.

What I Like: Sometimes in books for this age, having God present throughout the day can come off as forced. But it doesn't with this book. Lily's relationship with God seemed very real, as were her quests to find the details of Him everywhere, everyday.

The story is very engaging, and I really like how Paris and a couple of other places in France are almost characters in the book. Whether it was Lily trying to decipher how to say French words, or the details in the famed Granier Opera House, Ms. Rue really helped the reader feel like she was right there with Lily.

What I Dislike: This is a real nit-picky thing on my part, but as an adult, it seemed at the end that Odette was probably prostituting herself. Ms. Rue knows her audience, so she didn't get into the details of it very heavily. Clues that lead me to believe this are things such as: Odette being tattooed in a manner that made Pastor Renee nervous, wearing killer heels, how she dressed, strutting around the Metro... all kind of put together a picture of a girl around 20 prostituting herself. I would have liked a note at the end for parents, so if there were questions from a child about Odette's behavior, it could be explained in an age-appropriate manner.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: 9 - 12

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2008; ISBN: 978-0-310-70555-0; Paperback $6.99

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Special Info: We've reviewed other books by Nancy Rue, as well as others in The Lily Series.

Brave Young Knight

Best selling author Karen Kingsbury is back with another excellent picture book, and like her children's book The Princess and the Three Knights, Brave Young Knight is well worth adding to your child's bookshelf.

In this fairy tale, a young knight is considered the finest in his village. He is strong, can run fast, solves puzzles, and shows kindness to others. So when the King announces a contest to determine who will be called prince of the land, many are certain he will win. But when the young knight sees his competition, he's not so sure. He learns one knight is able to outrun a horse, another is strong enough to carry a horse under each arm, and another is smart enough to solve any puzzle. The young knight tries to practice each of these feats, but admits to his father he's not the fastest, strongest, or smartest knight in the land. His father always replies with words of wisdom about God giving him what he needs.

At last, the day of the contest arrives. The first test is a race, and while all the other knights cheat and find a shorter route, the young knight follows the rules - and comes in last. The next test is to see how many logs each knight can carry. The other knights find hollow logs, so they can carry more, but the young knight carries a solid log - and can only carry one. The final test is a puzzle. The other knights pay a smart man in the village to give them the answer, but the young knight figures out the problem himself, although his answer comes in last.

The King, however, is wise, and he discounts the other knights because they are dishonest. He titles the young knight prince.

"So the brave young knight of the west village became prince and, with God's help, ruled the kingdom with character, kindness, and truth."

What I Like: Gabrielle Grimard's illustrations are gorgeous; the cover of the book really doesn't do them justice. They are full of rich colors and life, adding a great deal to Kingsbury's well written tale. And for parents who long to raise children of character in a world where people of good character are so hard to find, this book is a gentle and fun way of showing that it's always better to live God's way. The Brave Young Knight is an excellent book for either boys or girls.

What I Dislike: Nothing
Overall Rating: Excellent.
Age Appeal: 4 to 8
Publishing Info: Zonderkidz, 2011; ISBN: 978-0310716457; hardback, 40 pgs., $4.99.

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Special Info: To see illustrations from this book, and to watch Karen Kingsbury discuss it, visit the author's website.

The Berenstain Bears' Kitten Rescue

Brother and Sister bear are both Scouts, and in The Berenstain Bears' Kitten Rescue, a Level 1 "I Can Read" book, their troop is keeping an eye out for the chance to do a good deed. When they discover a kitten up a tree, they try to climb to it. As Fred says, "The Bible says 'Whoever is kind to the needy honors God.'"

When climbing doesn't work, they get Father Bear to bring a ladder. When the kitten only climbs higher up the tree, they call some firemen. When that doesn't work, they call a rescue helicopter. When the "copter" scares the kitten further, Mother Bear happens by. She's just been to the store, and she has cat food for the Bears' pet cat.

When the kitten smells the cat food, it comes down from the tree and her owner happens by, thrilled her kitten is safe. "I give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!" she says. That evening, the Bear family enjoys watching a news report about the Scout's good deed.

What I Like: My 5 year old loves the Berenstain Bears, and she enjoyed this book. The illustrations by Jan and Mike Berenstain will not displease Berenstain fans.

What I Dislike: There is nothing wrong with this story, but it does seem as though the Christian content (which consists entirely of the two Bible quotes mentioned above) was added after the fact. It doesn't feel natural at all.
Overall Rating: Good.
Age Appeal: 4 - 8
Publishing Info: Zonderkidz, 2011; ISBN: 978-0310720973; paperback, 32 pgs., $3.99.

Buy Now at Amazon.com for $3.99; a Kindle version is also available for $.299.

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Special Info: Read our other reviews of Berenstain Bear books.

The Boy on the Yellow Bus

Kindness comes with a pass-it-on mindset in Crystal Bowman’s winsome picture book The Boy on the Yellow Bus. In it, one act of kindness leads to another, showing how even a small act can make a big difference in someone’s life.

“And that’s the way the whole day went/ and that’s how kindness starts. / When someone cares and someone gives,/ it blesses people’s hearts.”

With bright engaging illustrations and big, simple text, the book encourages readers to share, help, and show kindness… even if no one else sees what you do. The book also includes a note from the author with suggestions for ways kids can show kindness and Bible verses to explore.

The book ends with this succinct summary: “You can do important things/ no matter what your size. / And when you’re kind to others,/ you’re a hero in God’s eyes.”

What I Like: Bowman does a fantastic job with the rhyme and meter. She makes the text bounce and sing, an especially appealing element for youngsters. Plus, the illustrations make a darling frame for an important message. I especially liked the inclusion of ideas and Bible verses.

What I Dislike: Nothing

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: Ages 4-8

Publisher Info: Standard Publishing, 2010; ISBN: 978-0784723975; Hardcover, 32 PGS., $12.99

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Special info: Read other CCBR reviews of books by Crystal Bowman.
Vist Crystal's website.

Princess Joy's Birthday Blessings

Princess Joy's Birthday Blessings is one book in a brand new series released just this week. Written by Jeanna Young and Jacqueline Johnson, The Princess Parables introduce readers to five daughters of the king -- Joy, Grace, Faith, Hope and Charity -- whose adventures prove to be parables of lessons Jesus taught. Joy's story reflects Luke 14:12--14.

Joy's sisters are planning a surprise birthday party for her, but when all the princes and princesses of the lands offer rejections and excuses, they aren't sure what to do. Joy, having overheard the plans and the disastrous outcome, is devastated, but with her father's guidance, she comes up with a better plan. Joy asks her father if they can invite "children who don't live in a castle or a nice house ... who don't have a fancy bike or big birthday parties." The king, delighted with her decision, assures Joy that she will be blessed by this birthday party more than any other.

Invitations are sent again. This time everyone wants to come! On the day of the party village children arrive, arms laden with gifts from the heart. Some have hand-painted items or homemade goodies; others bring wildflower bouquets. Then Joy has another idea. When her father and sisters bring their gifts into the room, Joy decides to give all of her fancy gifts to her guests instead. It becomes "the grandest birthday part of all time!"

The book closes with a personal note from Princess Joy to the readers. She explains that while things don't always happen the way we plan, sometimes that brings the best blessings. In this story she learned to serve others instead of feeling sorry for herself. Joy then explains that this reminds her of a true story her father reads to her from the Bible. The next page provides Luke 14:12--14 quoted from the New International Reader's Version (NIrV).

Illustrated by Omar Aranda, the book features computer generated images saturated with color. As expected, the princess are beautifully adorned with ballgowns, tiaras and lots of feminine features; all characteristics that instantly appeal to most girls within the target age range.

What I Like: My daughter (6 years old) really likes this book! It's a sweet story that puts flesh on the teachings highlighted. I appreciate Joy's note at the back and the inclusion of Scripture. These two features together make the story personal and applicable to readers. Well done.

What I Dislike: At first glance, this book feels like another instance of marketing people capitalizing on a cultural craze, trying to "Christianize" it for a profit. The authors made a valiant effort to keep the story distinct from popular Disney themes, but the illustrations, while of excellent quality, draw me right back to my initial skepticism. It seems to lack originality.

Overall Rating: Because my daughter likes it so much and because it is solidly based on truth, I do recommend it. Therefore: Very Good.

Age Appeal: 4-7

Publisher Info: ZonderKidz, 2011; ISBN: 031071639X; Hardback; 32 pages; $12.99

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Special Info: If you like this, you may also like Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten, a second book in the series.

The Dragon and the Turtle

When Roger the Turtle gets lost while playing pirates in The Dragon and the Turtle, he makes a new friend in Padraig the Dragon. Padraig is eager to help his new friend find his home again by flying and searching for Roger's house. As Roger shares details about his home, Padraig hunts and hunts until Roger shares just the right details and the dragon finally finds his new friend's dwelling.

Written by Donita K. Paul and daughter Evangeline Denmark, this book is colorfully illustrated by Vincent Nguyen.

What I Like: The story shares some key examples on how to be a friend, including a teaching section at the end of the book for parents.

The illustrations by Mr. Nguyen evoked memories of PBS shows I watched while growing up.

There's a recipe at the end of the book for Chocolate Chip Snappers, which plays a key role in the book since Roger describes the smell of the cookies and associates it with his home. I made them for my family and they're yummy!

What I Dislike: While the book teaches good principles on being a friend, and the parent's section in the back shares Bible verses to teach to your kids, there was no mention of God in the story. This could be a good thing, though, if you're wanting to read it in a school or library for story time.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: 4 - 8

Publisher Info: Waterbrook Press, 2010; ISBN: 978-0-307-44644-2; Hardback $11.99

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1.02.28

Papa's Pastries

Papa's Pastries is a touching story about the value of kindness. Written by Charles Toscano, and illustrated by Sonja Lamut, it is sure to leave an impression in children's hearts.

In the story, Miguel awoke to the sound of rain leaking onto the dirt floor of their hut. He was cold because his clothes were thin. He hoped that his Papa could sell some of his homemade pastries to the surrounding villages because his family needed firewood, a new roof, and some warm clothes.

Papa prayed before packing his pastries to sell to the villages. He prayed that God would help him to sell pastries so that he would have the money to provide for his struggling family.

Not only did Miguel's papa make delicious pastries, but he could sing as well! He cheered the villages with his song as they danced and cheered. Miguel was sure that they would sell a lot of pastries with the response they were getting to Papa's singing. But he was wrong. The villagers were sorry to tell Papa that as much as they wished they could buy his pastries, they simply could not afford to. Papa's heart was touched by the neediness of one of the villagers and gave some pastries away to him.

The same scenario occurred in the remaining villages. Again Papa had compassion and showed kindness to those in need. At the end of the day they hadn't sold any pastries, and they didn't know what they would do for money. Papa said:

"Kindness is more valuable than money. The more you give away, the more you will receive."

The next morning, Miguel awoke, not to the sound of his leaky roof, but to hammering above! The man that Papa had shared with, was a carpenter, and was repaying Papa's kindness by fixing his roof. Another villager that had received Papa's kindness was a woodcutter, and chopped wood for them in gratitude. The last recipient of Papa's pastries was a seamstress who made clothes for all them in thanks.

Miguel then knew that Papa had been right. He bowed his head and thanked God for His goodness, and for the kindness of his papa.

What I Like: I love this book! It is written so simply and sweetly, but with solid truths.

What I Dislike: There is nothing I dislike.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: 4-8

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2010; ISBN:0310716020 ; Hardcover $15.99.

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The Berenstain Bears Hurry to Help

When Scout Leader Papa Bear takes his troupe out to earn their Good Deed Merit Badges, in The Berenstain Bears Hurry to Help written and illustrated by Stan and Jan Berenstain, things of course don’t go smoothly.

Papa Bear and the troupe try to help several neighbors who really don’t need help. In the course of doing so, they create problems where there weren’t any to start with. After several attempts to be “helpful,” Papa Bear ends up getting hurt. The scout troupe has to find a way to get Papa Bear back to his home. After much exertion, they manage to do so. But, they are discouraged that their day ended in defeat as they weren’t able to help any of their neighbors.

Mama Bear then points out that they did indeed help someone, they helped Papa Bear who required their assistance in getting home. So, they earned their Good Deed Merit Badges after all.

The illustrations by Mike Berenstain, done in the usual Berenstain Bear-style, are colorful, expressive and cartoon-like.

This Bible verse is given as a reference for the story: “Each of you should look not only to your interests but also to the interests of others.” [Philippians 2:4]

What I Like: Several of the characters in this episode – Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Farmer Ben – quote Scripture as part of the text for the book.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 4-7.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2010; ISBN: 9780310719380; Hardcover: $6.99.

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Special Info: This book is part of the publisher’s Living Lights series. Read our reviews of other books in the series by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Visit the Berenstain Bears website.

The Tomato Ketchup Story

The Tomato Ketchup Story is Katie Danielle Bodsworth's appealing, if eccentric, retelling of the New Testament story of four men who carried their crippled friend to Jesus on a mat. When the men couldn't push through the crowd to get to Jesus, they cut a hole in the roof and lowered their friend in front of Jesus.

Our story is timeless, but has a European feel, and centers around Charlie, who was recently hurt in an accident. His friends, Leo, Ollie, Billy, and Sebastian are sitting around drinking lemonade, orange juice, chocolate milk and ketchup! when they come up with a plan to bring Charlie to Jesus. The friends are sure Jesus will help Charlie, even if he still has his jimjams (pajamas) on.

In the midst of a few more ketchup incidents, some interesting European terms (nappies for diapers, dustbins for gutters, etc. . . ) and some random characters (the "old lady who reeked of cabbage"), the biblical story remains unchanged. Jesus forgives Charlie's sins and heals him, and soon Charlie is marching down the street with a bottle of ketchup for Sebastian.

Bodsworth's illustrations are happy and bright, but also eccentric. The backgrounds are realistic photographs, with bright, oil-pastel or chalk characters cut out and placed in the pictures, for a collage-like feel.

What I Like: Well, in the words of my six-year-old, "It was good. Weird, but good." My two-year-old carried the book around for the entire next day. So, I think we like the bright, unusual pictures, and the odd retelling of the story. Although neither of these children will eat ketchup, they do have an auntie and uncle in Northern Ireland, and they were proud they already knew what nappies were.

I do like Bodsworth's creativity and purpose. Her website says she was trying to engage young children and keep them entertained while teaching about the Bible. The biblical message is clear. Also, her artwork is unusual for a children's book, and appealed to my son, who sometimes thinks he is too old for "kids' books."

What I Dislike: The book is a little random. The ketchup references seem a little out of place, and there are lots of loose ends. We never find out how Jesus responds to the "lady who reeked of cabbage," or any of the other people mentioned. Although the book is fun, there is too much going on at once.

Overall Rating: Good

Age Appeal: 4-8

Publisher Info: Katie Danielle Bodsworth, 2010; ISBN: 978-1451536393; Paperback, $7.99

Buy it at Amazon.com for $7.99.

Special Info: Jesus is featured, looking Caucasian, with reddish-brown hair and a goatee.

Pet Parables (Vol. 1)

Kids love animals, so what better format to teach kids about biblical behavior than a book of animal stories? That's the premise behind Neta Jackson's Pet Parables (Vol. 1).

This volume contains two stories: "The Cat Who Smelled Like Cabbage" and "The Duck Who Quacked Bubbles." The first begins by quoting Philippians 2:3 ("Be humble and consider other smore important than yourselves..."), then Jackson weaves a surprisingly down to earth and deep story. In it, snobby Siamese Cat and her good natured friend Black Cat chat about the neighborhood. Siamese Cat turns her nose up at the ugly, homeless Alley Cat who tends to linger across the street. She has no real family and no good breeding. But when one of Black Cat's kittens wanders into the street, Alley Cat saves the baby from being run over by a vehicle. Black Cat couldn't be more thankful - and surprised. As she talks with Alley Cat, she find her kind and friendly. And she learns there are good reasons for Alley Cat's mysterious ways. In the end, rather than go for a walk with Siamese Cat, Black Cat shows Alley Cat a better place to keep her own babies, and a new friendship is formed.

The second story begins by quoting Philippians 2:14 - 15 ("Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless den pure..."). Grumble, a very grumpy duckling, complains about everything. Her siblings crowd her in the nest, splash her in the pond, bump into her when they walk, and make her late for everything. When the other ducklings finally tire of Grumble's grumblings, they leave her to play by herself. To "show them," Grumble wanders into a box, thinking to hide until her family gets worried. But the box turns out to be a trailer that gets pulled away by a car. Fortunately, the family in the car hear Grumbles quakes and bring her back home. Grumble discovers her family really did miss her, and she's so thankful to be back home, she vows never to grumble again. Instead, whenever she feels the urge to grumble, she sticks her head under the water and quacks, producing bubbles. Soon, her family renames her Bubbles.

Both stories end with a parental note and questions for discussion, always bringing up God. For example, in the questions for "The Duck," the author writes: "What do you think God wants us to do when we feel like complaining? The next time you feel like complaining, what could you do instead?"

What I Like: Jackson is a strong writer. My 4 year old loves her stories and I find them pleasing to read. "The Cat" struck me as particularly well written for a book targeting this age group. The illustrations by Anne Gavitt are also lovely. Even my 18 month old loves them (he is, admittedly, a huge fan of cats). The cat drawings are realistic and expressive, while the duck pictures have a vintage storybook charm.

What I Dislike: Nothing

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 4 -8.

Publishing Info: Kregel, 2004; ISBN: 978-0825429385; hard back, $12.99

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Special Info: Read our reviews of books by Neta Jackson.

Ciel & the Power of Prayer

In Ciel and the Power of Prayer, Ciel shares the love of God with her friends by praying with them. This book is written and illustrated by Jason C. Conley.

Through the course of the book, Ciel encourages Jessie, who is having a tough time with other kids at school; uplifts Re'Nitta, whose parents may be on the verge of divorce; and visits Sarah, who is in the hospital. With each exchange, Ciel teaches readers what it means to be a true friend by praying for and being with those you care about.

What I Like: This book illustrates how we can go into the world and share the love of God with others. Having examples to use will definitely help younger readers as they learn how to share God with others.

The imagery in the book is unique, using a mixture of manipulated photography and cartoon drawings. I was drawn especially to the manipulated photography aspect.

What I Dislike: A lot of the verses shared are in King James. I found this distracting and could take away from the meaning of the verse. Other verses are quoted in NIV, and I feel having continuity in this area would strengthen the book overall.

Also, Ciel has this thing about wearing butterfly wings whenever she's visiting a friend. This is never explained why she does so, and I found it distracting.

Overall Rating: Good

Age Appeal: I couldn't find any references for recommended age appeal, but my guess is 6 - 10 would enjoy the book.

Publishing Info: JC Publishing, 2009; ISBN: 978-0-615-34692-2; Paperback $15.00

Buy it at Amazon.com for $15.00.

The Fruit of the Spirit

Written by Erik Rottmann and illustrated by Amy Huntington, The Fruit of the Spirit teaches Galatians 5:22-23 in language young children can understand and remember. The Fruit of the Spirit is part of the bestselling Arch Books Bible Story Series, which covers over 100 different themes from Genesis to Acts.

Each of the fruits of the spirit found in Galatians 5 are highlighted: patience, joy, love, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, peace, self-control, kindness - all through the use of poetry. The following is a excerpt:

"LOVE! Oh, LOVE! The very word

Speaks all about your Christ.

Now LOVE is yours. Through you it pours

To others in your life.

By FAITHFULNESS you take to heart

What God says in His Word.

He shall stay true. You stay here, too,

Because of what you've heard."

The illustrations are bright and interesting to look at, emphasizing loving family relationships. They also include children and adults of various ethnicity. The rhymes are simple and lively.

Also included in The Fruit of the Spirit is a letter to parents encouraging them to walk in the Spirit along with their children. It is an uplifting letter charging parents to rejoice in their children, as they are gifts from the Lord.

What I Like: Jesus taught mostly in parables - simple stories that the average man could understand. This is what the author has done in The Fruit of the Spirit. The fruits are described as a seed planted within us by the Lord Jesus that the Holy Spirit causes to sprout, grow and bear more fruit through the Word, prayer and obedience to God.

What I Dislike: The book seems a little bit more flimsy than the average paperback, perhaps because it's very short. The cover and the pages themselves are sturdy, but the binding seems weak.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: Children ages 5-9 are recommended by the publisher, but I believe children as young as 2 would be able to understand and enjoy this book.

Publisher Info: Concordia Publishing House; 2010; 978-0-7586-1860-3; Paperback $1.99.

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Sheep Care

Modeled after mainstream author Sandra Boynton's famous board books, Anne Catharine Blake's Sheep Care is a super-simple book for babies and toddlers. Each page shows sheep in pastel hues, engaged in an activity. "One in a big chair. Two make room to share. Three hold hands to cross the street. Four share a gooey treat." And so on, until we're back to "One with God is never alone."

What I Like: I appreciate that these sheep model great behavior, from sharing, to visiting a sick friend, to taking turns. The simple ending - which is the only mention of God - is to the point and exactly the sort of thing very young children like.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: Baby to preschool.

Publishing Info: Concordia, 1998; ISBN: 978-0570050902; board book, $5.49

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Special Info: See our reviews of other books by Anne Catharine Blake.

Sophie's World

Sophie's World is the first in a series of six books about Sophie LaCroix, an imaginative, day-dreaming 6th grader.

The story opens as her class is loading the bus for a field trip to Colonial Williamsburg. She's just moved to Virginia and due to frequent lapses into imagined adventures, she’s dubbed as the weird girl. She’s partnered with Maggie, a girl who’s not in the popular crowd, but who doesn’t want to associate with Sophie’s odd behaviors.

Sophie copes with the boredom and loneliness by imagining an elaborate Revolutionary War adventure and winds up separated from the group in an 17th century graveyard. She enters Bruton Parish Church and as she prays for just one friend in her new school, Ms. Quelling finds her. She’s in big trouble, and her grades are dropping, too.

Sophie’s prayers are answered the following day when she meets Fiona, a fellow dreamer, and they act out the Colonial saga together. The popular girls, or "Corn Pops," tease the girls and Fiona stands up for them, asking, “But who says what’s weird and what’s not?”

Sophie’s parents enlist the help of Dr. Peter, a friendly psychologist with a Christian perspective. He suggests an outlet for her imagination: the use of a video camera to record her stories. Sophie’s Dad will find her a used video camera if she can pull her grades up to a C at minimum. Fiona’s dad finds the camera, and Fiona promises to help Sophie in school so they can use the camera in their Williamsburg story.

Not only do the girls study together, but they develop a code to keep Sophie on task in school. When Sophie begins to drift away into a dream, Fiona coughs to remind Sophie to pay attention. Sophie raises her grades well beyond the minimum and earns the camera. The Corn Pops become jealous of her academic success and they accuse the cough of being a secret cheating mechanism. Ms. Quelling sides with the Corn Pops, but Maggie intervenes in a parent-teacher conference and tells Ms. Quelling that she overheard the girls discussing strategies for raising Sophie’s grades and none of them involved cheating.

Fiona and Sophie invite Maggie to join in their video role-playing, but soon regret it because of Maggie’s bossy manner and poor acting skills.

The Corn Pops kick Kitty out of their clique because she feels bad about the dishonesty. Kitty has no other friends and desperately wants to get back with the popular girls, so she follows their orders and crawls across the playground. Sophie witnesses this and invites Kitty to be her friend. When Fiona wants to kick Maggie out of the “Corn Flakes” drama group, Sophie reluctantly agrees. When she realizes they’ve hurt Maggie and they’ve behaved no better than the Corn Pops, she gets into a huge fight with Fiona.

During these problems, Dr. Peter coaches Sophie to imagine what Jesus what do instead of drift into another fantasy. She learns to rely on prayer and develops a risky plan to help Kitty, to expose the Corn Pops, and to try to repair her friendship with Fiona.

What I Like: The author covers all the bases of a tween girl’s life: parents, siblings, friends, teachers, faith, fitting in, and doing the right thing. I like that Sophie is an imperfect, eccentric girl. The historical tidbits on Colonial America provide a cool background for the story. I loved the short glossary in the back for more difficult words, such as pessimistic and heinous.

What I Dislike: Sophie believes that her Dad doesn’t love her as much as her older sister, and this issue never gets resolved. I found it hard to believe that her parents didn’t talk to her about using prayer as a solution because they are a Christian family. Placing 6th grade in elementary school rather than middle school didn’t feel authentic, particularly in light of the Corn Pops’ devious scheming.

Overall Rating: Very Good

Age Appeal: Ages 8-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2004; ISBN: 0-310-70756-0; Paperback $6.99.

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $5.49.
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Special Info: For more information about Nancy Rue and her books, visit her Faithgirlz website. You may also be interested in our reviews of other books written by this author.

Sophie Steps Up

Sophie LaCroix, sixth-grader, drama queen, and Corn Flake, is back to help girls learn another lesson about themselves and what God expects of them. In Sophie Steps Up, Book Four in the Sophie series, FaithGirlz author Nancy Rue tackles what it means to accept others.

Sophie is an imaginative girl with a flair for drama. Together with her friends, Fiona, Maggie and Kitty, they make up the Corn Flakes. Unlike the popular Corn Pops, the Corn Flakes pray, try to be kind to others, and try to embrace their uniqueness. In addition to typical sixth-grade struggles, Sophie has a habit of getting lost in imaginary worlds and being imaginary characters. Since she has had a hard time staying on task in school and keeping her grades up, her parents have been taking her to counseling with Dr. Peter. His kind eyes and wise suggestions make Sophie look forward to her weekly visits with him.

When the girls' art teacher announces their next project is to be a performance (for the St. Patrick's Day competition), and they can pick their own groups, Sophie and her friends are thrilled. They already make movies for fun, and are only slightly put off when Miss Blythe tells them it must be a live performance. But when new student, Darbie O'Grady, arrives in class and Miss Blythe assigns her to Sophie's group, the Corn Flakes stability is shaken. To make matters worse, Dr. Peter changes Sophie's visits to an "as-needed" basis, Darbie seems, ". . .sullen and annoyed and smoldering no matter what was going on," and Maggie, who was supposed to make their costumes, is reassigned to a group with the popular girls.

The closer the performance deadline gets, the more frustrated the girls become. When one planning meeting after another ends in disaster, Sophie finally asks her parents if she can talk to Dr. Peter. She is afraid she is falling into her old habits of escaping into imaginary worlds. Sophie is pleasantly surprised when her parents promise to help her, instead, but their conversation is ruined by Sophie's sister, Lacie, who is always in some sort of crisis. Eventually, Sophie reads the Bible story about Jesus washing the disciples feet, and decides she needs to wash Darbie's feet. Sophie decides a tea party will show her good intentions.

After learning more about Northern Ireland and the tragedies in Darbie's past, Sophie and Darbie decide to write a play to teach the rest of the class about Northern Ireland. However, Fiona quickly lets Sophie know she is feeling left out, and soon Sophie and Darbie are literally washing Fiona's feet. Like most sixth-grade messes, the friends work everything out and go on to stage a presentation sure to make everyone think, regardless of whether it wins the competition.

What I Like: Rue captures the confusing, frustrating and emotional world of sixth-grade, but she keeps the love and hope of Christ front and center in the book. I love the fact Sophie is seeing a counselor, and I enjoy his gentle manner and biblical advice. By taking the Bible at it's word, Sophie learns how to relate like Jesus to a new friend and also how to accept the idiosyncrasies of an old friend.

I always like books where we get to see friends having disagreements and working things out. Dealing with conflict is so hard, but such an important life skill, and Rue gives girls lots of examples of being selfless, apologizing, and thinking about other perspectives.

I have to admit I'm biased, but having a sister, brother-in-law, and niece living in Northern Ireland, I enjoyed the cultural references and colloquial speech Rue included. My daughter really liked the book too.

What I Dislike: I kept getting confused about the Corn Pops and Corn Flakes, and I think it is sad there are so many "cliques" represented, but this probably is realistic in a lot of school situations.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: 9-12, but this installment would be fine for 8 and up

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2009; ISBN: 978-0-310-71841-3; Paperback, $6.99

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $5.49

OR Buy it at Amazon.com for $6.99.

Special Info: Sophie Steps Up was published in 2005 as Sophie's Irish Showdown.
You can view reviews of other works by Nancy Rue here.
Check out other FaithGirlz titles here.