Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Book Review :: Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing Deluxe Edition by Sally Lloyd-Jones, Illustrated by Jago, Audio by David Suchet, Foreword by Tim Keller

The new Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing Deluxe Edition is fantastic! The Deluxe Edition includes the book (Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing), two audio CDs, and it all comes in a sturdy storage/display case with a Velcro closure.

Sally Lloyd-Jones is known for bringing us The Jesus Storybook Bible (which is wonderful), and she is back again with Thoughts to Make Your Heart SingThoughts to Make Your Heart Sing is a fantastic devotional for both adults and children. The thoughts come from a variety of directions - historical references, other writers, and of course the Bible. (There is a bibliography & source section at the back of the book - pages 220-224.) Some of the entries may be a bit flowery or abstract for children, but the thoughts are beautiful. (One example is "Sing Your Song!" which isn't referring to the literal act of singing.)

I do feel that Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing will make the most sense to those who have already read The Jesus Storybook Bible. It references words/phrases that are used throughout The Jesus Storybook Bible ("Terrible Lie", "Rescuer", etc.).
As in The Jesus Storybook Bible, the illustrations for Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing are done by Jago. Jago is an incredibly talented artist and the illustrations he has done for Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing are no exception. The illustrations here are a little more "full" (not so simple) and with a slightly different tone than the art he did for The Jesus Storybook Bible, but each and every one is beautiful. The illustrations have a vintage feel to them and are done in beautiful muted colors. 

The Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing book included in this Deluxe Edition seems to be a bit taller and wider than the original. (The book in the Deluxe Edition measures approximately 7 3/4" x 6 1/2" x 3/4", where the dimensions of the original are closer to 7 1/2" x 6" x 1".)

The audio by David Suchet for this Deluxe Edition is amazing. (He also did the audio for The Jesus Storybook Bible Collector's Edition.) In my opinion, he could read the dictionary and I might be temped to buy the audio disc. He brings life to each piece he reads, and is able to keep the attention of my whole family (kids included). The one downside...once David Suchet has read to your kids, they may tell you that you are reading something wrong when you read to them (just because it doesn't live up to his reading skill). I think I can live with that.

Disc 1 contains "Dance!" through "Under His Wings"
Disc 2 contains "Talk to Yourself!" through "By the Hand!"

Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing Deluxe Edition is available today (October 21, 2014).
FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

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