It Will Be Okay by Lysa TerKeurst

Things are changing, and Little Seed and Little Fox are having new experiences that frighten them.  It Will Be Okay is a beautiful story to teach children to trust God through trying times.  The book begins with 10 scripture verses to memorize.  The verses chosen are easily taken in shorter sections for younger children.

Little Seed is snug in his little packet in the farmer’s shed and when Little Fox seeks shelter there from a storm, he asks Little Seed to be his friend. The story makes the Farmer the kind and loving person looking after them even when they don’t know it.  This is repeated several times through the book.  That personalizes the trust relationship we have with God and makes that relationship so much easier for children to understand.  

It is a lighthearted story and I especially liked Little Fox’s adventure trying to find Little Seed and all the places searched. The illustrations by Natalia Moore are beautiful and playful. I highly recommend this book for young children, including non-readers who will delight in the characters.  I also recommend it as a gift, for Sunday School classes or for pre-school classes.  

 I received a copy of this book through the BookLook Blogger program in exchange for an honest review.

The After House by Michael Phillip Cash

Remy and her daughter Olivia are starting over in a new home, but this home already has a resident – a ghostly one.  This is another great paranormal story by Michael Phillip Cash, A light romance is added to the paranormal aspect of the story. The story travels back in time so that we get the story of Eli the captain of a whaling ship, and forward to the present to meet Remy, a young mom making a new way in life for herself and her daughter. Remy’s matchmaking mother leads her to Hugh, the mayor the town. 

This one won’t scare your socks off, but it is a good read that held my interest.  As is customary in Mr. Cash’s books, you have characters that you can care about – including the ghosts. 

Evening Prayers for Every Day of the Year by Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt

This is a beautiful book of the evening prayers taken from the devotions of Christopher Friedrick Blumhardt (1842-1919).  These are dated daily passages for a full year. Each page has a bible verse, most often New International Version, followed by an evening prayer. 

I come from the teachings of a church that didn't like reading prayers, but just praying from the heart, so I did not really know what to expect from this book. I am so happy to have it for the coming year because reading these thoughtful and powerful prayers spark a burden in my heart to pray more often and more thoughtfully.  Although written many years ago, these are easy to read and understand, and not written with outdated terms or phrases. I very highly recommend this as a gift or for your own personal devotions.

I received a copy of Evening Prayers For Every day of the Year from Plough Publishing House in exchange for an honest review.

Doggie Delicious by Mary Jo Wisneski Johnston

Doggie Delicious is a charming little book that would be a nice bedtime chapter book. It is a story about an adopted dog that grows wings, flies around the farm, and wants to help care for the animals.  Each animal plays an important role on the farm and each has its own talent.  The illustrations by Malinda Raines are bright and colorful. They add the perfect touch to the story.

With the title containing the word Doggie, I expected the book to be geared for a much younger child. The vocabulary is for much older children, and it includes words not usually used in general conversation, even by adults. It includes one word that I had never even seen before and had to look up.  Because of the subjects and vocabulary, I think it would be appropriate for children ages 8-13 years old.  

The author, however, missed a golden opportunity to encourage adopting a shelter pet.  Instead, Bibi was adopted from a breeder.

This book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

If You Were Me and Lived in Greece by Carole P. Roman

With her If You Were Me series, Carol P. Roman has provided children with a trip around the world, and the next stop is Greece.  The series introduces unique cultures around the world by answering the questions that children would ask. 

The tour of Greece begins with a sense of place and history. Next you are introduced to the common given names of Greece and what young children call their parents and grandparents.  Also explained are local foods, toys and games, holidays, and what you would visit if you were a tourist. 

 The story is accompanied by interesting and colorful illustrations. There is also a pronunciation guide at the back of the book. As an example, Koukla (kouk-la)-doll. This is another in a series of great reference books for children.