Stories of Courage and Faith by Isabella Augustus -- A Book Review

Stories of Courage and Faith is a sweet book.  It's written in poetic form to tell the stories of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and David and Goliath.  Yes, stories from the Bible.

The stories are from the Bible and stories that the children learn in Sunday school.  I love that they are in poetic form.  The grandchildren have loved me reading them out loud to them.  They pick up the book and read the stories for themselves.  They are fun to read in this form and the illustrations are a full page with each page of writing.

At our church, Sunday school is over for the season.  Unfortunately we don't have enough children in our congregation to have Sunday school in the summer.  I have gathered materials so that I can still work with them and read to them over the summer.  I am very pleased to add Stories of Faith and Courage to the line up!

About the author:

Isabella Augustus is a parent who aims to teach children valuable life lessons in fun, innovative ways.
You can visit her Outskirt Press page at:  http;//outskirtpress.com/courageandfaith

Faith and Courage go hand in hand and she teaches that in the moments when we require courage, we exercise our faith.  In the book she teaches children about courage and faith in a fun and unforgettable way.  She has written these stories in a fun and unforgettable way that the children will enjoy again and again and again.




Disclosure:  I rec'd a copy of the book for the purpose of this review.  I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.  Post does include affiliate links.

The Frog That Lost His Croak by Anne Toole--Book Review

The Frog That Lost His Croak is such a cute book with vivid illustrations.

A little frog that loved to croak day and night, suddenly woke up one morning and his croak was gone.  While waiting and hoping for his croak to return, he learned some very valuable lessons along the way.

The book is geared towards  4 to 7 year olds, but the moral of the story is a good one for all ages---even adults.

Here is a picture of my almost 5 year old granddaughter, Zelda, enjoying the book:

The author, Anne Toole, graduated with a B.S. Degree in Elementary Education and taught 1st grade in Augusta, Georgia for 30 years.  She always enjoyed reading and writing poetry.   As a child she loved to listen to nursery rhymes and stories written in verse.  She used nursery rhymes and simple poems in her classroom to enhance the regular Language Arts curriculum.  After retiring, she started writing stories about children and animals, most of them in verse.

The Frog That Lost His Croak is written in verse with most every line rhyming.  I read the book out loud to both Zelda and her little brother, Killian, who is almost 3.  He really enjoyed the illustrations and I had to stop reading as he pointed to the pictures in the story as I was reading it--pointing to the snake, and the bees, and the ducks, etc.  It was so cute!

The book is 28 pages long and is sold though Amazon as well as Outskirts Press.  Maximum trade discount when ordering 10 or more copies through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Also available in ebook form.  You can also visit the author's page at Outskirts Press.



Disclosure:  I was sent a copy of the book for the purpose of this review.  I was no compensated in any other way, and all opinions are my own.  Post does contain affiliate links.

I Don't See Heaven by Jennifer Adan--Review and Giveaway

Published by Simon & Schuster, I Don't See Heaven tells the story of Isabella, a young girl who goes on her very first plane ride with her parents to visit with her grandmother. While on the plane, Isabella learns that she may not be able to physically visit her grandfather in Heaven, but is reassured that he is always with her, in her thoughts and in her heart. I Don't See Heaven is the story of a little girl's journey to the truth as she learns an important life lesson about how to keep love alive after a death.

I read I Don't See Heaven at bedtime to my 4 year old grandson and 6 year old granddaughter when they spent the night.
They both enjoyed the story and they really enjoyed the illustrations that go with the story.
The illustrations really make the story come more to life.

I took the book to our Tuesday morning Bible study and had the others read it too.  They all agreed that this is a cute book.  The story is short and pretty much to the point.

Even though Isabella couldn't see heaven, and couldn't see her grandpa in heaven, she learns that she can still see him in her heart and remember the good times.

The book is illustrated by E.A. Morando who studued music and is currently a middle school music teacher.
Once my daughter pointed out that a music teacher did the drawings in the book, we all started seeing things differently in the illustrations.  Music notes strewn about and books with titles of instruments.
Funny how different things stand out to different people.
I want to share a photo that I took of one of the illustrations:

I Don't See Heaven is an enjoyable book with a life lesson for all.  Read it, and read it again and again.  Cute book!

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About the author:
Jen Adan was previously a Montessori teacher in California but has since relocated to Nashville to song-write and continue to work on children’s books. She wrote a number one hit for CMA winner and “The Voice” judge, Blake Shelton titled, “She Wouldn’t Be Gone." The single debuted at number 52 on the Billboard: Hot Country Songs chart and hit #1 on the chart several weeks later. She has continued to prove herself to be not only a songwriter but also a writer in its truest sense; with her newest endeavor I Don’t See Heaven.

Disclosure:   I rec'd a copy of I Don't See Heaven and additional information for the purpose of this review.  I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.  Prize is being shipped by the sponsor.  This post does include my own affiliate links.




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Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley--Book Review

Hank Finds an Egg
Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley
ISBN  978-1-4413-1158-0
Published by Peter Pauper Press, Inc.
Hardback,  40 pages


This has to be the cutest children's book that I have ever seen!
When I got it in, I first "read" it to my 16 yr old daughter, who then read it to her boyfriend later.
I put read in quotes because there are no words in this book, only fantastic photos just like you see on the front cover above.

Each time you read it, you tell the story a bit differently.

I read it to my husband.  He thought it was super cute too.
My 2 yr old granddaughter came to visit and I read it to her.   She didn't want to put the book down, she was so in to looking at the pictures and pointing at different things.
I then had my other 5 grandchildren over for a night.  I read the book to them as well.  They range in age from 4 to 12.  Again, they loved it!

The pictures are so crisp and clear and do tell the story well of Hand finding the egg and his adventure of returning the egg to it's mother.

Cute, cute cute!

The author, Rebecca Dudley makes everything that appears in the illustrations-----the trees, the leaves, the ponds, the skies, and the creatures.  Hank Finds an Egg is her debut children's picture book.
You can find out more about her at her blog at http://www.storywoods.blogspot.com

Here is a scan of the back cover as well:

Hank Finds an Egg

Here's a teaser book trailer :)





Disclosure:  I rec'd a copy of the book for the purpose of this review.  I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.   Post does contain my affiliate link.

Seaper Powers by Kim Cameron and John DePatie--Review and Giveaway!

Introducing Seaper Powers

Written by Kim Cameron and John DePatie, Seaper Powers is a magical tale about a little girl named Emma who uncovers a special power to talk to fish! With her new found ability, Emma searches for buried treasure with the help of two sea creatures. It is a perfect adventure story for children ages 3-9.

I was sent the audio version of Seaper Powers.

Such a delightful story.

The audio is about 60 minutes long.  There is music in between each chapter.

I've not had a chance to let my grandchildren hear the story yet, but I know they will really enjoy it.  I enjoyed it as as adult.

The last chapter was a surprise to me...and no, I will not spoil it  :)

Having the audio book with the songs is a real treat and adds more to the story.

Official Bio:

Kim Cameron began her career on KHAT TV as a small town reporter after DJ'ing on KRNU. With a journalism degree in hand, she moved to the Washington DC area writing for the Smithsonian Institute.  Her career took numerous twists and turns through corporate ladders and organizations, but telling stories was always a passion.  She is a proven lyricists with a song catalog of over 65, including a few children's songs.  She wrote her first musical in 2012 while writing for the National Examiner and providing the voice over character for an Asian animation movie.

Kim is a true believer in inspiring and nurturing kids.  She teaches vocal lessons to students at the School of Rock and volunteers at the Children's Hospital, singing at their bedsides.

While on tour in the Caribbean, she met a 12 year old who had a fascination with octopi.  This brief encounter inspired the creation of Mr. Octopus, a children's tune featuring a 7 year old that Kim recently signed to her record label. After completing the song, her co-writer and guitarist, John DePatie, encouraged her to take the song to next level by writing a children's book using the song as the impetus.

After the story was written, John and Kim thought it would be better told using a live narrator and the incorporation of the song.  After months of production, narration, editing, the creation of original musical score and sound effects, the audiobook was completed.  

While Kim has had many accomplishments, she and John consider this their biggest feat.  Seaper Powers is the first of a series that Kim and John have committed to write and produce.

Photographer Credit: Jason Albert and Rebekah Phillips

 

Disclosure:  Information photos and a copy of the audio book were provided to me for the purpose of this review by LaFamos. I was not compensated and as always, all opinions are my own.

Prizes are being provided by the sponsor.

 Enter to win a physical copy or audio copy of Seaper Powers by entering using the rafflecopter form below.

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