Book: Inside an Amish Home

About the book: Welcome to an Amish home. It s rare for outsiders to see inside the homes of Old Order Amish people, who live their Christian faith in community, simplicity, and humility. An Amish family in the Midwest gives us a glimpse into the intimate spaces where their family life unfolds. Patterns of work, play, fellowship, and worship become visible, and the warmth and light of the rooms bear witness to their love for God and for each other. Come in!

My thoughts:I am somewhat familiar with the Amish lifestyle due to the books I read in the Amish fiction genre.  Also we toured The Amish Village on our family vacation.  I thought this book would give me more information, but I didn't learn too much really.  I mainly enjoyed the pictures.

This book has some pretty pictures to show you inside an Amish home.  There are not photos of the people since they do not want to be photographed.  Some of the photos were not the best quality in my opinion.  I could not tell if this was because of the actual image or because I was looking at it in a digital copy so the layout was different than it should be.  The information was somewhat informative if you know nothing about the Amish way of life.

This book is coming out early in 2019.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Book: I Can Only Imagine

About the book:

Ecourage your children’s sense of wonder and faith with I Can Only Imagine, inspired by the hit song by MercyMe. This beautiful picture book will capture your family’s childlike faith and imagination. 

I Can Only Imagine asks questions a child might ask and invites families to wonder together: What is heaven like? What does God do? What would it be like to spend a day with Jesus? Children will see that although experiencing the glory of heaven may be far off, we can enjoy a friendship with Jesus every day - right here on earth. Whimsical, playful illustrations and thought-provoking questions make this a book that families will cherish.

Fun and vibrant illustrations offer a vivid visual and will help your children see that God can be found everywhere, every day. 

I think about heaven as I look up at the skyAnd watch the fluffy clouds roll by.The more I imagine, the more I wish I knew.I wonder, would God like pancakes with extra syrup too?And if God and I spent the day together, what exactly would we do?

The Christian worship song “I Can Only Imagine” touched countless lives with its glorious representation of being in the presence of God, and this beautifully illustrated picture book invites you and your children to imagine those same wonders. Share the joy of a personal relationship with the Lord with your family today through the creative, faith-filled book I Can Only Imagine.

My thoughts:This is a sweet children's book and I enjoyed reading it.  I feel it would be appropriate for you to read with your child and discuss Heaven.  I believe it would be a comfort for a child who has faced the loss of a loved one.  The questions asked by the child in this book are real questions a child would wonder about Heaven and God.  It made me smile to read actually and the innocence of children.

I received a digital copy of this book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley for my honest review.  

Have a day of blessings! 
Bethany

Book: Bountiful Blessings

About the book:
This beautiful coloring book is for readers who want to unwind with a reminder of God's love and purpose for them. We often live our lives worried about to-do lists and responsibilities, forgetting how God feels about us and who we are in him. Because of this struggle, author Susie Larson began posting nightly blessings on Facebook to encourage her fans and friends, and since then, thousands have responded and forwarded the blessings along to others.

The left hand pages of this book contain a blessing packed with biblical promises as well as a related Scripture to point you back to God's timeless truth. The right hand pages contain beautiful, intricate illustrations for you to color that bring God's wonders into focus. 

Read, rest, and create as you soak in the wonder of God's love for you.
My thoughts:
This is a very nice adult coloring book devotional. I liked the variety of drawings to color.....birds, flowers, trees, sea creatures, and butterflies to name a few.  The devotionals provided are very encouraging. They are short and to the point which is perfect to read before you enjoy some coloring time.

I received a digital copy of this book via NetGalley for my honest review.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings! 
   Bethany

Lazy Crafternoon

About the book:

Spend a lazy crafternoon with your friends. From pretty school supplies to colorful tech accessories to perfect party decor, Lazy Crafternoon guides tween crafters through simple steps to create amazing projects.
For ages 9-13.
*Step-by-step instructions and images of complex steps makes crafting easy
*Over 50 fast, fun crafts to create & share

My thoughts:

This is a fun book of ideas for a preteen/teen to enjoy creating with friends.  There are a variety of projects here.  I liked that the materials that are used for these projects are not too expensive, and they are easy to obtain if the crafter does not already have them on hand.  It has good pictures of finished projects along with the directions.  The directions are fairly simple to follow; I will say that for some projects I had to go back and reread a couple of times to understand fully what I would need to do.

I recommend this book for preteen or  young teens who enjoy crafting with their friends and family.

I received this book from Capstone via NetGalley, and these opinions are mine.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Cassie & Caleb Discovering God's Wonderful Design

About the book:
May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace." Psalm 144:12

Boys and girls, from 5 to 8 years of age, will love the fun world of Cassie and Caleb, two energetic and inquisitive children discovering the beauty of God's wonderful design. Through twenty beautifully illustrated short stories, followed by an interactive time between parent and child, your children will learn:

• The creational principle that "God created man in his own image . . . male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27) is extraordinary!
• That Jesus is in all of Scripture. The Bible is not a collection of disconnected stories; it is the one big story of the Triune God redeeming His people.
• God's Word is our authority and His Glory is our purpose.
• That when we belong to Jesus we belong to His covenant family, the Church.
• A Biblical framework for living and thinking.

The authors do not underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit in the heart and mind of a child. This book intentionally uses the rich language of faith, and then builds meaning around the words and concepts as the stories proceed, providing children the words of life.

My thoughts:
This book caught my eye because of the title (since I have a son named Caleb) and because I thought the cover was cute. This book is enjoyable to read and is appropriate for a family with children in the 5-8 range.  There are 2 page devotional thoughts followed by a page with a few questions and a verse. 

Cassie and Caleb are inquisitive and seem to want to know more about God.  They ask good questions that will make your own children think and ponder Biblical truths.  I like the example of this family applying God's Word to all aspects of their life, not just something they talk about or read at church.  As a parent this book gave me ideas of things from the Bible we can have discussions about with our son. 

I thought the illustrations were very well done as well.  They were colorful and added to the text of the book.

This book is available from Moody Publishers and will release May 1, 2013. 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the ebook version for my review.

Have a day of blessings!