I received three board book titles from Callie Grant in exchange for a review. My first reaction was that they were very attractive but two of the three had more words on a page than I should expect to see in a board book. I waited a while before writing about these books and read them again, and I must say that my appreciation for them has grown on the second and third reading. I will save the best for the last. Be sure to click on the titles as they lead to her web page with previews of each of these books.

Knowing My God: Jesus Saves Me
Author: Callie Grant
Board Book: 18 pages  Ages 0-7
Publisher: Graham Blanchard Publishing (2014)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0-9854090-2-9
List price: $8.99

Reviewed By: Janice D. Green

Rating:    

The concepts in Jesus Saves Me are deep, which makes me want to think this book is more suitable for an age range of 5-8, but if a younger child is willing to sit still and listen, you can’t start too early to teach these concepts. I like how the author has written the main idea for each page in a larger font size in the center of each page and then elaborates in a smaller font size at the bottom of the page. In this way the book can be read to the youngest children more quickly by reading only the main ideas – which reads very smoothly that way. The text at the bottom is excellent material, but a young child might have problems sitting still and listening. A parent would do well to share as much from the extra material as they can, but move on to the next page if the interest lags. There is always tomorrow and another reading of the book.

What do I like best? The concepts are wonderful – a great guide for parents to use to teach their children about Jesus as their Shepherd.

What do I like least? Most of the illustrations are stock photos which don’t always transition well from page to page, though they are well chosen to illustrate the concepts.

Close as a Breath
Author: Callie Grant
Board Book: 28 pages  Ages 0-6
Publisher: Graham Blanchard Publishing (2014)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0-9854090-6-7
List price: $8.99

Reviewed By: Janice D. Green

Rating:     

I love the carefree style Callie Grant has used to write Close as a Breath; and the illustrations by Sarah Ackerley, are endearing. This book, like Jesus Saves Me, teaches deep concepts. A very young child will have problems understanding all of the words in the book, but the easy rhyme and rhythm should satisfy them as they hear it read again and again, while they learn the new words.

Little Seed: A Life
Author: Callie Grant
Board Book: 26 pages  Ages 0-5
Publisher: Graham Blanchard Publishing (2014)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0-9854090-7-4
List price: $8.99

Reviewed By: Janice D. Green

Rating:     

This book is my favorite of the three books. The story is told so simply yet creatively and flows from page to page. The illustrations by Suzanne Etienne are bright and cheery and tell even more than the words, giving the parent and child many more things to talk about on each page. It is age appropriate for a board book.

About Callie Grant… I have to appreciate what Callie Grant has done with her heart for teaching young children about God. Disappointed that the Christian books she found for young children didn’t go as deep as she felt they should, she created her own publishing company and set out to make available books that would go deeper. Read about Graham Blanchard Publishing on her website, www.grahamblanchard.com, where she has many more children’s books to offer.