Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad

Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad  by Marlene Targ Brill takes young readers on the adventurous, danger-fraught journey of eleven-year-old Allen Jay as he helps a runaway slave escape to freedom just before the Civil War.

Allen's family farm is a stop on that portion of the Underground Railroad located in the state of Ohio. For a while, Allen's parents have been risking their lives by serving as secret conductors of slaves from the South to Canada.

One day, Allen's father asks him to help a runaway slave named Henry James. Allen is afraid and wonders if he can do it. When he meets Henry and escorts him through dangerous territory, Allen learns that there is a big price to pay for freedom.

In this exciting true story, young readers will hold their breath as Allen hides Henry in the family wagon and transports him to the next stop of the Underground Railroad.  Children will learn about courage, faith, and love for all people regardless of their skin color.

What I Like: This story provides a wonderful example of facing one's fears for a noble cause. Children will learn that courage is not the absence of fear but doing the right thing in spite of fear. Author Marlene Targ Brill writes a compelling story in a simple fashion while stretching young readers to build not only their vocabulary but, more importantly, their character. The pencil and crayon illustrations by Janice Lee Porter add depth and drama to a captivating story.

What I Dislike: The author's use of the Quaker dialect of the 1800s may pose some difficulty for young readers. In their speech, the Quakers used the word "thee" to mean "you".  "Thee" is used  throughout the book instead of "you" and, while historically accurate, it makes the reading a bit stilted, especially if the book is read aloud.  Also, while the story portrays unconditional love for one's neighbor, it is not explicitly Christian but rather implicitly so.
 
Overall Rating: Very good

Age Appeal: 7-10, although older children will enjoy the Civil War history and dramatic suspense portrayed in the book.

Publisher Info: Lerner Publishing, Group, Inc., 1993; ISBN: 10: 0-87614-605-1; Paperback, pgs. 48, $6.95.

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God Made Something Clever: Find the Animal

Engage your child with this interactive book written by Penny Reeve. God Made Something Clever, Find the Animal, will teach your child about clever animals. Each page spread has interactive elements for a child to participate in:

"Let's go on an adventure. What will we find? It's something that God has made. It's something clever!"

The child is then asked two questions:

"Can you find the rabbit?"
"Where are the red flowers?"

A scripture is referenced as well: "The Lord is a God who knows," I Samuel 2:3

The illustrations, rendered by Roger De Clerk, are colorful and cheerful. Each page spread uses the same technique detailed above. Your child will also find a butterfly, bird, baby chicken, green hose, mouse, purple bag, sheep, worm, yellow flowers, chicken, and determine the color of a boy's hat and dog's collar. There are eight Scriptures to read and think about as well!

What I Like: This is a sweet book, and I like the fact that children can get involved with searching and finding animals and other objects while learning about God.

What I Dislike: I don't dislike anything about this book

Overall Rating: Very Good

Age Appeal: The publisher states ages 4-8, but I feel that younger preschoolers would benefit as well by having the book read aloud to them.

Publisher Info: Christian Focus Publications, YEAR: 2006; ISBN: 1857927729; Paperback, pgs.16, $4.99

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Special Info: This book is one in a series of Find the Animal books. We have also reviewed God Made Something Amazing. Also, teacher's notes to support this series of books are available for download from the author's website.  

Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing

Sally Lloyd-Jones is my favorite Christian children's author, and she has not let me down with her book Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing.

In Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing, Sally Lloyd-Jones takes Bible accounts and accounts from the lives of well known Christians, breaks them into small, bite-sized pieces that children can easily comprehend, and then ties in Scripture that shows God's great love, grace, and mercy towards us.

Each devotional page contains two to three small paragraphs that discuss a specific Bible account or a simplified biography of a well known Christian from history and relates the account to the particular biblical principle being focused on that day. The reading is followed up by a verse or paraphrase of a verse that completes the reading.

For instance, on page 186, the biblical principle is that faith in Christ brings light. The author briefly explains that most people believe faith is blind, but God's Word says the opposite. She goes on to show how John Newton, the author of the hymn "Amazing Grace,"  explained the change in his life with the words, "I once was blind... but now I see!" The selection ends with a reading of John 8:12.

At the end of the book, there is a "Bibliography and Sources- (or More Things to Think About)" section with a list of where the author sites direct quotes from others (C. S. Lewis, D. L. Moody, and Jonathan Edwards, to name a few) that were used throughout the book.

The presentation of this book makes it perfect to give as a gift. The leather bound edition comes in an illustrated box that matches the illustrations inside the book.

What I Like: Each devotional in Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing is short (most being one page) but holds a lot for one to think about.

For me, one of the highlights of Sally Lloyd-Jones books has always been the illustrations. Once again, Sally Lloyd-Jones has teamed up with Jago (the illustrator of The Jesus Story-book Bible), who does not disappoint! The illustrations are a perfect match for the devotional of the day. Recalling the illustration brings to mind the passage for the day, and vice versa.

What I Dislike: I liked everything about this book. 

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: The publisher states the age range at juvenile. I think children 5-12 years old would enjoy this book.

Publisher Info: Zonderkids, 2012; ISBN: 978-0-310-74338-5; paperback (leather bound), 224 pgs., $22.99

Buy It Now at Christianbook.com for $16.49

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Special Info: You might want to read other reviews of books written by Sally Lloyd-Jones.

Junior Battles to Be His Best

For children who are too afraid to try, Junior Battles to Be His Best is a Veggie Tales book that could help. Written by Karen Poth as a Level 1 "I Can Read!" book, the story begins when Junior learns his town is hosting a "battle of the bands." Although his mother and his friends are excited by the idea of Junior entering, Junior isn't. "I don't want to play my tuba," he says. "Everyone will laugh at me." He tries to practice, but concludes, "It's too hard...I'm not going to do it."

Junior sees many other local bands practicing, including Ma Mushroom's band. She asks if Junior is going to compete. When he says no, she replies, "Good...then we'll win for sure! It sounds like you already beat yourself!" When Junior asks what she means, she says, "Well, if you don't try, then you've already lost."

Spurred by the thought that he should at least try, Junior goes home to practice. But still, he doesn't feel good enough to compete. At his mother's prompting, Junior prays that God will give him courage to play in front of others...some day.

The day of the competition arrives, and two bands tie: Ma Mushroom's and Junior's squash friends. The two bands will play one more song to break the tie. Junior's friends beg him to play with them. He does - and "it was just what the...band needed." They win! "Thank you for your help, God," Junior prays.

What I Like: Performing in front of others - or even just trying something new - can paralyze some kids, but this story shows how, with God's help, kids can overcome their fears.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: About 4 to 8.

Publishing Info: Zonderkidz; 2011; ISBN: 978-0310727323; paperback, 32 pgs., $3.59

Buy Now at Amazon for $3.59
OR buy the Kindle edition for just $1.99 

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Special Info: See our reviews of other Veggie Tale's "I Can Read Books," as well our reviews of other Veggie Tale's books in general.

New Ways to Find Great Christian Books for Kids!

There's lots of good news today about easier ways to find great books for Christian kids:

1. Although Blogger's search feature isn't working still, I found a work-around. So now you can once again search titles and authors using the search function in the upper left corner of the blog.

2. After years and years of trying to find time to create a complete list of every book we've reviewed at Christian Children's Book Review, Christine Irvin volunteered to take over for me. Today, we are proud to announce that Christine has compiled two lists for you: "Books We've Reviewed - By Age Group," which allows you to easily browse titles that are recommended for your child's age, and "Books We've Reviewed - Complete & Alphabetized," which is simply an alphabetized list of every book we've ever reviewed.

For other ways to find the best books for your kids, be sure to read "How to Navigate Christian Children's Book Review."

Happy reading!

A Horse to Love

A Horse to Love by Marsha Hubler is a moving story about the power of a pet to affect a child's life for good. Thirteen-year-old Skye Nicholson has been in and out of foster homes ever since she can remember. Now that she finds herself at Keystone Ranch with her latest foster parents, Tom and Eileen Chambers, Skye wants nothing more than to get out. Keystone is like every other foster home she's been in, except for one thing: Champ, the beautiful Sorrel Quarter Horse who has captured Skye's heart. As Skye's love for Champ grows, Skye learns about the power of God's love to change her own broken, rebellious heart. This book is the first in the eight-book Keystone Stables series.

What I Like: Marsha Hubler writes with a keen understanding of her target audience. Her characterization, dialogue, and plot are realistic and resonate with a deep understanding of her age group. An educator, evaluator, and home school consultant, Ms. Hubler writes from more than eleven years of experience as a foster parent to numerous children.  Her writing displays the authenticity of personal experience coupled with the ability to convey that experience in a way that will draw readers into her story. Of special note is the fact that the faith element of the story is not simply tagged on but is an integral part of Skye's character arc.

What I Dislike: There is nothing I disliked about the story, but I would alert parents to the author's inclusion of a scene where Skye looks to obtain drugs from former classmates. This section of the book would, I believe, be more suitable to readers in the older end of the target age range, readers who may be more aware of drug use than younger children. Regardless of the age of their children, however, parents could use the scene as an opportunity for discussing from a Biblical perspective the dangers and consequences of using drugs.
 
Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: Middle-grade to junior high, ages 9-13.
 
Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2009; 978-0-310-71792-8; Paperback, 144 pgs., $4.99

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $4.49. OR Buy the Kindle version now at Christianbook.com for $2.99.

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Buy the Kindle version now at Amazon.com for $2.99.