The Snowman’s Revenge

Author: Mark Smythe

Illustrator: Mike Motz

ISBN: 978-0-9822704-0-0

http://www.thesnowmansrevenge.com/

Source: BookPleasures

Winter brings fun for everyone, when school is closed and children play; moms enjoy a warm indoor day.  After a snowball fight, the children build a snowman, big and tall.  They give him a hat, scarf, jacket and shovel and then head indoors for warm hot chocolate and cookies.  Mr. Snowman is very mad; he does not appreciate being left outside in the cold.  He wants to be warm and cozy too.  After he sneaks inside, he needs to find a good place to hide.  He heads for the freezer, since he feels he is starting to sweat.  However being stuck in the freezer is no fun, so he decides to scare everyone.  He soon finds out his plan will fail, since snowmen don’t belong inside.

“It snowed outside!  The kids are having fun.  They play and slide and build a snowman.  Then all the friends go inside and leave the snowman all alone.  He’s not nice like Frosty.  He wants to go inside and be warm.  He doesn’t like to be cold, but he can’t be warm or else he will melt.  He gets inside but has to hide in the freezer!  Then at the end he melts because he didn’t stay cold!  Poor snowman.   I love this book!  It was fun to read.   I like the pictures and I like to play in the snow, but I don’t like to be cold.  I would want hot chocolate and cookies inside like the snowman.”  -- 5 year olds thoughts

The Snowman’s Revenge is an adorable story about a snowman who wants to be inside where it is warm and cozy.  He is mad that he’s been left alone in the cold.  Soon the snowman learns why he belongs outside without enjoying any of the things he thought would be so great about the indoors.  This book is full of fun rhyming words, colorful, vivid illustrations and pure enjoyment and imagination.  I highly recommend it for children of all ages.  It’s the perfect read for a snowy day or with a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day.

Must read, don’t miss it!

The Story of Noah’s Ark: Storybook and Wall Clings

Written by Lori C Froeb

Illustrated by Luana Rinaldo

ISBN: 978-0-8254-5552-0

Publisher: Kregel Kidzone

Source: Review Copy

About the title:

The story of Noah and his ark is one of the most beloved stories in the Bible.  With this deluxe set, kids can use the wall clings to recreate the awesome scene of all the animals boarding the ark.  As they read about Noah and his adventure, children can stick the vinyl clings on any painted wall to retell the story.  The clings peel right off, so kids can rearrange them however they choose.

My Thoughts:

This book is wonderful.  I really enjoyed the vivid illustrations, colors and design.  The story itself is sound and perfect for young kids.  I would recommend its use in Sunday school classrooms.  My daughters loved these fun wall clings.  Our walls are textured and the clings do not stay on the wall long.  I would recommend a flat, un-texturized wall for these clings.  My daughters ended up putting them on their bedroom doors and enjoyed it!  The clings do peel off and re stick so they can be rearranged.  This has happened multiple times in our household.  Overall, I would recommend this book.  It’s colorful and interactive and a fun way for your child to put their hands to work while learning about the bible and God’s provision.

It Couldn't Just Happen: Knowing the Truth About God's Awesome Creation

Author: Lawrence O. Richards

ISBN: 978-1400317141

Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Purchase Link: It Couldn't Just Happen

Source: Book Sneeze

"Did Earth begin with a 'Big Bang' cosmic explosion?"
"Does science contradict the Bible?"
"What happened to dinosaurs?"
"Is there life on other planets?"
"Did we evolve from apes?"
"What makes my body work on its own?"

Kids are daily exposed to the theory of evolution by the media and public schools. It's not safe to assume that your kids will reject that theory. It's up to us as parents and Christian leaders to make sure our children know the truth about the creation of the world. With thousands of evidences to prove He created and sustains the universe, It Couldn't Just Happen will fascinate kids with fun activities and examples of God's marvelous works.

One of the tough topics in parenting is explaining creation versus evolution in a way that makes sense to children.  Children are very inquisitive and want to know facts and reasons behind tough topics.  As a parent who believes in creation, it is my job to present the facts about creation to my children who are only exposed to evolution in the public school system.  One of the hardest parts about this, for me, is explaining hard to understand facts in a way that a child can understand.  This book helped me to do just that. 

It Couldn’t Just Happen has a clear message that enabled my children to understand why things “just don’t happen.” One of the worst answers to give a child is “Just because”, “I don’t know” or “Because I said so.”  Just like adults, children want to make up their own minds based on facts and proof.  Faith is something each person decides for themselves.  This book offers proof and explanation to parents and children in an interesting and dynamic way.  It’s a great book that explains scientific facts, creationism and evolution in a manner that is understandable, fun and interesting.  The book includes great pictures, fun experiments and biblical references along with scientific information that the whole family will enjoy.  My daughter loved the experiments.  It was a great interactive section.  I would recommend this book, especially if you home school or have children in public school.  I don’t suggest the e-book version.  I think you’ll want a physical copy for this one.

*Tyndale Publishers provided me with a free copy of this book in electronic version, in exchange for my complete and honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  I was not paid or encouraged to give a positive review for this title.*

The Spirit in Baseball

Authors: Kathryn Nixon & Ana Boudreau
ISBN: 978-1-4507-7625-7
Publisher: Cross Training Publishing
Purchase link: Spirit in Baseball
Source: B&B Media Group

The Spirit in Baseball is a helpful guide to teaching young baseball players how to apply the fruits of the spirit to the game of baseball.  The book supplies verses that talk individually about each fruit and then gives helpful hints of how to apply the fruit or quality to the game.  Here is a quick run down of some of the things you will read in this title.

• Love your teammates
• Show JOY when a teammate hits a home run.
• Peace in our performance by praying before each game.
• Patience by waiting our turn to bat.
• Kindness through our words to teammates as well as our opponent
• Goodness by congratulating others on their accomplishments during the game.
• Faithfulness through practice.
• Gentleness to an injured teammate
• Self-control by keeping our temper

The book is equipped with a sturdy hard cover backing, baseball illustrations to show through picture what the words are trying to convey and an autograph page for your child's teammate to sign.  It is suggested that this title be purchased as a gift for each player so that every child has a memento from their season.

I really enjoyed The Spirit in Baseball.  I am a huge advocate that sports should focus on team work, having fun, playing well with others and coordination.  It is not about winning or losing but rather teaching our children many lessons through a fun interaction with others.  This book helps promote the same ideals.  While we all like to win, not everyone can.  The title promotes a healthy and realistic look at goals and actions for teammates to learn while playing the game of baseball.  It has a simplistic and easy to understand message that has the ability to stay with you for life.

The Spirit in Football

Authors: Kathryn Nixon & Ana Boudreau
ISBN: 978-0-615-38669-0
Publisher: The Spirit in Sports Publishing
Purchase link: The Spirit in Football (The Spirit in Sports)
Source: B&B Media Group

**Special forward written by Matt Hasselbeck**

The Spirit in Football is a helpful guide to teaching young football players how to apply the fruits of the spirit to the game of football. The book supplies verses that talk individually about each fruit and then gives helpful hints of how to apply the fruit or quality to the game. Here is a quick run down of some of the things you will read in this title.

• Love through encouragement.
• Joy through laughter and excitement.
• Peace through knowing whatever the outcome, we play for God.  Do your best win or lose. 
• Patience with our coaches and teammates as we all learn the game. 
• Kindness through respect for our self, teammates and others.  Support others. 
• Goodness through compassion or comfort to a teammate or opponent who gets hurt. 
• Faithfulness through practice. 
• Gentleness through our words and reactions.  No anger. 
• Self-control by keeping our temper

The book is equipped with a sturdy hard cover backing, football illustrations to show through picture what the words are trying to convey and an autograph page for your child's teammate to sign. It is suggested that this title be purchased as a gift for each player so that every child has a memento from their season.

I really enjoyed The Spirit in Football.  In a high contact sport it is easy to lose control.  This book really helps show how the fruits of the spirit can be applied in every aspect of the game.  As I have stated before, I believe whole heartily that sports should focus on team work, having fun, playing well with others and coordination. It is not about winning or losing but rather teaching our children many lessons through a fun interaction with others. This book helps promote the same ideals. While we all like to win, not everyone can. The title promotes a healthy and realistic look at goals and actions for teammates to learn while playing the game of baseball. It has a simplistic and easy to understand message that has the ability to stay with you for life.

Dream Big Little Pig

Author: Kristi Yamaguchi Illustrated by Tim Bowers
ISBN: 978-1-4022-5275-4
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Purchase Link: Dream Big, Little Pig!
Source: BookPleasures

Poppy the pig has big dreams. She wants to be a star! When poppy attempts stardom with her not so graceful ballet moves, her friends and family politely suggest she try something different. Ballet simply might not be for her. With head held high and a wonderful attitude to match, Poppy tries singing, and modeling with no luck. Her family is a constantly supporting her and encouraging her to dream big and give it her all. Just when Poppy thinks she will never find something she is truly good at she discovers the magic of ice skating. With each practice Poppy learns and excels, her dreams of being a star come true. This delightful little book proves dreams can never be too big!

As a little girl I loved watching Kristi Yamaguchi as well as many others skate so beautifully across the ice. I had dreams of becoming a figure skating champion among many others. The wonderful thing about dreams is that not all of them come true, but when one does it simply outshines all the others. It’s the best feeling in the world. I loved this book! The message sent to children through Poppy’s story conveys the truth. Not everyone will excel at the same sport or activity. They might attempt something they are interested and find out it’s not for them and that’s okay, as long as you try your best and keep trying new things. It also sends a message to parents about being supportive of your child’s dream, whatever they may be.

This book is beautiful. I loved the colorful illustrations. Each illustration conveyed a message about what was going on in the story. They are bold, beautiful, bright and charming! The book would most likely attract the attention of little girls but is not gender specific since the message applies to all. Based on these illustrations I will look for other titles illustrated by Tim Bowers. My daughters and I completely enjoyed them!

I highly recommend Dream Big Little Pig! It has everything you could want in a story. It’s easy to read, fun to look at and conveys a good message. Ms. Yamaguchi has as much talent in writing as she did on the rink. If you have a daughter ages 2-6 they are sure to love this title. Don’t leave out little boys, they can enjoy it too! Dream Big Little Pig is a delightful, inspiring and positive book for children with even the smallest of dreams.

When God Created My Toes

Author: Dandi Daley Mackall
Illustrated by David Hohn
ISBN: 978-1-4000-7315-3
Publisher: Water Brook Press
Amazon Link: Buy this Title
Source: Blogging for Books

Synopsis:

Did you know that you’re God’s finest creation?

When God created my toes, did he make them wiggle? Did he know I’d giggle? Did he have to hold his nose, when God created my toes?

This charming picture book allows children to imagine what it was like when God created them. From the top of their heads to the tips of their toes, they will explore and understand God’s delight in their lives.

Through rhyming lines and vivid illustrations children will gain confidence and self-esteem when they begin to fully realize how perfectly, intricately and uniquely God made them.

Review:

This adorable book captures the essence of children with its child like thought and expressive art work. I chuckled a few times thinking how perfect various stanzas were in regards to the mind of a child versus the mind of an adult. This was proved with the delight my children displayed as we read this book together. It had them pointing out the different parts of them that God made, asking questions and laughing.

The book brings forth the thought that we are all unique yet the same. God made us to have fingers and toes and other wonderfully useful parts, but also made us unique individuals and loves us all the same. We are each special and treasured. My children and I enjoyed reading this cute and charming title! I would recommend it for children ages 2-5 years.

The Juice Box Bully

Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others Authors: Maria Dismondy & Bob Sornson
Illustrated by Kim Shaw
Publisher: Ferne Press
Purchase Link: The Juice Box Bully
Source: Author for Review

In The Juice Box Bully, Maria’s second children’s book, the children of Mr. Peltzers class experience a bully, the new kid in school, but refuse to be bystanders. Instead the class has made a pact to stand together and stop bullying. Their courage and willingness to stand up for what’s write makes school more fun as well as a safer and better place for everyone.

This is a wonderful book! I would love to see it in the hands of elementary school students everywhere. It is practical and makes sense. If collectively we can stop bullying at a young age, it would have a ripple effect and possibly change the course of lives as they grow and move onto high school and later their lives as adults. The book has a simple message that helps explain bullying and what being a bystander is. It also shows how working together is a wonderful tool. No one likes a bully and school is much more enjoyable when the pressures and fears of a bully are gone.

I highly recommend this book for anyone with children, specifically those in elementary school. It is a wonderful resource that encourages children to make good choices and be aware of others feelings. It promotes kind Behavior as acceptable and unkind behavior as something that should not be accepted or rewarded by others. I really enjoyed reading this book and discussing the topic with my children. They intern enjoyed the story and had plenty of questions to ask. It’s a book worth the money spent!