Believe Storybook

Two reviews in a day! I’m on a roll 🙂 And I even have started Asher’s 1 year update…so that might be coming later too!

I was pleasantly surprised when I received the Believe Storybook!  I had ordered this one to review thinking that it could be fun to use with Asher and to check out if it would be another good resource for church.  The book is big and super nice!  I was expecting it to be smaller and not as nice quality so this was a bonus!  The illustrations are simple, but relevant to the stories included.  They aren’t flashy or overdone, which I appreciate.

The format of the book is also different than many other storybook bibles that I’ve seen.  The book is divided into three sections of “think, act, be like Jesus” and then the chapters are based on themes.  For example, one chapter in the “be” section focuses on patience and includes a story about David and one about Jesus healing.  The chapters incorporate both the Old Testament and the New Testament while adding in Key Ideas and Key Verses.  I love that this is different from the typical storybook that goes through the “popular” stories from the Bible in chronological order.  Adding in the connection of the Old Testament and the New Testament is great for kids too.  Some of the wording can be a little cheesy for my liking, which is fairly true for a lot of kids books.

Mostly, though, I’ve enjoyed the stories that I’ve read and have found them to be kid friendly.  I would say this would be a good read for elementary aged kids or maybe as family devotions.  Also, as expected I did find a few theological points that leaned one way or another but most were written in a way that could be explained.  Mostly, I’m excited to have another resource with a fun format to be able to use with kids and to learn from myself!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com&gt; book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html&gt; : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Women Are Scary

I requested this book to review mainly because I thought it looked humorous (I mean really there are cake pops on the front cover with a bite out of one…that has to mean funny!) and because I thought it would be an interesting read on finding mom friends.  A year into this mom gig and I’ll admit that it is like what Melanie Dale calls it an “awkward adventure.”  There have been super fun and funny moments with others moms and some awkward crash and burn, run for the hills.  Melanie sets out to describe finding mom friends by using a baseball theme.  She shares about the different types of friends using the metaphor of bases.  Fourth base friends are the lifelong friends you don’t let go, the ones who get you and love you.  First base is much more a let’s try this out and we see each other at similar places.

I wanted to like this book even more, but I’m not quite as into the humor as I hoped.  I got a little “eh” about some chapters.  Other chapters though hit home and delve a little deeper.  I did take a while to read this one too…for some reason I had a hard time getting fully immersed into the storyline/chapters.  There were some “how to” chapters and some “me too” chapters mixed throughout.  I would say to expect to get some solid ideas on how to enter the adventure of creating mom relationships as well as to gain some reminders that if it’s hard and awkward…you’re not alone.  The book added a few real life stories, which were at times fun to read.   All in all, if you like humor and are a mom, this might be a fun read for you.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”