Building Blocks in Life Science

If you homeschool or supplement your child's education at home, you might be tired of science books being filled with evolutionary theory taught as fact. It's difficult to get away from. But Building Blocks in Life Science by Gary Parker (Ed.D) is different; it's filled with information about creation science.

Parker, a former atheist, does a good job of explaining the basics of biology in this book.You'll find information on DNA, patterns and structure, classification, living cells, molecules, and other basic biological science. The first chapter hits evolution head on, challenging it and poking holes in the theory. The rest of the book doesn't let up, continuing to link science to God and the Bible.

For anyone not familiar with the creationist viewpoint, Building Blocks is a great place to start. At a time when Richard Dawkins, possibly the most respected scientist in the world today, admits evolution makes no sense without a creator or creators - creators he thinks were aliens, not God - giving creation theory a hard look is vital to a good education.

What I Like: Overall, I think this book is a good introduction to creation theory. It's a textbook, complete with a few work pages, but could be read by anyone with curiosity about creation and biology.

What I Dislike: Building Blocks book is marred a bit by the author's tone. There are too many exclamation points (which aren't very scholarly) and sometimes rather snide comments about evolution or other topics contrary to the author's view. A textbook is no place for an author to express opinions.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: The publisher doesn't give an age or grade recommendation, but I'd say 8th grade and up.

Publishing Info: New Leaf Publishing/Master Books, 2011; ISBN 978-0890515891; paperback, 159 pgs., $15.99

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The World of Science

It's no secret American kids, when compared to children in other first world countries, lag behind in science. If you want to help boost your child's science knowledge, The World of Science is a great choice. This book is packed with full color photos and drawings, engaging sidebars of interesting fact, science projects, and the basics of:

* Matter and Chemicals
* Energy, Motion, and Machines
* Electricity and Magnetism
* Light and Sound
* Earth and Life
* and Space and Time.

The Introduction begins by quoting  the creation story (Gen. 2:20) and concludes: "Here is the first record of a type of scientific classification, giving unique names to each distinct living creature." It also mentions the importance of godly wisdom when it comes to science. The remainder of the book barely mentions God, but it avoids avoids controversial topics such as evolution, young earth vs. old earth, and global warming. The science projects in the back of the book include:

* Sprouting seeds
* Growing mold
* Growing crystals
* Chemical reactions
* Electrolysis
* Making an autogyro
* Water cycle projects
* Optical fibers
* Camera in a box
* Making a spectrum
* Convected and conducted heat
* High and low pressure
* Making a battery
* Making a compass
* Making an electromagnet
* Making a simple electric motor

and more.

What I Like: My kids couldn't wait to get their hands on this book. It is so colorful and so packed with interesting photos and drawings, they were eager to spend time just looking at it. I also find the text easy to understand; my 8 year old can very much understand it. And I love the projects at the back of the book; they make it very easy to read a bit about a topic, then put it into action.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: Second grade to perhaps high school.

Publishing Info: Master Books, 2011; ISBN:  978-0890516188; hardback, 248 pgs., $19.15

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Kids' Guide to American History

Whether you're looking for homeschool curriculum or just a fun book to supplement your child's education, Tracy M. Sumnar's Kids' Guide to American History is an excellent resource. The subtitle explains the book well: "Who, What, When, Where, Why - From a Christian Perspective" - all in a colorful and appealing format.

The book begins with Columbus (but points out Columbus wasn't the first European to land in North America). You won't find any Columbus-bashing here. Instead, you get facts about why Columbus was sailing and how he bumped into North America. There are colorful photographs and fun sidebars correcting myths about Columbus and offering quotes by the man himself. For example:

"It was the Lord who put into my mind (I could feel His hand upon me) that fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies. All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter, ridiculing me. There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit, because He comforted me with rays of marvelous inspiration from the Holy Scriptures."

And so goes the book, covering all the major aspects of American history - from Jamestown and spiritual revivals, to the Revolutionary War and the second war in Iraq, to Watergate and American invention. Throughout you'll learn interesting facts other books often miss, such as:

* "The New Deal" was President Roosevelt's backup plan; his first "New Deal" was found unconstitutional.

* America's "First Great Awakening" targeted those who already attended Christian churches; the "Second Great Awakening" targeted those who didn't.

* John Hancock wrote: "Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual...Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us."

The book ends with the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the 2010 midterm elections, noting political difficulties and challenges. "Where do we go from here?" the author writes. "Only God knows. But never forget that He's in control."

At the back of the book, there's an illustrated list of the Presidents of the United States, plus the text of the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

What I Like: This is a colorful, fun book that hits all the major points of American history. It's the sort of thing my 7 year old picks up on a rainy day and becomes engrossed in. I also love that the text points to God throughout - while carefully avoiding opinions about politics.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: about 8 and up.

Publishing Info: Barbour; 2012; ISBN: 978-1616266004; paperback, 160 pgs., $9.99

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SAT and College Prep Course for the Christian Student

As we are getting closer to spring, teens and their parents are probably thinking about college applications. Many colleges require scores on either the SAT or ACT exams. James P. Stobaugh believes home school students and students from smaller, private schools need to score well on the SAT test, as their transcript grades may seem more subjective to college admission boards. To help students realize their potential, Stobaugh has written a comprehensive SAT and College Preparation Course for the Christian Student.

Stobaugh begins by laying out a three-year, two-year, and one-year plan for using the study guide. He recommends the three-year plan, where students complete one lesson per week, but students may choose to move more quickly, completing up to a lesson per day in the one-year plan. Each of the 150 lessons begins with a Bible verse, a suggested Bible reading, a commentary on the biblical passage, and a point to consider during the scheduled "Devotional Journal" time. After devotions, students complete a vocabulary exercise, math problems, and a critical reading/comprehension activity, or a critical thinking/essay activity.

Answers and sample critical thinking essays are given in the back of the book. There are also reproducible forms for a reading journal and a thirty-minute devotional exercise. Also included in the back of the book are a book list summarizing suggested classics college-bound students should read, a list of target Scriptures for memorization and fifty sample college admissions essays. The essays are preceded by a commentary by Stobaugh entitled, "The Rise of the Secular University: How to Thrive in Babylon Without Becoming Babylonian."

What I Like: I like Stobaugh's focus on Scripture and living for God. He constantly reminds students to pray for God's leading about where to attend college, as well as relationships with family, goals and aspirations and worldview.

I also like the "SAT Tips" found in the sidebars of most pages. Stobaugh has thought of everything! Students will learn useful information, such as how to study, whether it is better to leave questions blank or guess, and what type of snack to bring on exam day.

Stobaugh has chosen high quality critical reading passages in order to challenge students and give them a feel for the types of passages and corresponding questions they will find on the test.

What I Dislike: I would not use the fifty sample college admissions essays as models of excellent writing. Stobaugh stresses content, saying, "Your audience is not your English teacher. . . The admission committee wishes to ascertain if you are going to be a successful college student, not whether you are a perfect grammarian." However, the essays contain multiple mechanical errors and struggle in particular with sentence fragments and lack of transitions between ideas and paragraphs. Many of the essays do not directly answer the question asked, do not use transitions or a unifying theme, and lack any type of conclusion to remind readers of the thesis. As an English teacher, I am probably biased but the errors in many of the essays are significant enough to be distracting. Even if real students write this way, a college preparation guide should provide examples students can aspire to, instead of examples in need of correction.

Overall Rating: The SAT guide is good, but the sample essays are ho-hum.

Age Appeal: 13 and up

Publisher Info: Master Books, 2011; ISBN: 978-0-89051-624-9; Paperback,425 pages, $29.99

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SPECIAL NOTE: The book list contains summaries of each book, but Stobaugh does not mention controversial content (such as the rape accusations in To Kill a Mockingbird, use of offensive language in Of Mice and Men, etc. . . ).

Semitic Tales: Bed-time Stories for Christians

Semitic Tales: Bed-time Stories for Christians, written and illustrated by Michael Ben Zehabe, is part of a package of materials created to teach Hebrew. The complete package contains this book along with a bookmark, flash cards, and other supporting materials. The author refers to it as “accidental Hebrew” because the reader will absorb the language without even trying, or accidentally, by simply reading the stories. The author tells us the series of materials is designed to teach someone “how to read the book of Jonah (in the original Hebrew) in about six months.”

The book is comprised primarily of 22 short stories adapted from the book of Jonah. Each story takes up no more than a page and contains at least two Hebrew words. A Word Key is given on the page preceding each story. The words in the Word Key are written in Hebrew, given a number, spelled phonetically and defined. In the first three stories, the vocabulary words are used only once in the story. Later stories incorporate them more freely.

Pencil sketches are included at the beginning of each story. Some of them are very simple; some are more detailed.

What I Like: The Bible-based stories in the book contain words written in Hebrew. This is the first Hebrew language book I’ve read. I confess I didn’t spend much time with the stories, but if I had, I’m sure I would have picked up some Hebrew without really trying.

The author certainly has a command of the Hebrew language which is evident in the way the book is set up and the words are incorporated into the story. He also provides a Summary Review at the end of the book which explains how the reader will learn more than just the Hebrew language by reading the stories. For instance, one story includes the value of different coins that were in use during Biblical times, another story incorporates a lesson about chemistry.

What I Dislike: The author uses some vocabulary words that are probably above the level of most children’s abilities to comprehend, even in this age group. Most of the stories would require quite a bit of explanation.

There are punctuation and layout issues throughout the text. The author has a tendency to add commas where they shouldn’t be, and many of the paragraphs are not indented as they should be. Neither of these are big issues, but I thought they should be mentioned.

Also, I was given only this book to read and review. Since it’s part of a larger package, I can’t really determine how well the book relates to the rest of the course materials.

Overall Rating: Good.

Age Appeal: 9-12.

Publisher Info: Shema Publishing Company, 2011; ISBN: 9781463590031; Paperback, 45 pages, $39.95.

Buy now at Amazon.com $39.95!NOTE: The price given is for the whole package of teaching materials, not just for this book.

Special Info: Read about the author.

Big Book of History

It's a book. It's a time line. It's both. Big Book of History by Laura Welch, Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge is not your ordinary book with a timeline, however. The time line is the book, and the timeline doesn't ignore Christian history.

You can view the full color timeline in book fashion, in which case there are 21 highly readable pages. Or you can unfold the timeline (keeping the tail end attached to the book) and display it on a long table. Either way, your kids will learn about history from the beginning with Adam and Eve to the modern era when the 10 Commandments were removed from all public buildings in the U.S.

Each section of the timeline features colorful drawings and photographs, interesting text in a readable size, and fun factoids. For example, the first page features a literal 6 day creation, a paragraph about Adam and Eve, a question ("Was the fruit really an apple? Hint: look up Genesis 3."), a paragraph about Cain and Abel, and more.

Other pages feature events such as the Trojan horse, the 7 wonders of the ancient world, the first use of the yo-yo, the first batteries and lighthouses, the first military submarine, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, the invention of television, and all the major biblical events.

The slant here is definitely toward a literal Bible, creationism, and a Christian America.

What I Like: This is a fun, engaging way to get kids interested in history. There are so many fun facts, lists, and questions to ponder or research; I spent a lot of time pouring over this one.

What I Dislike: Nothing.
Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: According to the publisher, 7 - 12, but many younger children will enjoy having this book read to them, or will enjoy just looking at the pictures. And plenty of older kids - and adults! - will like this book, too.
Publishing Info: New Leaf Publishing Group, 2011; ISBN: 978-0890516232; hardback, 21 pgs., $19.99.

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Special Info: Watch a video trailer for this book. Purchase the Big Book of History Teacher's Guide for $5.99 at ChristianBook.com or for $6.99 at Amazon.com. Or buy just the unbound timeline (ideal for hanging on a wall) for $12.99 for ChristianBook.com or $13.25 from Amazon.com.

The ABCs of Handling Money God's Way

Looking for a way to introduce godly handling of money to young children? I highly recommend Howard and Bev Dayton's The ABCs of Handling Money God's Way. Offering a unique blend of interesting storyline and biblical fact, it's hard to imagine a better way to introduce your child to the world of money.

The book begins with a fully illustrated story of a group of young friends. They decide they want a puppy, but one child's mother mentions how expensive a puppy can be. This is a revelation to the children; they never realized puppies cost money. So the mother decides to teach the kids the basics of money.

As they go through the mother's lessons, the children decide to do extra chores at home to earn money for a puppy. They also pray that God will provide a way for them to get a dog. One child is tempted to spend the money on other things, but eventually decides to save for the puppy instead. All the kids are tempted to go into debt to buy a puppy, but instead help someone in need. In the end, the person they help gives them a puppy her dog gave birth to.

"'God has taught you a great lesson,' Mrs. Day said. 'You worked hard. You gave to someone who was poor. You saved some of your money. And you were honest. The Lord blessed you because you were faithful stewards.'

'Let's name the puppy Steward!' Elizabeth shouted. 'His name will help us remember to be faithful stewards with our money.'"

Each chapter teaches a lesson in a kid-friendly way. In one chapter, kids learn God owns everything. In another, that God wants everyone to be good stewards of the money and things he gives them. Later, children learn God wants them to work hard at whatever they do and that they should give away at least 10% of what they earn. Kid also learn about saving money, and about prioritizing wants and needs. They learn debt should be avoided and that, when needed, they should seek council from their parents about money. Along the way, kids also learn the importance of honesty, hard work, and having Jesus as your best friend.

Each chapter is about 3 pages and ends with 2 worksheet pages. One worksheet page contains questions on what the Bible says about money, while the opposite page asks kids to identify different kinds of coins or behavior related to money.

Throughout, biblical references are given.

What I Like: First and foremost, I'm delighted my 4 1/2 year old finds this book engaging. She enjoys the storyline about the puppy, and can relate to it. One read of this book also had her asking to do extra chores to earn money for a toy she's been wanting. I also really LOVE the fact that this book isn't merely about dollars and cents. It also teaches about good work ethic and generosity.

The illustrations, which feature children of many skin colors, are expressive and interesting, and the add-ons, like easy Bible verses to memorize and simple questions and activities to do, are also most appreciated. The concepts covered are all simple - with the exception of giving about 10% of what we earn. However, the authors do give young children a generally easy way to understand how much, minimally, they should give: "You give one penny out of every ten pennies you receive. You can give more if you want."

What I Dislike: Nothing, really, although I might prefer it if the kids weren't given a puppy. It's absolutely true God rewards us for faithfulness - but as adults know, he doesn't always do so in ways we expect.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 5 - 7.

Publishing Info: Moody, 2003; ISBN: 0802431526; paperback, $13.99

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Special Info: One page includes an illustration of Jesus. Also, read our reviews of books on money.

Elements of Faith: Faith Facts and Learning, Lessons from the Periodic Table

I barely remember learning the periodic table - and not because I'm that old. It just didn't interest me. But Richard D. Duncan's Elements of Faith Vol 1: Faith Facts and Learning, Lessons from the Periodic Table is an intriguing book, terrific both for jr. high and high school aged homeschoolers and parents who want to "add on" to what their kids are learning in school.

The first section of the book (which covers hydrogen to tin) devotes two pages to each element. In various boxes on the page, we learn basic data about the element, are given an analysis of the it, some review questions, and a Christian devotional section. Believe it or not, the author does a nice job integrating biblical stories and quotes. For example, in the section on water, he first quotes Genesis 1:2 ("And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.") Later, he speaks on living water and discusses several biblical passages related to that theme. There is even a prayer at the bottom of the page that reads in part: "Heavenly Father, thank You....for the enjoyment we can receive from even the simplest of Your gifts, water itself. Give me the gift of living water, so that my soul will be satisfied..." And thus, the first section of the book combines both the science you'd find in a secular textbook and a biblical message.

The second part of the book offers 10 experiments related to the elements, the answers to the review questions, a glossary and index, and a periodic table.
What I Like: This book is unique and quite well done. The science is solid, and the addition of biblical wisdom adds a fun and useful element not found elsewhere. I also appreciate the inclusion of experiments (as well as the safety cautions included with them).
What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.
Age Appeal: Jr. High to High School
Publishing Info: New Leaf, 2008; ISBN: 978-0890515471; paperback, $14.99
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Bible for Children (Book I)

Bible for Children (Book I) by Claire A. Larsen isn't just for families who homeschool. Although this title is a textbook, even families whose children attend private or public school should seriously consider adding Bible for Children to their bookshelves.

Book I covers Genesis through Ruth (subsequent volumes are not yet available), and every page of the book helps your child delve seriously into the Bible. But that doesn't mean the book is boring! At least one page in every two page spread features a black and white 3D illustrations, and the text is written in a friendly and down to earth manner.

The introduction begins, in part:

"Everyone loves a story...Not only does everyone love to hear stories, but everyone has a story. You have a story. Maybe your mother has told you the story about how you became a part of your family...The Bible tells you God's story. It has many parts, but from beginning to end it's one story...In His story God tells you about Himself..."

The intro also emphasizes how the Old Testament points to Jesus.

Then the book goes step-by-step through the Bible, helping your child to understand it's nuances and memorize important points. For example, in the first chapter, they'll read a kid-friendly retelling of the story of creation, a definition of who God is, learn three words (Latin, Greek, and Hebrew) that are key to the story, find a memory verse - and even a memory chart for what God created on which days. These three pages are followed by a worksheet with fill-in-the-blank sentences about the story's facts, questions to discuss with a parent, and more. Here are some examples of the questions in the review worksheet:

"In the beginning God created the ------- and the -------" (Genesis 1:1)

Each day of creation has the same three parts:
1st: God ------- and what He said happened.
2nd: God said that what He created was -------
3rd: God ------- what he created.

God called the light -------, and the darkness -------.

God created man in the ------- of God.

God's name Elohim means -------.

The first Book of the Bible is called -------. It is a Greek word that means -------."

There are also sometimes puzzles and other activities to accompany each chapter.

The appendix lists all the memory verses; a summary of who God is (as described in the Old Testament); summaries of God's promises to the patriarchs, the ten commandments, the tabernacle, and Israel's wilderness journey; a glossary; and a map.

A complete teacher's manual is also available, providing answer keys, and information that expands upon the workbook's text.

What I Like: This is an exceptional book for children. I've learned a lot reading it, and I cannot wait to help my daughter through this book when she's old enough! The information provided goes far beyond a simple retelling of Bible stories. Here, your child can gain a historical understanding of the people of the Bible, and an in-depth understanding of God and his Word. The book is even designed to have one lesson per week - perfect for families who send their children to public or private school.

What I Dislike: Nothing, really. It would be wonderful if the illustrations were in color, but I understand this would run the cost of the workbook up a great deal.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 6 -8 (2nd grade and up).

Publishing Info: Classical Academic Press, 2007, ISBN: 1-60051-037-X (for teacher's manual: 1-60051-038-8); paper back, $22.95 (teacher's manual, $24.95)

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Special Info: The publisher's website features PDFs of some interior pages of this book..