Favorite Christmas Books

 

Candy Cane Stories

The Legend of the Candy Cane is a fabulous story for the Christmas season.  It is about how an owner of a candy store spread the message of the gospels using the candy cane.  This story is a little longer and some young kiddos may not be able to sit through it, but it is very well written and the illustrations are beautiful. I highly recommend reading it to your children.  If you have to, just skip the first few pages to jump right in to the candy cane symbolism.

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Stories Just for Fun

Merry Christmas Curious George is another fun tale about how curiosity gets George into a mess, but as always comes out on top.  In this book, George is shopping for a Christmas Tree with the man in the yellow hat. He ends up getting separated from him and on a truck headed to a children’s hospital. Of course, George ends up causing some trouble when he tries to decorate the tree, but in the end he gets out of it. Lil’man is a big fan of Curious George in our house because he just thinks George is so silly.  If your kiddo likes Curious George then they’ll get a kick out of this Christmas one as well.

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God Gave Us You {Review}

God Gave Us You, is another simple story, by Lisa Tawn Bergren and illustrator Laura J. Bryant, featuring the polar bear family seeking to answer some of life's biggest questions. I'm reviewing the board book version released just this year.

Storyline
This storyline is a familiar one. Mom's everywhere can relate to each point in the story. Follow the polar bear parents to be as they visit the doctor and listen to their baby bear's heartbeat. Watch mama bear as she adjusts to her ever growing belly. Then reminisce as mama bear recalls the first time she held her new baby. The plot points are the same for nearly every new mother.

Illustrations
As always the watercolor illustrations in this book vary from full-page to inset. They are colorful and detailed. Amazingly Bryant is able to make the bears faces so expressive while keeping them realistic.

Engaging, Interactive, Inspiring?
What child hasn't asked where they came from? In that regard this book is very engaging. I think it will also provide another opportunity to tell your child about their birth story (not that you need one). Your child may have not realized how much love they received before they were even born until you share this story with them.

Final Thoughts
If you're a fan of Bergren and Bryant's work you won't be disappointed with this book. They have stayed true to their style and delivered another pleasing story. This story lends itself to the board book format and I appreciated that fact. I think you'll like God Gave Us You.

 

A Mommy Talks Review Disclosure: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for the sole purpose of product testing. I do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. All opinions expressed are my own.

When God Created My Toes (Review)

Author Dandi Daley Mackall and illustrator David Hohn have teamed up once again to create a children's book featuring an inquisitive little girl. When God Created My Toes  follows the mischievous girl as she goes about a busy day with her parents. She makes a mess of the back yard, wobbles around in roller skates and even makes time for tea and dress up.

 

Storyline
The little girl asks questions about what God knew when he made her different body parts. She wants to know "When God created my knees, Did he put bones in 'em? Did he know I'd skin 'em? Did we sing our ABCs when God created my knees?" With each page we find her getting into some trouble, goofing off with her parents, or just being a kid.

Illustrations
Hohn's illustrations, as always, are superb with realistic perspectives and engaging expressions. On one page he shows the little girl doing a flip off her father's chest. The next page you're put in place of the living room wall where she is diligently finger painting a masterpiece. Big bathtub bubbles and blow dried hair are some of the examples of Hohn's mastery of the realistic.

Engaging, Interactive, Inspiring?
Most any child will relate with the mischief and play the main character engages in. Once again Mackall uses questions to drive the book forward. It's not a story book, but it does follow a consistent theme that I think most kids will find engaging. Our son hasn't gravitated to this book as much as others, but he did seem to enjoy it.

Final Thoughts
When God Created My Toes  is a nice book. It's not as good as others I've seen from this pair, but still a keeper. As always Mackall begins with scripture and celebrates the work of the Creator throughout. I don't rate this one as high as others, but still worth a look.

My Rating
/5

 

A Mommy Talks Review Disclosure:  The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. for the sole purpose of product testing. I do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. All opinions expressed are my own.

God Gave Us So Much (Review)

God Gave Us So Much, is a collection of three books from author Lisa Tawn Bergren and illustrator Laura J. Bryant.The book includes God Gave Us the World, God Gave Us Love and God Gave Us Heaven. The stories follow a family of polar bears with one inquisitive little girl polar bear whose curiosity is endless.

 

Storyline
Each story finds the family in a different context. In God Gave Us the World the polar bear family is visiting a museum where they learn about how other bears live around the world. This provides the opportunity for the parents to tell the children about all that God has provided for us––bamboo for the pandas and termites for the sloth bears. It also illustrates that not all bears are the same. In every story the answer to each question points back God.

Illustrations
Illustrations in this book vary from full-page to inset. It almost has the feeling of a scrapbook; each page is different from the next. The watercolor is colorful and soft in tone. The illustrations certainly add to the storyline in some areas, providing extra context and action.

Engaging, Interactive, Inspiring?
While the content of this book is good and it introduces big ideas about God in a tangible way for little ones it's a bit long. Obviously three books together is a lot to handle and it's not intended to be read cover-to-cover. But each individual story is rather lengthy in my opinion. The author may have over reached in trying to cover every aspect of the topic at hand. It is engaging to a degree. Once you understand the device of the polar bears answering questions to their child the reader can get into the story, but the questions seemed to never stop. This book didn't offer much in the area of interactivity, but the topics explored do cause the reader to consider some big ideas about God, so in that regard this book does have a measure of inspiration.

Final Thoughts
With this book being a collection of stories and the list price at $19.99 God Gave Us So Much would be ideal as a gift for the child of a friend or relative. For our three-year-old it was a lot to take in, but in time some of the questions posed by the child in this book will be questions that he is exploring, so we'll keep it close at hand for when that day comes.

 

A Mommy Talks Review Disclosure:  The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. for the sole purpose of product testing. I do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. All opinions expressed are my own.

“God Loves Me More Than That” is perfect

God Loves Me More Than That, written by Dandi Daley Mackall and illustrated by David Hohn, seeks to illustrate the size of God's love for us by drawing fun comparisons between simple, everyday occurrences and our Father's compassion.

Storyline
This book, comprised of simple rhymes, follows a young boy as he looks beyond the ordinary to see how God's love surpasses all. He sees that God's love is high, "higher than the moon in a starless sky!" and wide, "wider than the prairies where the cowboys ride." Each page introduces a new, completely original explanation for the extent of God's love.

Illustrations
Hohn's illustrations could not possibly be any better. A new perspective is offered on each page, putting the boy in a colorful world where he finds himself right at home. He goes from the deep sea to a three-ring circus and everywhere in between. The color and light on each page is flawless. I could go on and on about how great these illustrations are.

Engaging, Interactive, Inspiring?
Our three-year-old really enjoyed this book. Mackall offers something completely new on every page. It's almost like a surprise. A question introduces each new concept inviting the little readers to consider, "Just how much does the Lord's love weigh?" The combination of the creative rhymes and the vibrant illustrations make this book both engaging and inspiring.

Final Thoughts
This book introduces the most important concept your children should understand–God's love for them surpasses everything imaginable. I appreciated the inclusion of Ephesians 3:17-19 at the beginning of the book. Mackall has rooted this book in the truth of scripture. It's no wonder why both author and illustrator are award winning.  I highly recommend it.

My Rating
 
(5 out of 5)

 

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A Mommy Talks Review Disclosure:  The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. for the sole purpose of product testing. I do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. All opinions expressed are my own.

Fun Reads- Turkey Theme

When looking for turkey books to read for our Turkey themed tot school week, it was hard to find many that weren’t related to Thanksgiving,  but we enjoyed reading them all the same.

I'm A Turkey!  is fun book filled with all sorts of turkey “facts.” This turkey book is one of the few that doesn’t mention Thanksgiving at all.  This story is a written in the form of a word song, which you can hear performed by visiting Scholastic.   The pictures are fun and playful.   

 

Turkey Trouble  is about a Turkey who is trying to hide from the farmer, so he doesn’t end up as Thanksgiving dinner.  The turkey thinks he can hide himself by becoming the other animals on the farm.  The animals let him know that his silly costumes won’t work.   By the end of the story, Turkey comes up with a plan to keep him off the plate.  If your child is into farm animals, they will get a kick out of this story and its silly turkey.

 

Run, Turkey, Run! is another of our favorites and is similar to Turkey Trouble.  You can see our review and video reenactment from last year by visiting this post.

 

 

 

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