I’ve been asked to review several great books recently, so thought I would share the reviews here.

Who God Wants Me to Be

Who God Wants Me to Be by Crystal Bowman and Michelle S. Sazurek is an excellent choice for growing girls who like to think about what they would like to be when they grow up. The four main characters are so real and believable as each considers occupations based on their interests and backgrounds. And in true child-like tradition, they often change their minds in a wholesome way.

I love how this book includes children from various nationalities and also includes a girl with a physical handicap. The art and text are engaging and will surely stretch any girls imagination as she considers what she might want to become one day.

I also love how this book ties in their many choices with serving people and the environment and becoming the kind of person God wants them to be.

The Tea Pot

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Tea Pot by Dawn Stephens. This story begins with the potter and Little Pot who have previously been introduced in The Little Pot also by Dawn Renee Stephens. Little Pot enjoys being a fruit pot, and is fascinated as she watches the potter make a new and most unusual pot with a nose and a handle and a lid.

Tea Pot enjoys being filled with hot water and making tea, but becomes discontent when the tea is poured out for the potter to drink. Likewise, Little pot becomes discontent when the fruit is picked and eaten.

The potter who knows what the pots are thinking lets them have their way . . . I can’t tell the rest of the story without spoiling it.

This book is very engaging with its rich illustrations and well developed characters and plot.

The Oil Lamp

A third great book in her series, Dawn Stephens has written and illustrated The Oil Lamp to help children understand the importance of letting their lights shine for the Creator.

Little Pot and Tea Pot watch with great interest as the potter creates Oil Lamp who is too small to hold flowers or to make tea. Oil Lamp is alarmed and embarrassed at first when the potter lights the wick in Oil Lamp. Its first inclination is to hide its light under a bowl. After a storm when all the lights go out, Oil Lamp recognizes his importance, but pride causes another problem for him – and for all the other pots.

This book teaches about the importance of encouragement and serving others while staying close to the potter.

52 Weekly Devotions for Family Prayer

I am delighted for the opportunity to review a copy of Karen Whiting’s recent release, 52 Weekly Devotions for Family Prayer, and am highly impressed with what she has created. This is not a book of read-it-and-be-done-with-it devotions. Instead it is jam-packed with mini-stories, scriptures, craft ideas, prayers, and suggestions for journaling the weekly devotions with each theme based week’s activities. I am especially impressed with the theme choices and find they are suitable for children of various ages – including myself.

Several pages effectively introduce the material and this unique approach to doing family devotions. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to plan ahead for each week deciding which activities will work in their situations and on their time schedules. Some activities could be done independently by the children through the week and shared with the family and others might be omitted altogether. Suggestions are included for situations where one parent may be away from home but could still be a part of the devotional times with video cell phones.

I highly recommend this book. It is especially suited for families with more than one child, though the activities would be fun for a single child as well. I give the book 5 stars out of five.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, Tyndale House / RoseKidz for an honest review.

Blog post written by Janice D. Green

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