When I was young I LOVED reading the Sweet Valley Twins books, Nancy Drew and The Babysitters Club (remember those?!). Well, I’m happy to say that Barbour is releasing a new line of books similar to these for Christian girls. The Camp Club Girls series centers around a group of girls who meet at Camp Discovery. They become friends and form a group they call the ‘Camp Club Girls’ and soon find themselves embroiled in mysteries and adventures galore.

These books are great for tween girls (ages 8 – 12). They have all the zany fun and intrigue of books like Sweet Valley, but they also include a component that none of those that I listed above do: the spiritual component. I’m so excited to have a series like this to share with my little girl. (Thanks, Barbour!)

Here’s a little blurb about the first book:

When six girls from different parts of the country end up as roommates at camp, they also join forces to find out what’s really going on beyond the crafts and Bible quizzing. Where are the strange noises coming from? And what’s the “DanGer” warning all about? “Camp Discovery” indeed! The mysteries seem as thick as the woods surrounding the cabins!

If you’re looking for something for your kids to do during the winter months ahead, look no further than these great books by author Donna Shepherd. Donna’s heart for children shines through in each story she writes. Each rhyming tales is accompanied by adorable illustrations. My kids ask to be read from these books over and over!

Teach kids God’s faithfulness with My Everyday Promise Bible, beautifully written and colorfully illustrated by Phil A. Smouse. Perfect for 3-5 year olds, it is packed with Bible promises, devotional thoughts and beautiful pictures!

Review:
This little book of Bible promises is so adorable. It’s geared perfectly for preschool/kindergarten kids and is a great way to start spiritual conversations with your children. ~ Jill

I had a book similar to this when I was a child and some of my fondest memories are times when my parents would read to me from it. This book will help me create similar memories with my kids. The book is filled with beautiful illustrations, Bible stories (of course) and also questions to help parents interact and start meaningful conversations with their children.

One specific thing I liked about the book is that the illistrations are realistic and not cartoonish. It’s hard enough to explain to kids that the stories in the Bible are real when they are so used to fairy tales and so a book like this helps bring the stories to life and make them believable.

Envoy House’s new version of the New Testament is a perfect first Bible for children. It starts out with a page that shares how to explore the Bible as well as a couple of pages explaining how to best memorize Scripture and remember what you’re reading. The Bible then shares a few select Old Testament stories and the entire New Testament. It also includes a Bible dictionary and pages that share how you can become a child of God and how you can share Christ with others.

I shared the review copy of this Bible with my 3 year old and he was thrilled. He loves to be read to and this is definitely the book that I want to be reading from! It includes great little illustrations and makes reading the Bible fun for little ones.

Each chapter has an introduction page with fun facts, a key verse and a summary of what the book is about. There are also “Q&A” boxes throughout that answer questions like, “Is there only one true God.” The answer and Scripture reference are then given.

Envoy House also has a great website that you can check out: Click Here!

From Envoy House:

This new version of the New Testament is the latest product in The Most Important Story Ever Told (MIS) series, which originated with the creation of a 32-page presentation of God’s plan of salvation.  With more than 80 million copies in print in over 112 languages, this Gospel booklet is undeniably one of the most successful evangelistic tools available and has been used by numerous well-known Christian ministries, including Samaritan’s Purse (Operation Christmas Child-the shoe box program), Operation Mobilization, Luis Palau Evangelistic Association, Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Child Evangelism Fellowship, and Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

BibleRhymes’ Christmas Story – I love pretty much everything that BibleRhymes’ puts together. They are cute and funny and tell the best stories ever (Bible stories). But, don’t just take my word for it – here’s what one of our Extravaganza winners had to say about the copy of BibleRhymes’ Christmas Story that she received:

“I just received Christmas Story in the mail today! I read through it and the rhyming is brilliant! I love this book and the pictures. I even chuckled at the picture of Joseph struggling with the mule and Mary laughing. I can’t wait to read this to my children this holiday! Thank you and God bless you even more with your talents. All good gifts are from God! “

Here are a few books that are perfect for kids – and those who are kids at heart.

God Gave Us Heaven

Little Cub awakens one morning with some important questions on her mind: What is heaven like? How do we get there? Will we eat in heaven? Will we be angels?

During a delightful day spent wandering their arctic world, Papa gently answers each question, assuring Little Cub that heaven is a wonderful place, “a million times better” than she can imagine. He explains how God has made a way for those who love him to enter their heavenly home forever after their lives on earth are over.

Reuniting the best-selling author-illustrator team from God Gave Us You, this gentle story provides satisfying answers for a young child’s most difficult questions about heaven. Parents, grandparents, childcare professionals, librarians, Sunday school teachers, and others will appreciate the gentle approach to a topic that’s on the minds of so many “little cubs.”

Through captivating, full-color illustrations and tender, biblically sound storytelling, young readers and those who love them will find reasons to rejoice in knowing that God Gave Us Heaven.

Author Bio: Lisa Tawn Bergren is the award-winning author of nearly thirty titles, totaling more than one million books in print. She writes in a broad range of genres, from adult fiction to devotional. God Gave Us Heaven is Lisa’s fourth children’s book, following in the tradition of the best-selling God Gave Us You. She makes her home in Colorado, with her husband, Tim, and their children, Olivia, Emma, and Jack.

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God Loves Me More Than That, and When God Created My Toes

In two new books from best-selling children’s author Dandi Daley Mackall, clever rhymes and delightful illustrations help young children, ages three and up, understand God’s huge love for them and his joy in creating them. These enchanting picture books from the writer-illustrator team of Dandi Mackall and David Hohn will instill awe in young children as they revel in each page. Parents alike will appreciate the engaging stories that communicate God’s perfect plan and his divine purpose for little hearts.

In God Loves Me More Than That, children learn that God loves them deeper than a wishing well, wider than a semi-truck, louder than thunder, and softer than a kitten’s sneeze. Each question, presented with charming child-like faith will help young ones grasp the great love of God through comparisons and descriptions they can easily understand. In short, they’ll discover that His love is bigger, wider, higher, and deeper than anything they could imagine!

In When God Created My Toes, kids are drawn into the wonder of their creation by God. Their masterful artist who fashioned them just right for amazing and delightful adventures, such as roller skating, finger-painting, doing flips, and drinking cocoa. Children will come to an understanding that God shaped each part of their amazing bodies with joy, delight, and humor.

Author Bio: Dandi Daley Mackall has published more than 400 books for children and adults, with more than 3 million combined copies sold. She is the author of WaterBrook’s two other delightful Dandilion Rhymes books, A Gaggle of Geese & A Clutter of Cats and The Blanket Show. A popular keynote speaker at conferences and Young Author events, Mackall lives in rural Ohio with her husband, three children, and a menagerie of horses, dogs, and cats.

Our own Donna Shepherd has a new Children’s book in print – actually 2 in 1!

From Amazon.com: A Guardian Angel Double Doozie– Two Books in one. Snappy rhymes along with the colorful and fun illustrations help children see the need to protect their skin in the sun. Sun Safety Tips in the back of the book reinforce the book’s theme– OUCH! Sunburn.

In NO MORE GUNK! short playful rhymes and humorous illustrations help children learn in a fun way the importance of proper dental hygiene. Tooth Tips in the back of the book encourage children to take care of their teeth.

Praise for Gunk/Ouch:

Humorous, rhyming prose with funny artwork gets a high five, especially when coupled with a second free book!

- Gayle Jacobson-Huset, Assistant Editor, Stories for Children Magazine

I was recently sent some books by the founder of Barefoot Books. I didn’t know much about the company or their products, so I was excited to check them out. What I found was a pleasant surprise.

The founders, Nancy Traversy and Tessa Strickland, were moms just like you and I who set out to publish books that would make a difference. They describe how it felt starting out:

“When you start out, no one has heard of you, and you wonder if anyone is going to listen to what you have to say. No one was publishing books quite like ours—would anyone buy them? We believed they would; we just had to find our way to parents and educators who shared our values. This is what we care about: first, we’re convinced that it’s never too early to introduce children to other cultures. We believe too that children can appreciate high-quality art, and enjoy the music as well as the meaning of language from a very early age. ”

The books are beautiful and very high-quality. My kids were thrilled when we opened the package and found kids books! The bright colors immediately caught their attention and they’ve been asking me to read these books to them ever since. I think that alone says it all.

"Poetry Speaks to Children includes poems from authors like J.R.R. Tolkien (author of Lord of The Rings), Robert Frost and many more. This book is fun and comes with a CD with poems read by the poets themselves. There are a few spots that may not be appropriate for your children (Tolkien refers to beer in his poem/song sung by one of the hobbits in LOTR), but overall the book is fun and can help your child find an appreciation for poetry." – Jill Hart, CWAHM.com

"Wow! What a great book. This book is fun, easy to read and teached kids great table manners." – Jill Hart, CWAHM.com

"This book is SO fun! It will take your child to far away places while teaching them about Creation." – Jill Hart, CWAHM.com

"Count My Blessings is an adorable book that I enjoyed reading to my one-year old. It is written as a Thank You prayer and includes the full prayer at the back of the book so that you could easily use this prayer to teach your child to pray." – Jill Hart, CWAHM.com

"This eBook is adorable! You will love it almost as much as your children! The pictures are bright and vibrant and the rhyming helps keeps childrens’ attention while teaching them lessons about creation. It’s obvious that a lot of love went into this – it’s high quality and well put together." – Jill Hart, CWAHM.com

by Walter Wangerin, Jr., John Paquette, Anne Jennings and Dan Carr

"This easy to read book of prayers is perfect for the little ones in your life. Maybe of the prayers are written in rhymes which makes them easy for children to remember and pray." – Jill Hart, CWAHM.com

"If you’ve ever struggled to answer a child’s questions about the Bible, you’ll want to read them this book. It’s divided into three sections and each explains one part of the trinity – Father, Son, Holy Spirit. This is a great book for young children, but also very useful for older children who are able to understand more abstract concepts like the Holy Spirit." – Jill Hart, CWAHM.com

I had the pleasure of reading books one and two of The Fairy Chronicles. Book one, Marigold and the Feather of Hope, The Journey Begins introduces Beth Parish, a nine-year old who is spending two weeks with her aunt. Beth would rather do anything than spend part of her summer break with her eccentric aunt.

Shortly after arriving at her aunt’s house, her aunt reveals to Beth that she is a fairy and believes that Beth shows signs up being a marigold fairy. Beth thinks her aunt has finally lost her marbles. Then Aunt Evelyn *pop* turns into a fairy and Beth realizes that her aunt isn’t crazy after all.

Beth then learns how to take fairy form. She learns to fly and to do other fairy things like call for her wand and even talk to her aunt’s cat. Soon Aunt Evelyn takes Beth to Fairy Circle to meet the other fairies.

When the circle is interrupted by a brownie that needs help, Beth and Aunt Evelyn quickly form a plan and offer to help. Soon they are off on Beth’s first fairy adventure.

The second book in the series, Dragonfly & the Web of Dreams, centers around another of the fairies introduced in book one. Jennifer Summerset is a red dragonfly fairy whose special fairy gifts are speed and agility.

One day as she is sitting on her front porch visiting with some of her fairy friends, her "grandmum" and mentor, Madam Mum, tells them they are all needed at an emergency Fairy Circle meeting. When they arrive at the meeting, they learn that the Web of Dreams has been destroyed. The fairies head off, with the help of the brownies, to meet with the Dream Spider. They must repair the Web of Dreams or nightmares will continue to plague them. Can the fairies work together and find the strength needed to fix the Web?

These children’s novels by J.H. Sweet are beautifully illustrated and full of color. The stories are sweet and inspiring. Every little girl will love to envision herself as a fairy just like the characters in the books. The stories all help kids learn to value the world around them. The back of each book also contains fairy facts, activities and other fairy ideas.

Review by:

Jill Hart, CWAHM.com