Letters to God

In Letters to God, written by Patrick and Heather Doughtie, Tyler can’t find his compass in his messy room. He remembers his dad told him if he had a problem, he should talk to God about it. So Tyler says, “Hey, God, can you please help me find my compass.” His room is still a mess and he still can’t find his compass, so he decides to write God a letter asking for help.

Before he makes it to the mailbox to post his letter, he sees Mrs. Green trying to get her cat down from a tree. He opens his letter and adds a P.S. telling God Mrs. Green needs help, too.

Then, he finds his friend Sam sitting on the curb looking sad because her father lost his job. So, he adds a P.S.S. to the letter about Sam. When he sees a beautiful rainbow he adds a P.S.S.S. thanking God for it.

After posting his letter, Tyler finds Sam happily playing with her dad and Mrs. Green holding her act in her arms. He then writes a thank-you letter to God.

The illustrations by Tammie Lyon are colorful and expressive and sure to please young readers.

Stationary is included in the back of the book so your child can write his/her own letter to God.

What I Like: This book is based on a true story of Tyler Doughtie. When Tyler passed away at the age of nine after being diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, his father found letters Tyler had written to God when he was ill. This story, one of child-like faith, is one everyone can learn from.
What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 4-8.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2010; ISBN: 9780310720133; Hardcover, $15.99.

Buy now at ChristianBook $9.99!

Or buy at Amazon.com $10.87.

Special Info: Read our reviews of other books illustrated by Tammie Lyon. Visit Patrick Doughtie’s website.

Thank You, God, for Kittens/Thank You, God, for Puppies

Toddlers love animals - especially animals they often see in their everyday lives - like cats and dogs. And with charming illustrations by Tammie Lyon and sweet rhyming text by Mary Manz Simon, two new board books are sure to please them. Thank You, God, for Kittens and Thank You, God, for Puppies are perhaps perfect if you have a cat or dog in your home, but are equally welcome if you don't.

"Kitty, kitty, I love you./I love all the things you do," begins the kitten book. Then each page features something cats do, like play with string, take naps, run to their food dish, hide in bags, sit on books, climb trees, purr, etc. The last page reads: "You're a blessing, it is true./I thank God each day for you."

The puppy book is very much the same format, except it features things more typical to dogs, including tail thumping, catching balls, chewing bones, shaking water off their bodies, and more.


What I Like: Simon's writing, as always, is solid. Although rhyming books are difficult to do well, Simon is a master at them. Tammie Lyon's illustrations are a perfect match for the text, featuring children of different ethnicities playing with cats or dogs. Both the author and illustrator do an excellent job making these books perfect for very young children.

What I Dislike: Nothing. But parents may want to know that the only mention of God is on the last page of each book, where the text reads "I thank God each day for you."

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: Infant - preschool.

Publishing Info: Ideals, 2015; ISBN 978-0824919627 (Kittens) 978-0824919610 (Puppies); board books, 20 pgs., $6.99

Buy at Amazon: Kittens $5.99; Puppies $5.13

Or buy it from ChristianBook.com: Kittens $4.99;  Puppies $4.99

Special Info: See our reviews of other books by Mary Manz Simon.

Good Manners for a Little Princess

There are a lot of children's books on manners available today - even a number from Christian publishing houses. But none incorporates a Christian worldview as well as Kelly Chapman's Good Manners for a Little Princess. A spin off of Chapman's Princess with a Purpose, we meet all the same characters, but this time Caroline learns a different lesson: How to have manner's like God's princesses should.
The story begins with a class where the girls sit down to eat, but argue over the food, grab food across the table, bubble their pink tea, talk with their mouths full, and so on. When Caroline falls off a chair because she's not sitting properly in it, she has a dream of a fancy princess manners lesson where she learns the Bible talks a lot about manners and that The Golden Rule is the most important bit of etiquette she can know.
Miss Lily, the teacher, provides specific examples of what The Golden Rule looks like in life. For example, a Golden Rule Keeper loves others, while a Golden Rule Breaker thinks of herself first. Grace, courtesy, and and kindness are emphasized. The girls also learn a little bit about setting the table and dance the "Tutu Trot" to remember some mannerly basics (like "before you eat, say a prayer" and "cover when you sneeze").
The last page of the book has a short, fun quiz for girls to test their manners.

What I Like: My 6 year old actually found this book interesting; any other book on the topic seems to bore her. The illustrations by Tammie Lyon are also well executed and provide lots of interest. Most of all, however, I appreciate how well Christian principles are applied to manners; only by pointing to The Golden Rule can we even explain why manners are even necessary.

What I Dislike: It seems as though the author wrote this story to be a full sized book, but the publisher chose to make it a smaller one. It measures about 7 x 7 inches, which means the text is in a relatively small type and rather dense on each page.

Overall Rating: Very good.
Age Appeal: 4 - 8.
Publishing Info: Harvest House, 2011; ISBN: 978-0736937238; hardback, 32 pgs., $12.99.
Buy Now at Amazon.com for $10.39
 
OR buy at ChristianBook.com for $9.99

Special Info: Read our review of other books by Kelly Chapman.

Topsy-Turvy Tracy: The Upside-Downer Day

Topsy-Turvy Tracy: The Upside-Downer Day was written by Susie Taylor, a kindergarten teacher with a background in development psychology.

Told through rhyming verse, the story follows Tracy, a young girl who loves to explore God's world. On morning she tumbles out of bed upside down. Lying on the floor she sees that things look quite different with her head down low. She decides to have an upside-downer day. She walks on her hands and eats breakfast with her feet in the air. Then she goes to the playground to see what she can see hanging upside down from the monkey-bars. Everything looks different! It's not long before she gets dizzy. Then she realizes there's not much she can do upside down. She can't ride her bike or jump rope. Tracy concludes that God designed us to be rightside-up and His way is best.

Illustrated by Tammie Lyon, the pages are filled with simple drawings, friendly characters and plenty of bright colors. Several pages encourage readers to "Flip and see what Tracy saw!"

What I Like: The illustrations are sweet, and the character of Tracy is adorable, reminiscent of Punky Brewster. My daughter loves flipping the book upside down to see things the way Tracy does. It's a cute, simple novelty.

What I Dislike: It's very simplistic and very short. I like kids concluding that God's way is best, but to think He made us rightside-up just so we could play hopscotch is pretty weak.

Overall Rating: Good.

Age Appeal: 4-8, though my 3-year-old loves it, too.

Publisher Info: ZonderKidz, 2004; ISBN: 0310704421; Hardback; $12.99

Buy it Now at Amazon for $11.04

Princess with a Purpose

If your little girl loves princesses, Christian publishers offer a variety of offerings targeted directly to her. One of the more important princess books, though, is Princess with a Purpose by Kelly Chapman.

In this book, we meet 8 year old Caroline, who loves everything princess. One day her grandma (whom she's lived with for years) sends Caroline to Princess Prep School. This, Caroline says, will be her second most favorite day. (Her first most favorite day being when she asked Jesus into her heart.)

But classes get off to a rocky start when Prissy Crissy tells Caroline: "Don't you know that you need a king as your father and a queen as your mother to be a real princess?" After that, all Caroline can think about is that she can't be a real princess like the other girls because she doesn't have a father.

That night, Caroline dreams she's at Princess Prep School again when the King's helper, Constant, appears. He invites them to the castle for tea. Prissy Crissy points out there's no room for Caroline in the beautiful horse drawn coach, but Constant allows her to ride in the driver's seat with him. This gives him a chance to tell Caroline all about the Prince of Calvary.

When they arrive at the castle, their teacher Miss Lily is there. She asks: "Can anyone tell me what it means to be a rel princess?" Prissy Crissy says, "That's easy-schmeasy! A real princess belongs to a royal family. Her parents are the king and queen of the universe, and she has a gazillion maids who do whatever she wants...A real princess wears a pretty crown and lovely dresses. And she is beautiful - just like me!"

Miss Lily gently tells her she's incorrect: "A real princess has a heart full of love for her King and others. That's what makes her truly beautiful."

Caroline asks if a real princess must have a father. Miss Lily comforts her by saying it is our heavenly father who makes us real princesses. "You became a real princess the moment you believed Jesus died on the cross for your sins and was raised to life again," she says. "And since He is the King of kings and you are His daughter, that makes you his [princess]." Overjoyed, Caroline says she wants to know everything about how to be the princess Jesus wants her to be. Miss Lily is so pleased, she gives Caoroline a crown.

When Caroline wakes up, her entire attitude has changed. "I really am a princess!" she cries.

The last three pages of the book give information on how to become a daughter of the King (complete with quotes from the Bible), a prayer for asking Jesus into your heart, and a proclamation that can be personalized to show your little girl is now a part of God's family.

What I Like: This story is touching and easy for young girls to relate to. The illustrations by Tammie Lyon are expressive and full of lots of princess-y things. Most importantly, Princess with a Purpose helps girls understand there are real princesses - and if you're a girl or woman who loves Jesus, you are one.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 4 - 8

Publishing Info: Harvest House, 2010; ISBN: 978-0736924351; hard back, $15.99

Buy Now at Amazon.com for $11.99

OR buy at ChristianBook.com for $9.99

Special Info: The publishers also offers a wide variety of go-with material for this book, including an activity book, a music CD, a curriculum DVD, and a curriculum kit.