Review: The Berenstain Bears' Book of Prayers

"The Berenstain Bears' Book of Prayers" contains "nearly 50" rhyming prayers for your child's daily routines. It will be up to you to help your child place these easy to remember, easy to recite prayers in their appropriate situations. The board book can be ready like a storybook, but isn't really written that way. It contains prayers for the morning, God's creation, joyful praise, thanks, friendship, bravery, mealtimes, unpleasant emotions, forgiveness, comfort, bedtime and more. This is a great way to teach your young one to pray all day in every situation and to include God in every moment.

*I received this book from Worthy Publishing. All opinions are my own.

Review: God Made the Sun and God Made the Moon

"God Made the Sun" and "God Made the Moon" are adorable, well-illustrated die-cut stories for the little ones, quick and easy to read. Although not all the rhymes are all that creative or rhyme well, these are simple stories that begin and end with God's blessings. As you read through with your child, he or she will see a peer go through a day (or evening) of fun and adventure. You can help your child understand that even in these daily routines, God's light shines down. In fact, both cardboard books begin with the same little ditty: "God made the moon/sun to smile down on earth, and fill the dark with light (it shines to light our way). The moon/sun reminds us of the love God sends to us each night/day. The moon story features a little girl, while the sun story features a little boy. The moon story also includes a few more pages with specific spiritual themes - the little girl praying, a comment that God watches from above. Both books include cutouts on each page of a sun or moon that makes the books more interactive and fun.

*I received these books from Worthy Publishing. All opinions are my own.

Bible Review: NKJV Word Study

I received the digital version of this Bible from the publisher (all views are my own). The digital layout was necessary, but frustrating. Links to word descriptions at the back of the chapter were difficult to use and inconvenient. There wasn't much to study here beyond the word descriptions, which were informative, but direct and obvious - not very revealing or interesting. The book introductions were also very short. They include a list of words to watch out for, but do not give much in the way of summaries for ideas found in those words. There's also an excessive amount of underlining for words that have "word studies" in other books of the Bible. I give this edition three stars because one, it's the Bible and you can't go wrong with the Bible, and two, maybe, just maybe, you'll find the word studies beneficial. In fact, the digital version may be easier to use than the print version.

Fiction Review: Tangled Webs by Irene Hannon

With just a few books, I have become a great fan of Irene Hannon's suspense work. Hannon's perspective and writing style are unique. She always includes the antagonist's point of view, and she always builds up to an exciting, edge-of-your seat finale. I was slightly disappointed by "Tangled Webs," though.

This installment - the final and third of the "Men of Valor" series - has a slower pace and less interesting climax - albeit just as dangerous. Hannon's particular habits that I find disagreeable were also still there: Introducing a new point of view late in the book and nearly instant attraction between the romantic leads. Still, having read the two previous installments in the series, I enjoyed learning what happens with the third brother.

The "tangled webs," themselves," were interesting enough. Dana is recovering from a hostage incident in New York while Finn recovers from his army trauma. A drug producer wants the two off of the land he uses and finds a way to blackmail the local police chief to help him. There is not quite as much character development here as in Hannon's other books. I would have enjoyed having more than a chapter or two to look at the drug maker's motivations. The police chief's character is probably the most realistic and relatable of all the people who appear in the book. The novel is also lacking in spiritual themes or insights.

So - it's not Hannon's best, but fans of Hannon's previous work and anyone out for a simple romantic suspense novel without much depth will enjoy "Tangled Webs."

*I received this book from Revell. All opinions are my own.

Devotional Review: Earth Psalms by Francine Rivers

I am not normally one to enjoy or get anything out of a devotion book, but I connected with "Earth Psalms" by Francine Rivers. It wasn't necessarily because of the subject matter - some of the allegories and lessons drawn from nature were stretched - but the beautiful photos, quick hymnal and Scriptural quotes, and specific lessons drew me in. Each lesson seemed to connect with a previous lesson - there are 52 total - encouraging me to rely on God's faithfulness and to live my life accordingly. I found simple, but profound truths in each entry. I find myself wanting to return and read through the book again now that I've finished it. The book is written to be a weekly devotional, but works just as well, if not better, as a daily devotional.

*Disclaimer: I received this book from Tyndale. All opinions are my own.

Fiction Review: Open

I love David Gregory's choice to make a coffee-table, short story novel. I'm sure the simplicity of his writing style and his direct aim to connect the Bible with modern-day dilemmas will attract beginners in the Christian faith. Personally, however, I found his writing a bit too simple and his story a bit lacking in depth. Connecting Emma's breakup with Scripture seemed like a bit of a stretch, and her own ignorance of the Bible was realistic but bothersome. I longed for thought-provoking conversation and insight, but instead, when Jesus invites Emma to witness the events of the Gospels, the reader gets what he or she has read before in the Bible. All this is not to say I dismiss the book entirely. I enjoy the concept, and there are a few moments to connect with, but I do not care much for Gregory's non-descriptive writing and think the story is more written for the inquiring mind than the more mature (but still growing) believer.

*Disclaimer: I received this book from Tyndale. All opinions are my own.

Review: Pop Manga Coloring Book

As you can probably tell from the cover image, "Pop Manga Coloring Book" contains beautiful, surreal sketches of manga girls, the majority of them wrapped up in nature in one way or form (tentacles, animal friends, fantastical hats, etc), and a few of them having rather soulful, sometimes creepy eyes. The large coloring book has a nice, flat lay to it. The pages have a good thickness for coloring (although they're so detailed, pencils may be more appropriate than markers - prepare to spend a lot of detailed work and time one these drawings). Personally, I did not care for the addition of a small creature that pops up frequently with tips. The creature got in the way of some of the drawings, and the tips spoke to me like I was a child who didn't know red from green, pencil from pen. I'll admit, though, that the idea was cute and very fitting for manga.

*I received this book from BloggingforBooks. All opinions are my own.