Sweet Psalm 23 story with theological depth...

Sammy and His Shepherd is a delightful children’s story illustrating the truths of Psalm 23. Outlined in sections by the phrases of Psalm 23, this book is a story of “Sammy” the sheep, owned and cared for by a loving Shepherd, who meets a sad and neglected sheep on the other pasture. Sammy notices the differences in their care, and as he befriends this lost sheep, he teaches her about the loving care he receives. One day, the lost sheep is in danger of losing her life, and Sammy’s Shepherd does something wonderful for her. As the story unfolds, both sheep learn about trust and following the kind Shepherd.

Susan Hunt does a fabulous job weaving in to the story both theological truths as well as facts about sheep—facts that enable children and adults alike to better understand the love and care of a shepherd, and more importantly, the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ. For example, the story tells of a sheep who falls, with legs flailing helplessly in the air, and how the Shepherd comes to lift her up, rub her legs to restore circulation and help her walk again, thus “restoring” her. (“He restores my soul”). Sammy and His Shepherd illustrates not only of the love and tender care of Christ for His sheep, but also wonderfully pictures the themes of redemption, salvation, brotherly love, and eternity.

I absolutely love how at the end of each section illustrating a phrase of Psalm 23, Susan Hunt includes a “talking point” page or two at the end of the story. These talking points include “what the Bible tells us” (added thoughts and Bible references), “something to talk about” (questions for discussion with your children), and “something to do” (ways to put truth into practice).
The only element I was not crazy about was the color of the illustrations. They were child-friendly and unique, but the limited color scheme (lots of purple and pink tones) seemed more foreboding that comforting. However, I have only seen a PDF version of this book, so it may look different in the actual book. I can't wait to see!

Sammy and His Shepherd gets a five-star rating from me! I would definitely recommend hopping over to amazon.com and purchasing a copy for your child or as a gift! It can be profitable for so many ages and grade levels, and would be a great book to read as a family, too.

*Statement to comply with Federal Trade Commission guidelines: I am receiving a copy of Sammy and His Shepherd for free, from Reformation Trust/Ligonier Ministries, as compensation for my review.

Nothing Sweeter...

...than a tiny, newborn baby!

Clever but irreverent...

I was excited to open another of Dandi Daley Mackall's rhyming books, this one entitled "When God Created My Toes". From head to toe, the book goes through body parts and asks intriguing questions about what it is like when God creates a child. An example is, "When God created my hip, did I hear him say, 'Hip, hip, hooray!'? Did we do a double flip when God created my hip?" The illustrations are soft, fun, and energetic, and pair well with the quizzical nature of the book. And although I can imagine some children asking questions like are asked in the book, I had a bad feeling as I read along, and came to the conclusion that I do not think the book is completely reverent, but rather detracts from God's greatness, awe, and the fact that His thoughts and purposes are much higher than ours. I am glad that the book points to God as the perfect Creator of every part of our being, but we cannot bring God down to a human level. Plus, the illustrations show one instance of a little girl being naughty with her hands, and that is not at all why God created hands! The book does not even speak of the mind, heart, or soul of a child, which is the most important part! I was very disappointed in this book.

*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Baby Bites...Homemade Animal Crackers

I still have a recipe page from an animal cracker-making kit

I got when I was young.

The other night Jonah and I decided to try them.

Here is our health-i-fied version:).

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 to 1/2 cup honey

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (don't omit this!)

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Beat butter, sugar, honey, egg, and extracts together; set aside.

Blend flour and baking powder together, mix into butter mixture.

Refrigerate for one hour wrapped in waxed paper (I didn't do this and it was fine).

Roll to 1/4 inch thickness, and cut with animal cookie cutters.

Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes at 350.

Our animal cookie cutters were inaccessible,

so besides the circle and heart that we had,

we made kitties, fish, and triangles.

Yum yum...enjoy!

Just in time for Easter...

As young children, my siblings and I used to listen to the record "Little Tree". My sister and I were happy to find a CD version of it online a couple years back. Jonah and I were listening to it again in the car today, and I thought I should share it with you here.

"The Story of Little Tree" is a fictional story about a young tree whose branch is cut off to make the cross upon which Jesus is nailed. There are several songs mixed into the story and they are very nice. This CD never fails to bring tears to my eyes when I listen to it!

Hop on over to CBD.com to purchase it for only $6.99. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Cute book to prepare for a new sibling!

Are you preparing your child to be a big brother or big sister? If so, I would recommend buying this book from your favorite retailer! God Gave Us Two, yet another in the "God Gave Us" series by Lisa Tawn Bergren, follows little polar bear cub as he peppers his pregnant Mommy with questions about the upcoming arrival. Papa and Mama polar bear reassure their little cub that being a big sister will be great fun, and that a new baby won't change their love for her! "He gave us you. Now he's given us two!" is their frequent refrain to little cub in answer to her worries. I love how this book emphasizes the prayers of parents, as well as the joys of being a big brother or sister! Once again, Laura Bryant illustrates with fun, colorful pictures. Go read this book...there's a surprise ending that I don't want to spoil! *I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Sweet and Dreamy...

I recently "discovered" the author John Butler, and Jonah and I simply love his books! The latest one we checked out from the library is called Can You Cuddle Like A Koala? Each of John Butler's children's picture books feature full-page soft & dreamy illustrations of animals accompanied by rhyming sentences that seem to come alive as you read them!

In Can You Cuddle Like a Koala, each page-spread features a different animal (or animal parent and baby), and asks the reader if they can imitate that animal's actions. For example, "Can you stretch like a tiger waking up from a dream?" The sentences are placed on each page in wavy or arched formations, which makes reading the story even more fun.

This book is great for bedtime, or anytime,

and older toddlers will have fun copying the creatures on each page!