Book Review :: The Time Chamber (Coloring Book) by Daria Song

The Time Chamber is not your average coloring book. The Time Chamber features a story about a fairy who lives in a clock and decides to explore the outside world. (The majority of the pages do not have story on them, but several do.) Every page (front and back) contains detailed illustrations, often featuring a variety of household items that the fairy discovers. 

The pages of The Time Chamber are nice and thick and the book has a sturdy cover with a dust jacket. (The dust jacket has foiled accents and lots more to color - on both the inside and outside.)

For me personally, the story portion of The Time Chamber coloring book does not add much (and I'd probably prefer it without it, actually), but the detail of the images makes this something that will be fun to color for hours on end.

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through the Blogging for Books program. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Book Review :: All Aboard The Ark

All Aboard The Ark is a cute board book about the flood story told from a unique point of view. It is written (in rhyme) from the perspective of the animals - from the time before the rain starts until after the ark has safely landed. (Although the book doesn't reference Noah, it does reference God multiple times.)

The rhyming text is cute and the illustrations are adorably done in a pastel color palette. 

All in all, All Aboard The Ark is a cute little board book to share with little ones. 

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.

Book Review :: Little Love Letters From God: Bible Stories (A Lift-The-Flap Book) by Glenys Nellist, Illustrated by Sophie Allsopp

Little Love Letters From God: Bible Stories (A Lift-The-Flap Book) takes you through 8 popular Bible stories (4 from the Old Testament and 4 from the New Testament), with a "Love Letter from God" to go along with each story. (This is a simplified version of Love Letters from God: Bible Stories, created with toddler-aged children in mind. The other version contains 18 stories - 9 from the Old Testment and 9 from the New Testament.)

The pages in Little Love Letters From God: Bible Stories (A Lift-The-Flap Book) are thicker than traditional paper book pages, but not heavy enough to be considered "board book", in my opinion. (They are basically two sheets of thick cardstock glued together.) The love letter portions are cut in to each page to create the flap and the contents of the letter can be accessed by lifting the flap. Each love letter beings with "Dear _______," so a child's name can be written in if you choose.

Each Bible story is retold as a story (not the Biblical text). The rhyming text in Little Love Letters From God: Bible Stories (A Lift-The-Flap Book) is cute, but if you are looking for something that is strictly biblically accurate, this book is probably not what you are looking for. I think it is the same with most Bible story books - with each story the author will take certain creative liberties with the retelling. 

Along with each story is a verse ("God's Wonderful Words to You") that goes along with the theme of the story. (The verse is not taken from the story itself.) Each "Love Letter from God" goes along with the theme as well. The themes are a wonderful start to discussions with your child(ren) about how God is with us, God loves us, we are special to God, and God will never leave us. 

The illustrations by Sophie Allsopp are great. Each full-color, two-page spread gives the child plenty to look at without being overwhelming. The illustrations are mainly hand-drawn, but there are a few scanned/photographed pieces mixed in. I wish the illustrations had all been hand-drawn - the artist is very talented.

I think both Little Love Letters From God: Bible Stories (A Lift-The-Flap Book) and Love Letters from God: Bible Stories are great books to share with little ones. This is one of those instances where I think it is important that you go with your gut. If you don't like the idea of an author writing words "from God", these are not the books I would suggest for you. If you don't like the idea of Bible stories told in words other than what is directly written in the Bible, these are not the books I would suggest for you. But, if you like to use a variety of books to tell your children about God and His love, and appreciate the perspective and creativity of a variety of authors and artists - get Little Love Letters From God: Bible Stories (A Lift-The-Flap Book) and/or Love Letters from God: Bible Stories to share with your loved ones.
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.

Book Review :: NIV, Understand the Faith Study Bible: Grounding Your Beliefs in the Truth of Scripture

The NIV, Understand the Faith Study Bible is a new study Bible from Christianity Today and Zondervan. 

The NIV, Understand the Faith Study Bible hardcover is sturdy and comes with a dust jacket. The cover image you see shows the dust cover image for the NIV, Understand the Faith Study Bible. Underneath the dustcover, the hardcover is a full-coverage black/dark grey (with a linen texture look) - it simply says "Holy Bible" on the front cover and basic title/logos on the spine.

The NIV, Understand the Faith Study Bible has all black text (including the words of Christ) with red headings, laid out in two columns. This is the NIV version of the Bible (© 1973, 1978, 1984, & 2011). The text is standard size - not large, but not extra small. Although this is called a study Bible, it does not have study notes on each page like you might expect. The NIV, Understand the Faith Study Bible does contain some basic footnotes.

Where the "Study Bible" portions of this Bible come in are mainly through the book introductions, charts, graphs, and the articles/devotions: "Doctrine 101", "Everyday Faith", "Culture Connections", "Living Parables", and "Up For Debate".

There are no maps like you might find in many Bibles.  At the back of the NIV, Understand the Faith Study Bible is a "Table of Weights and Measures", "Glossary of Theological Terms", "Subject Index", and a 150+ page concordance.

With both a Bible and study tools in one, I find the NIV, Understand the Faith Study Bible to be a good value and a wonderful tool for our spiritual walk.
FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Book Review :: Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story (Board Book) by Sally Lloyd-Jones, paintings by Alison Jay

The Song of the Stars board book is a new book from Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Alison Jay. (You may know Sally Lloyd-Jones as the author of The Jesus Storybook Bible and Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing.) There is a previous version of the Song of the Stars (available for Kindle and in a hard cover) that I do not own, so I cannot compare the different versions.

The Song of the Stars board book is written in Sally Lloyd-Jones' rich literary style (not the typical simple phrases that you might find in a board book). This is also not a typical Christmas story re-telling...you won't find the names Mary, Joseph, or Jesus in this book. (Jesus and Mary are referenced, but not by those names.) It is, however, a beautiful depiction of the excitement and joy that surrounded Jesus' arrival on earth.

The Song of the Stars is a beautiful book and it is definitely a great one to keep on hand for the Christmas season (or any time of year, really).

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.

1-2-3-4 Whipped Body Butter {The Twinery}

Hello!

'Tis the season for homemade gifts and today I wanted to share with you this easy homemade whipped body butter, packaged in a cute little mason jar that is tucked inside a handmade box.

To start, I first whipped up (pun intended!) a batch of body butter. 

I came across a few homemade body butter recipes and wanted to give it a try, but didn't want to go through the whole double boiler/heating process that they all required. I gathered a few basic ingredients and went to work. Here's my recipe...no melting required!

1-2-3-4 Whipped Body Butter Recipe

1 tbsp. almond oil

2 tbsp. coconut oil

3 tbsp. shea butter

4 drops essential oils

Step One: Blend ingredients together with immersion blender until well combined. (Mixture will be watery.)

Step Two: Put in freezer for 30 minutes.

Step Three: Scrape down sides and blend with immersion blender until mixture is a whipped consistency.

Step Four: Place in fridge for 15 minutes to set.

The recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, quadrupled...you get it. Just keep it in a 1-2-3-4 ratio.
Also, you can choose whatever essential oils you prefer for your scent. I like lavender and/or grapefruit...and peppermint would be a great choice for the holidays!

Once the body butter was set, I transferred it into a small mason jar. (You know how I love mason jars!)

I wanted to make a cute coordinating package for gift giving, so I also created a decorative box.

Both my box and mason jar are finished off with some of The Twinery's Solid Caribbean and Gold Shimmer twines.

An easy homemade gift, perfect for giving during the winter when our skin needs that extra moisture.

What is your favorite homemade gift to give for the holidays?

Please share in the comments.

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Caribbean, Gold Shimmer); 
Patterned Paper: Heidi Swapp (Hello Today - 12x12);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Ornament Squeeze Punch); We R Memory Keepers (1-2-3 Punch Board);

Book Reviews :: Adventure Bible - I Can Read!: Joseph the Dreamer and Facing the Blazing Furnace, illustrated by David Miles

There are several books in the I Can Read! / Adventure Bible series, and Joseph the Dreamer and Facing the Blazing Furnace are two of the newest releases. Our family does not own the Adventure Bible, NIV or the Adventure Bible for Early Readers, so I cannot compare these books to those (to see if the content is duplicated). We do, however, own both the Adventure Bible for Toddlers and the Adventure Bible Storybook, and I can tell you that the wording and illustrations are not duplicated across these three editions. The books in the I Can Read! / Adventure Bible series are worded with simpler phrasing and shorter sentences than you will find in the Adventure Bible Storybook.

Joseph the Dreamer is a simplified re-telling of the story of the life of Joseph which can be found in the Bible in the book of Genesis. Overall I think it is well done and is easy to understand. The story is accompanied by big, colorful illustrations.

At the end of Joseph the Dreamer is a page containing "People of the Bible" (which has an illustration of Jacob and Joseph accompanied by short descriptions of each and quotes Genesis 49:25) and "Life in Bible Times: Joseph's Colorful Coat" that gives a short explanation of the qualities of Joseph's coat/robe and why it made his brothers jealous.

Facing the Blazing Furnace is a re-telling of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace which can be found in the Bible in the book of Daniel. Overall I think it is well done and is easy to understand. The story is accompanied by big, colorful illustrations.

At the end of Facing the Blazing Furnace is a page containing "People in Bible Times" (which has an illustration and description of King Nebuchadnezzar and quotes Daniel 3:28) and "Live It!: Trusting God for All Things" that gives a short explanation of how the three men trusted God and how we should, too.

The I Can Read! / Adventure Bible series are categorized as reading level 2 ("Reading with Help") and the stories do not feel "choppy" like you might find in some learn-to-read books. With a retail price under $4 per book, I find these books to be a great value.

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.

Book Reviews :: The Beginner's Bible Sticker & Activity Books - Super Heroes of the Bible and Super Girls of the Bible

The Beginner's Bible offers several sticker and activity books, and the two newest are Super Heroes of the Bible and Super Girls of the Bible. Both of these new sticker and activity books are 16 page activity books with an insert of over 50 reusable stickers. The pages in the activity books are full-color (with the exceptions of the images that are intended to be colored in by the child).

In my opinion, the sticker and activity books would probably work best for 4-7 year olds. There are a range of activities such as:

• basic coloring
• counting items in a picture
• put the story pieces in order
• a simple maze
• finding stickers to complete the pictures
• a simple word search

The pages in the Super Heroes of the Bible and Super Girls of the Bible sticker and activity books each focus on a different person from the Bible. 

I am impressed at what you can get for under $4 retail. The full-color pages are fun to look at even without the activities, and the activities and stickers just add to the fun. I think that he Super Heroes of the Bible and Super Girls of the Bible sticker and activity books are a great value and would be a great gift for any little one. 

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.

Book Review :: M is for Manger by Crystal Bowman and Teri McKinley, illustrated by Claire Keay

M is for Manger is a book with a unique approach to the Christmas story. It is an alphabet book, each page with a letter of the alphabet and a corresponding part of the Christmas story written in rhyme. 

Each page opening has a large letter and illustration on the left-hand side (similar to what is shown on the cover image), and a portion of the story and a Bible verse are on the right-hand side. The Bible verse for each letter is taken from either the NLT, ICB, NIrV, or GW version of the Bible.

With the cute illustrations, rhyming text, and the Christmas story all rolled up in this unique alphabet book approach, M is for Manger is a great choice for any bookshelf.

FTC Declaration: Tyndale House Publishers 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.

Book Review :: Faith Builders Bible, NIrV

The Faith Builders Bible is sure to be a hit with any LEGO/brick/building block loving child. (Disclaimer: This Bible has no specific affiliation with LEGO or any other building block company, to my knowledge.) My sons (ages 6 & 9) were trying to claim it as their own as soon as it entered our house.

The Faith Builders Bible is the New International Reader's Version (NIrV) version of the Bible. The NIrV is a simplified version of the NIV, written at approximately a 3rd grade reading level. The NIrV is composed of smaller, easy-to-understand words in shorter sentences than the traditional NIV.

The Faith Builders Bible has all black text (including headings and the words of Christ), laid out in two columns. The text is standard size - not large, but not extra small. There are no study notes or footnotes in the Faith Builders Bible, just strictly Bible text. Within the text, quotes from other places in the Bible are cited directly (in parenthesis) after the quote. (Example: John 3:3 has a quote from Isaiah 40:3.) There are no maps like you might find in many Bibles. 

At the back of the Faith Builders Bible are two study helps: a 5-page dictionary (words & definitions, but no verse references) and lists compiling 92 "Great Bible Stories" (with verse references). The "Great Bible Stories" lists would be great to use for monthly reading plans. 

The "flair" of the Faith Builders Bible comes in with the full-color pages that are placed throughout the Bible. (The pages are a bit thicker than the text pages.) At the beginning of the Faith Builders Bible is an insert containing the presentation page, a two-page "Building With Books of the Bible" spread, and a "Can You Build..." page. 

The "Building With Books of the Bible" spread shows all of the books of the Bible, grouped by category (Law, History, Poetry, Gospels, Letters, etc.). I loved the idea that is shared on this page - to write the name of each of the books of the Bible on a brick and then stack them in the correct order. There is also a "Building Block Verse" found on this page (which are also found on every insert page, including the presentation page). 

The "Can You Build..." page has three verses and simple building projects (no instructions included), along with another "Building Block Verse".

Each insert throughout the text in the Faith Builders Bible is a full-color (front and back) page. Each of these has a brick depiction (brickpiction?) of the topic, a little portion to read about the topic, and a "Building Block Verse". Here are the topics covered in the inserts:

- Noah Builds an Ark

- Animals 2x2

- Building the Tower of Babel

- The Ten Commandments

- Building the Tabernacle

- Solomon Builds God's Temple

- Bringing Down Jericho

- Samson's Demolition

- David Defeats Goliath

- Psalm 23: A Psalm of David

- Jesus is Born

- Feeding a Crowd

- A Change of Heart (Zacchaeus)

- Jesus Walks on Water

- The Last Supper

- Jesus and the Cross

- The Lord's Prayer

- The ABCs of Salvation

- The Fruit of the Spirit

- Building with a Strong Foundation

I liked that the topics covered on the full-color inserts in the Faith Builders Bible aren't necessarily what would typically be pointed out in a children's Bible (stories like Adam & Eve, Jonah, etc.) - it gave a unique perspective for this Bible. I also liked that in the topic discussion it often (but not always) prompts the child to try to build a scene with their bricks. With all the things kids can build with their LEGO collections, a Bible scene is certainly a great suggestion. 

The Faith Builders Bible has the basics you need, with the extras that will draw in a variety of children. I think any brick-loving child would love to have this Bible. 

FTC Declaration: The publisher and/or the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program 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.

Thankful Jars (& Free Printable!) {The Twinery}

Can you believe how quickly Thanksgiving is approaching?! I was totally caught off-guard recently as I realized that Thanksgiving is next. week. 

I wanted to come up with something cute to decorate with, and I wanted it to be something simple enough to share (and re-create) with my daughter's Girl Scout troop.
Enter the "thankful jar":

No, the idea of a thankful jar isn't new, but...well...it's another reason to decorate a mason jar! (And I sure love mason jars - don't you?)

I decorated two different jars - one feels a little more "Fall" and one feels a little more "Winter" - but I was just going for variety and fun colors.

It was a simple process: wrap jars with glittered burlap, add a pop of color by wrapping with The Twinery's twine, stick in a few paper leaves, and finish it off with a twine-tied button. 

I used The Twinery's Solid Caribbean and Solid Strawberry twines on these jars, but there are a lot more solid and striped options to choose from!

The point of the thankful jar is to add in little notes of what you are thankful for, so I created this printable to coordinate with my jars:

{Click here to get the FREE printable - for personal use only}

Do you do a thankful jar (or some other "thankful" tradition) for Thanksgiving? I'd love to hear about it - just leave a comment!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Caribbean, Solid Strawberry); 
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye;
Tools: Fiskars (Squeexe Punches, Scissors); Tim Holtz (Tiny Attacher);

Book Review :: Thankful by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Archie Preston

Thankful is a sweet children's picture book, written by Eileen Spinelli and illustrated by Archie Preston. 

Throughout Thankful, the idea of thankfulness is paired with what a particular person in a career (or hobby) might be specifically thankful for. (For example: a doctor is thankful for patients who are well.) I thought this was a sweet way to talk about the idea of thankfulness and make it personal. With the ending of the book (sorry, spoiler alert!) it says "I'm ever, so thankful...for you!" - so this would make a perfect book to give as a gift. 

The illustrations in Thankful are cute and a little bit quirky. It reminds us of the illustration style of Quentin Blake, which our family loves. The illustrations seem to follow a brother and sister (pictured on the cover) as they "act out" the different vocations that are talked about in the text. The illustrations brought giggles out of my 6 year old, who read this book to me.

All in all, I think that  is a fantastic book to share with the little ones around you.

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.

Book Reviews :: Samantha Sanderson Series by Faithgirlz! - At The Movies, On The Scene, and Off The Record by Robin Caroll

The Samantha Sanderson series is written by Robin Caroll and currently has three available titles: At The Movies, On The Scene, and Off The Record. There is a fourth novel slated to release in February of 2016: Without a Trace.

Samantha (Sam) Sanderson is the daughter of a journalist and a police officer. Sam wants to be a journalist like her mom and is off to a good start because she is on the staff of the middle school newspaper. In each book in the series, some sort of mystery arises and she tries to solve it with the help of her best friend, Makayla. (Her dad is usually involved in some way, too.) Sam likes to write articles for the school newspaper about the mystery at hand.

In At The Movies, someone has planted a bomb at the local movie theater and Sam's dad is on the case...but so is Sam.

I asked my 11 year old daughter about this book and she thought it was interesting and she enjoyed the mystery. Of the three current books, At The Movies is not her favorite, but still she has read it multiple times. She says that at times it can be hard to follow along with the story, but that doesn't stop her from reading it and recommending it to others her age. 

In On The Scene, someone is playing tricks on on of Sam's friends and Sam is determined to help her figure out who the culprit is. 

I asked my 11 year old daughter about this book and she thought it was interesting and she enjoyed the mystery. She enjoyed reading On The Scene and has read it multiple times. She says that at times it can be hard to follow along with the story, but that doesn't stop her from reading it and recommending it to others her age. 

In Off The Record, a virus has been planted in the school's grading system and Samantha and her friend Makayla (who is great with computers) are trying to get to the bottom of it. 

I asked my 11 year old daughter about this book and she thought it was interesting and she enjoyed the mystery. She enjoyed reading Off The Record and has read it multiple times - it is her favorite in the series. She highly recommends it to others her age. 

I know for sure my daughter is excited to read the new Samantha Sanderson book, Without a Trace, when it is released in early 2016.

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.