Ten Things I Must Know: Bible Stories

Ten Things I Must Know: Bible Stories, by Elizabeth Akinteye, is a book of 10 Bible stories based on the 10 Commandments. The stories are preceded by an explanation of each commandment.

Colorful illustrations by Kate Solenova, that each make up a two-page spread, are scattered throughout the book.  Each chapter includes a head-shot of a child, which alternates between a boy and a girl.

What I Like: Sometimes it doesn't make a lot of sense to a child when you just give them a rule, like "honor thy father and thy mother." What does that really mean? The author does a good job of presenting the concepts of the commandments, with not only an explanation, but also a story that illustrates the point further.

What I Dislike: The illustrations of the children, both on the cover and in the book, appear to be computer-generated and are not very realistic.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: Ages 7 and up.

Publisher Info: Grosvenor House Publishing, 2015; ISBN: 9781781489802; Paperback, 80, $13.99.

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Special Info: Visit the author’s website.

That's Not Hay in My Hair

That’s Not Hay in My Hair,  by Juliette Turner, is the story of soon-to-be sixth-grader Juliette (Jules) O'Connor. After her end-of-the-year school party, she and her mother are leaving New York City to live on a cattle ranch in Texas. Her mother was born and raised in Texas, but left the state to live in New York City to work on her career as a writer. She bought a ranch in Texas, but never lived there, only going back to visit. Now, she and Jules will live there full time.

Jule's mother is familiar with life in Texas and life on a 300 acre cattle ranch. But, Jules has no clue what things will be like. She is terrified by stories of snakes and scorpions and coyotes. When the two arrive at the ranch, fully expecting to be looked after by long-time caretaker Beau-Dee, they are surprised to learn he will be leaving the ranch for good the very next day. How will the two survive on the ranch by themselves?

What I Like: I appreciated all this little "factoids" that were thrown into the storyline. The author did a good job of adding useful and interesting tidbits to the narrative, increasing my knowledge of cattle and horses.

What I Dislike: It was difficult for me to get into the story. I thought from the opening chapters, when Jules is preparing to move out of New York City and into a cattle ranch in the heart of Texas, there would be lots of conflicts between the city life and the country life. There wasn't. There was barely any mention of it at all.

I thought there would be a lot of problems that they would have to deal with on their own that they would normally have relied on Beau-Dee's help to figure out. Although there were a lot of problems to deal with, they didn't exactly have to do things by themselves. There was always someone who was just a phone call away. Turns out they really didn't need Beau-Dee, although the opening of the story made it sound like they would.

The author included a lot of things in the text that left me with more questions than answers. Here are just some of them (Unfortunately, there were many more.): How could a dog drag mud into the house when it hadn't rained? If Texas was so hot, why did Jules wait so long to react to the heat? Who actually set off the fireworks at their 4th of July party? What kind of vine has thorns in it?  If Maggie's left foot was so sore, why was that the one that she stamped the ground with? How come Jule's mother was caught totally off guard when Jules mentioned her first day of school was the next day?

There was also overuse of the actions of eye rolling, smirking and shoulder and head patting.

Although the book was published by Zonderkidz, Christianity seemed to be just an after-thought. Jules does superstitious things like crossing her fingers and her toes. Her mom kept using the phrase "Holy Moses." Prayer was offered before only one meal, by Jule's grandmother, at the end of which she crossed herself, even though Jules stated she wasn't Catholic. Early parts of the book mentioned they went to church in NYC, but there is no mention of them going to church in Texas.

Overall Rating: Ho hum.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN 9780310732440; Paperback, 240 pages, $8.99.

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TheKindle edition is available for $5.99.

Special Info: Just for girls.

That's Not Hay in My Hair

That’s Not Hay in My Hair,  by Juliette Turner, is the story of soon-to-be sixth-grader Juliette (Jules) O'Connor. After her end-of-the-year school party, she and her mother are leaving New York City to live on a cattle ranch in Texas. Her mother was born and raised in Texas, but left the state to live in New York City to work on her career as a writer. She bought a ranch in Texas, but never lived there, only going back to visit. Now, she and Jules will live there full time.

Jule's mother is familiar with life in Texas and life on a 300 acre cattle ranch. But, Jules has no clue what things will be like. She is terrified by stories of snakes and scorpions and coyotes. When the two arrive at the ranch, fully expecting to be looked after by long-time caretaker Beau-Dee, they are surprised to learn he will be leaving the ranch for good the very next day. How will the two survive on the ranch by themselves?

What I Like: I appreciated all this little "factoids" that were thrown into the storyline. The author did a good job of adding useful and interesting tidbits to the narrative, increasing my knowledge of cattle and horses.

What I Dislike: It was difficult for me to get into the story. I thought from the opening chapters, when Jules is preparing to move out of New York City and into a cattle ranch in the heart of Texas, there would be lots of conflicts between the city life and the country life. There wasn't. There was barely any mention of it at all.

I thought there would be a lot of problems that they would have to deal with on their own that they would normally have relied on Beau-Dee's help to figure out. Although there were a lot of problems to deal with, they didn't exactly have to do things by themselves. There was always someone who was just a phone call away. Turns out they really didn't need Beau-Dee, although the opening of the story made it sound like they would.

The author included a lot of things in the text that left me with more questions than answers. Here are just some of them (Unfortunately, there were many more.): How could a dog drag mud into the house when it hadn't rained? If Texas was so hot, why did Jules wait so long to react to the heat? Who actually set off the fireworks at their 4th of July party? What kind of vine has thorns in it?  If Maggie's left foot was so sore, why was that the one that she stamped the ground with? How come Jule's mother was caught totally off guard when Jules mentioned her first day of school was the next day?

There was also overuse of the actions of eye rolling, smirking and shoulder and head patting.

Although the book was published by Zonderkidz, Christianity seemed to be just an after-thought. Jules does superstitious things like crossing her fingers and her toes. Her mom kept using the phrase "Holy Moses." Prayer was offered before only one meal, by Jule's grandmother, at the end of which she crossed herself, even though Jules stated she wasn't Catholic. Early parts of the book mentioned they went to church in NYC, but there is no mention of them going to church in Texas.

Overall Rating: Ho hum.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN 9780310732440; Paperback, 240 pages, $8.99.

Buy now at ChristianBook $7.19!

Or buy at Amazon $8.99.

TheKindle edition is available for $5.99.

Special Info: Just for girls.

I Want To Be Just Like Jesus: Bible Storybook

I Want to Be Just Like Jesus: Bible Storybook, by Stephen Elkins, is a Bible storybook for children. book contains 40 different short stories about Jesus, each dealing with one of Jesus' characteristics. For instance, some characteristics cited are Jesus Was Responsible, Jesus Was Sincere and Jesus Was Generous.

Each of the short stories is preceded by a Bible verse and followed by a section called "Jesus in Me" that explains what each character trait means and how children can be like Jesus. Each section ends with a "Prayer for Today" and a call to action. One reads: "To be just like Jesus.... I will be sincere."

The illustrations by Simon Taylor-Kielty and Ruth Zeglin are bright and colorful and very kid-friendly.

What I Like: I like the overall design of the book. Although each section is four pages long and is repetitious in terms of what it contains and how it is laid out, the backgrounds, borders and illustrations make each one different and very visually appealing.

What I Dislike: Although I like the illustrations, as the people depicted in them remind me of Precious Moments figurines, I don't like the illustrations of Jesus. He simply looks like a big kid with a beard. He doesn't really look like an adult.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: No no age group is given for the book. It's difficult to determine the exact age group, as the layout and illustrations would suggest a rather young audience, say 4-8-year-olds. However, many of the words used in the stories are way above that age group. I'll say the appropriate age is somewhere between 6 and 10 years.

Publisher Info: Tyndale, 2015; ISBN: 9781496408211; Hardback, 173 pages, $14.99.

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Special Info: Read our reviews of other books by Stephen Elkins.

Power Prayers for Boys

Power Prayers for Boys by Glenn Hascall is, as the title implies, a book of prayers for boys. Each chapter deals with a different "type of power." For instance, some chapter headings are "My Attitude: The Power of My Thoughts"; "My Family - The Power of Love"; and "My Respect - The Power of Honor." Each chapter has 15 prayers relating to the chapter subject matter and each prayer is preceded by a corresponding Bible verse.

The writers use several different versions of the Bible for reference: NIV (New International Version); CEV (Contemporary English Version); NCV (New Century Version); NLT (New Living Translation); NLV (New Living Version); and NLT (New Living Translation).

What I Like: This looks like a good book for boys to go use. It gives them guidance and insights about 21 different topics that are relevant to them in their daily lives.

What I Dislike: I don't really like the type size used for the pages. The book is printed in a rather small type face. I think it would feel more user-friendly if the type were just a bit bigger.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Shiloh Kidz, 2015; ISBN: 9781630588588; Paperback, 218 pages, $7.99.

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Special Info: The title suggests this book is just for boys. Although some of the issues are specifically addressed to boys, many of these are relevant to girls, as well.

Read our reviews of other books by Glenn Hascall.

Play and Learn Bible Stories: Noah's Ark Wipe-Clean Storybook

Play and Learn Bible Stories: Noah’s Ark Wipe-Clean Storybook by Shiloh Kidz, is an interactive storybook about Noah and the ark. Each text page includes some type of activity that goes along with the story segment on that page.

Most of the activities are sticker-related, with over 100 bright stickers to paste in various places throughout the book. The text pages are numbered, and the stickers are grouped according to corresponding page numbers, making them easy to locate. There are also some tracing activities scattered throughout the pages. The tracing can be done with any type of dry erase marker (not included). The activities can be repeated again and again, as the stickers are reusable and the pages can be wiped clean.

What I Like: Just about everything. The pages are bright and colorful, the activities are kid-friendly, and the activities can be repeated.

What I Dislike: The book is supposed to be for ages 3+. The activities will be fun for all, but the language used in the text is not what I would consider kid-friendly for this type of activity book. Youngsters will enjoy the bright pages and the activities, but most of them will have trouble with the language level used to tell the story.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: The book is listed for ages 3+, but I think an appropriate age group would be about 3-8.

Publisher Info: Shiloh Kidz, 2015; ISBN: 9781630588946; Paperback, $6.99.

Buy now at ChristianBook $5.99!

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Glimmer Girls: A Dolphin Wish

Glimmer Girls: A Dolphin Wish, by Christian Grammy winning artist Natalie Grant, is the second book in the FaithGirlz Glimmer Girls series.  Once again, Mia and Maddie are solving a mystery  again with their little sister Lulu!  Their mother is a famous singer so the entire family gets to travel with her around the world to her concerts. In the last book they traveled to London.  In this book they travel to the San Diego, California. While there, they visit an amusement park and encounter a mystery involving the animals.  The sisters also deal with feelings of jealousy between them while in San Diego.

What I Like: I appreciate that this book can stand alone from the first book in the series.   You will not be lost at all if you haven't read the first book and decide that you want to start with this one.

If you read my review of the first book, you will remember that I was concerned about  one of the characters sneaking out at night and not receiving consequences.  This disobedience was addressed more thoroughly in this second book.   I also appreciated the family discussions and their reliance on God throughout the book.

What I Dislike:  There was nothing I disliked about this book.

 
Overall Rating: Excellent.
 
Age Appeal: 8-12.
 
Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN:0310752531; Paperback, 144 pages, $8.99.

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $7.19
 
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Special Info: You can read my review of the first book in the series, Glimmer Girls: London Art Chase by clicking here.

Berenstain Bears Mother's Day Blessing

Mother's Day Blessings by Mike Berenstain the latest book from the Berenstain Bears Living Lights Series. This series incorporates faith and values into the story line of each book. The Berenstain Bears Mother's Day Blessing is about the Bear family's tour through Bear Country as they celebrate Mama Bear and learn about why mothers are so special to all of us.  On the very first page the author shows a picture of Mama Bear with a passage from Proverbs 31... "She is worth far more than rubies.  Her children arise and call her blessed. Honor her for all that her hands have done."

What I Like: I enjoy how this series weaves the scriptures and values into each story. The series was designed to "help children learn how God wants them to live every day."

I also liked that the book showed mothers in a variety of different roles.  There were moms that stayed home with their children, moms that worked, moms that owned a business and a mom that worked in ministry as a Pastor's Wife.
 
What I Dislike: I wish that the book was a little longer.  I feel that the conclusion of the book was a bit rushed. 

 
Overall Rating: Very Good.
 
Age Appeal: 4-8 years old.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN:0310748690; Paperback, 32 pages, $3.99

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The Beginner's Bible: All About Jesus Sticker and Activity Book

The Beginner’s Bible: All About Jesus Sticker & Activity Book by Zonderkidz, is filled with very short stories and activities relating to Jesus. The stories are about Jesus’ birth, his baptism, his first miracle, etc. A short story is told on each page, and activities relating to that story are included on that page.

Activities include stickers, tracing objects, coloring and drawing pictures, counting exercises, and several different kinds of puzzles. Colorful, cartoonish illustrations fill each page.

What I Like: This looks like a great book to not only keep little ones busy, but also to help them learn about Jesus.

What I Dislike: Although there are lots of stickers (more than 50) included with the book, and many places where they go throughout the pages, the stickers are not marked according to what page they are supposed to go on. I looks like it would be rather complicated for youngsters to locate the stickers themselves.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: No age group is given, but I would say this is the type of book for children in preschool and kindergarten.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2015; ISBN: 9780310746935; Paperback, $3.99.

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7 Days of Awesome

7 Days of Awesome by Shawn Byous is a picture book written in rhyme about Creation. The story's Dr. Seuss-like narrative and whimsical illustrations take children through the 7 days of Creation.  The book stays in rhyme throughout the entire book.  The scripture references in the book are taken from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.

What I Like: I liked that the book was based on the Biblical story of Creation that was written in Genesis.  The book is accurate in referring to what was created on each day according to the Bible. 

What I Dislike: I am not a fan of books in rhyme.  I feel like the wording is forced more often than not in order to make the rhyme work.  I also did not find the drawings to be appealing.  The style of artwork looked old fashioned to me. 

Overall Rating: Ho-Hum.

Age Appeal: Ages 4-8.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN: 03010743494; Hardcover, $16.9.

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $10.19
 
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Glimmer Girls: London Art Chase

Glimmer Girls: London Art Chase, by Christian Grammy winning music artist Natalie Grant, is the first book in the Faithgirlz Glimmer Girls Series.  Mia and Maddie are 10-year-old twins who fly to London with their little sister Lulu to watch their famous mother Gloria Glimmer sing in concert. While there they encounter a mystery.  The girls and their nanny try to solve who stole art from the National Gallery.

What I Like: I liked the elements of faith that were written throughout the book.  The characters struggled with feelings of jealousy, not fitting in and fear.  These were all addressed with the characters being told to pray and trust in God.

What I Dislike: There is a part in the story where the 10-year-old main character sneaks out of her hotel room in London to try to solve the mystery on her own.  She ends up being okay but I was disappointed that she did not receive consequences for sneaking out and putting herself in danger.  I think this really would have been a good opportunity for a teaching point on honesty, obedience and safety.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN: 987-0-310-75265-3; Paperback, 208 pgs., $8.99

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $6.99
 
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Under The Sea Holy Bible

The Under the Sea Holy Bible, NIV, is a perfect gift for children ages 6 to 10. Themes of underwater fun and sparkling fish grace the interior of this wonderful children’s Bible. The outside is covered in foil and sparkle. The interior has color inserts featuring whimsical underwater scenes with themes of God’s care and love for each of us and all of creation.

What I Like: The cover of the Under The Sea Holy Bible is absolutely adorable with the sparkly and foiled illustrations. Kids will be drawn to it. Within, there are several bright blue pages mixed within the bible pages that highlight teachings that kids could relate to easily. The ten commandments are listed in a simplistic form that makes sense to children. Another page highlights all of the children and teens mentioned throughout the bible and a small reference to who they were and what they did along with the scripture where you can find their story.

There is glossary in the back as well.

What I Dislike: Because I love the special blue pages so much, I was disappointed that there weren't more of them.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: 6-10 years old.

Publisher Info: Zondervan, 2016; ISBN: 978-0310754046 ; Hardcover, 1152 pgs., $24.99

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I Can

I Can by Karthryn O'Brien is a bright, colorful and beautifully illustrated book that helps young children understand and memorize scripture.  The book teaches Philippians 4:13, "I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." The verse is broken down simply and the author uses repetition and rhythm to facilitate the memorization.  The author gives examples of how each part of the verse connects with a child's everyday life.

What I Like: I love that this book helps young children to apply scripture to their own lives.  With the colorful and relevant pictures children will be able to immediately connect the Bible to their own experiences.

I love that this book not only teaches the scripture but also develops a love for the Lord and scripture early on in a child's life.  I think that Philippians 4:13 is a foundational verse that all children should have memorized!

What I Dislike: There was nothing that I disliked. 

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 3-6 years old.

Publisher Info: Tyndale House Publishers, 2016; ISBN: 978-1496411174; Hardcover, 32 pages; $14.91.

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or

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Please and Thank You God: Prayers For Family & Events

Please and Thank You, God! prayers can be used and enjoyed alone or together as a family during many different occasions and events throughout the year. Included in this book, you’ll also find prayers for your family, friends, religious holidays and more.

What I Like: Prayers for Family and Events is a must-have for any parent looking for a way to teach their children to pray easily. Each colorful and whimsically illustrated two-page layout focuses on an important person in the reader's life (like parents and friends) or an occasion, like holidays (Christmas, Easter) or a birthday.

Each two-page layout includes a "Thank You" to God where children are giving thanks to for the blessing he has provided and a "Please" portion where children submit petitions unto the Lord. The please portion includes scripture.

For example, the Easter Page prayer thanks "Jesus for suffering on the cross for my sins and rising again," and asks God to "Please help me share the good news of Easter with others," followed by a short scripture about rejoicing in Jesus's resurrection.

Each prayer is short (only a few sentences) and includes a short verse that correlates with the prayer, so children are praying and learning scripture. I love the illustrations, also by Agnes de Bezenac, that help bring the pages to life.

What I Dislike: I always prefer to see the bible version when I see scripture. It's not included in this book, but it doesn't take away from the book.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 8 and under.

Publisher Info: iCharacter.org, 2014; ISBN:978-1623871970 ; Paperback, 32 pgs., $8.49

Buy it at Amazon.com for $8.49

Other Prayer Books in the series
Prayers Before Bed and Prayers Throughout the Day

Additional Info: Author Page www.iCharacter.org

Joanna the Donkey

In Joanna the Donkey, author Kenneth E. Metzger tells the story of Jesus’ ride to Nazareth on a donkey from the donkey’s point of view.

Joanna is a donkey with a hearing problem. She is chosen as the donkey Jesus rides into Nazareth. When the crowds line the streets and start shouting, “Hosanna! Hosanna!” she thinks they are saying “Joanna! Joanna!” After the procession is over and Joanna returns home, her mother explains to her what the people were really saying and what they really meant.

At the end of the book, the author includes a section called “Inter-actives for Parents To Do with Their Children.” This is a list of questions about the story that parents and children can discuss together.

The pencil illustrations, by Sydney Dziewa are colorful, but they are a bit cartoonish.

What I Like: I like the humor of having a donkey that is hard of hearing. I also like the list of questions at the end of the story.

What I Dislike: When Joanna’s friends her that a King is coming who will need a donkey to ride, each of them think they will be chosen. When Joanna says, “Maybe he’ll choose me,” her two friends roll with laughter at the thought of Joanna being the chosen one. Why would Jesus choose to ride on a lame donkey? But when Joanna is chosen, and she later tells her friends about her adventure, they don’t even seem surprised. I wonder why that is?

I also did not like the layout. Each two-page spread was exactly the same, with an illustration on the left and the text on the right. There was no variation at all.

Overall Rating: Good.

Age Appeal: 4-8.

Publisher Info: Xulon Press, 2014; ISBN: 9781498413923; paperback, $11.99.

Buy now at Amazon $11.99!

The Kindle version is available for $5.99.

 

The Only Gift

The Only Gift put out by the Children's Bible Hour is a very reflective story reminding us and our children that the only gift Jesus wants from us is ourselves.

The Sunday school children are putting on a short Christmas play for their parents. Rather than going with the usual "Nativity scene" skit, the class chooses to do a skit where they bring gifts to Jesus- trophies they have earned in sports, music they have written, foods they enjoy eating, and a television they enjoy spending time watching. However, none of these gifts are what Jesus wants. Then one little boy stands before Jesus and offers himself to Jesus because it is all he has. This is the gift Jesus wants.

What I Like: This book offered a lot of opportunity for my 8 year old and I to talk about what we have to offer Jesus, how often we make other things in our lives idols, and how we need to make our lives a gift for Him.

I also love that this book comes with a CD. It gives children a chance to listen to the story as a radio show the way this story was originally intended.

The illustrations by Joel Spector were perfectly done. They certainly add to the story and do not take away from it in any way.

What I Dislike: I loved everything about this book.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 5-12 years old.

Publisher Info: CBH Ministries, 2012; ISBN: 978-0-9855560-1-3; paperback, 32 pgs., $10.00

Available through Keys for Kids Ministries $10.00

Rocky Hill Fireman, Book #1: Fire!

Rocky Hill Fireman, Book #1:  Fire! by James Burd Brewster is a great book for any child who aspires to be a fire fighter when he or she grows up.

Rocky Hill is the name of the main hero of the story. He and two other fire fighters, Big Joe and Bob, are called into action to help a family whose home has caught on fire. Rocky is tasked with going into the home to locate a sleeping baby. In the end, the fire fighters and baby are all safe and sound.

What I Like: It is so important for our children to view our civil servants as being friendly, helpful, and safe. This book does exactly that.

I love finding books that completely engage my children. This book did just that. Both my 8 year old and 4 year old were completely caught up in the world and rescue mission of Rocky Hill.

The illustrations by Dayna Barley-Cohrs fit this book perfectly. Although they appear to be hand drawn and painted with watercolors, they are tastefully done, and are a perfect complement to the story.

What I Dislike: Although this is a Christian book, the name "God" is mentioned two times on the very last page. Once when the mother says, "Thank God you came in time," and the narrator states, "He also thanked God."

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 4-8 years old.

Publisher Info: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013; ISBN: 978-1484837177; paperback, 32 pgs., $29.99

Buy it at Amazon.com for $29.99

Ori's Amazing Story: Faith in God's Plan

In Ori’s Amazing Story: Faith in God’s Plan, by Mike and Carol Wyrick, Ori is a young donkey. He is sold to a merchant who uses him to pull his cart. Ori isn’t really happy to just pull a cart as he believes he has a higher purpose. One day, a couple of men borrow Ori for a special purpose. Ori becomes the donkey Jesus rides into Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday.

There are small black-and-white illustrations scattered throughout the text, with full-size illustrations at the beginning of each chapter.

The authors include a detailed Discussion Guide at the end of the book, with questions relating to each chapter.

What I Like: I like reading Bible stories told from different perspectives other than the traditional one. This one is told by a donkey.

What I Dislike: Nothing, really.

Overall Rating: Good.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Trusted Books, 2014; ISBN: 9781632692498; Paperback, 80 pages, $11.99.

Buy now at Amazon $10.55!

 

Meet the Leapers

Meet the Leapers by Jennifer Gordon is the story of a frog family who live in the Soon Forgotten Pond. One day and angel visits the Daddy Frog and tells him to get his family to the largest lily pad in the pond in order to save them from the great storm God is sending.  Daddy Frog is told to encourage the other creatures to change their ways before the great storm comes. Sadly, no one listens to him. However, because the frog family obeys God, they are safe.

What I Like: I always look for how illustrations match up with the actual text of a book. Having a non reader, I know that he will connect with a book based on the pictures he sees. Scott R. Strub did a fantastic job connecting the text to the illustrations. Not only do they complement the story on each page, but the text is tastefully applied to the page. It is never put in an area that will make it difficult to read.

What I Dislike: I thought the attempt at making this story an adaptation of the account of Noah's Ark was a bit of a stretch.

Overall Rating: Very good

Age Appeal: 4-8-year-olds

Publisher Info: Jennifer Gordon, 2013; ISBN: 978-1-62890-413-0; paperback, 22 pgs., $8.95

Buy it at Amazon.com for $8.95

Angels In The Bible Storybook

Where were the angels when God created the world? Why did an angel force a donkey off a road? Who did the angels get out of jail twice? Young readers will find answers to these and other questions in this exciting storybook, written by bestselling author Allia Zobel Nolan with illustrations by Alida Massari. Angels in the Bible Storybook gives children a fascinating look into how God’s powerful behind-the-scenes helpers interacted with Bible greats from Abraham, Lot, and Gideon to Zechariah, Mary, and Jesus himself, acting as messengers, protectors, warriors, and more.

What I Like: Angels in the Bible Storybook, by Allia Zobel Nolan is an exhaustive look of every biblical account involving angels. All of the information is biblically based and follows the order of the bible. The illustrations by Alida Massari are very detailed and colorful helping readers envision biblical stories more clearly.

What I Dislike: Nothing. However, I would say that it is a very long storybook and not one a child could read through before bed.

Overall Rating: Very Good

Age Appeal: 4 - 8 years. A four-year-old would probably need an adult to read through and help them understand the stories.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN: 978-0310743651; Hardcover, 224 pgs., $12.27

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