Angels in the Bible for Little Ones by Allia Zobel Nolan & illustrated by Alida Massari - published by Zondervan

My thoughts: This is a quality board book with soft, padded cover and is sized just right for young hands. The illustrations by the Italian artist Alida Massari bear strong influence from Italian art masterpieces and a little of the Russian icon art. Beautiful and inspiring.

The book is more complex than a typical child's board book in that it is a compilation of Bible stories in which Angels appeared or played a major roll. The text is simple enough to be read to young children and also for young readers to be able to read for themselves.

Stories included include: Abraham and the Three Visitors, Food For Elijah, Daniel and the Lions, A Surprise Visitor (angel visits Mary), Voices Like Thunder (shepherds in field), Jesus the Children and the Angels, The Best Message Ever (stone rolled away from the empty tomb), and A Place Filled With Angels. As you can see, this is a nice selection that encompases the breadth of the Bible. A grand introduction to the study and understanding of Angels for the young child.

This is a treasure of a little book that young hands should hold and learn from. I recommend!

About the book:  Angels in the Bible for Little Ones gives children a fascinating look into how powerful behind-the-scenes helpers interacted with Bible greats such as Abraham, Daniel, and Mary, acting as messengers, protectors, warriors, and more. This padded cover board book, written by bestselling author Allia Zobel Nolan and illustrated by Alisa Massari, brings eight stories from the Bible to life for little ones.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from BookLook on behalf of Zondervan Publishing to facilitate this review of my own opinions. I was not compensated.

I’M GOING TO GIVE YOU A BEAR HUG by Caroline B. Cooney [Review & Giveaway]

My thoughts: This is giggly, tug-at-your-heart, tickle-your-funny-bone charming. There is just so much fun and, yes, sweetness blooming on each and every page.

Just how many different kinds of hugs are there? Bear hug? Well, it would be crushing, big, furry, warm. But what about all those other hugs?

I just love Cooney's lyrical text as she hugs her way through the cornucopia of hugs ....

I'm going to give you a cat hug. A simple purr, stroke my fur, don't do more than that hug. 

....a sheep hug. A lamb's wool, blanketful, don't make a peep hug.

The illustrations by Tim Warnes are sweetness and charm rollicking with fun and gentlenesss. Softly colored but bright enough to engage the attention of the young child. A child can picture him or herself amidst all this fun.

And as it began.... "way beyond compare hug," it ends with a bear hug that is "A just right turn off the light, sleep tight, say your prayers and kiss good night, way beyond compare hug."

I highly recommend this book.

About the book: I’m Going to Give You a Bear Hug!, written by bestselling author Caroline B. Cooney, is a playful and comforting bedtime book that imagines all the wonderful ways a child might give and receive a hug.

Whether it’s a big bear, gasp for air, knock over a chair hug or a wet and drippy, slimy, slippy fish hug, children will giggle their way through all the imaginative examples. Cooney’s sweet and simple rhymes encourage playful interaction between parent and child and ultimately help them wind down before they snuggle into bed and drift off to sleep.

GIVEAWAY ~ ~ FLASH

Begins January 24

ENDS February 3 @ 12:01 a.m. EST

Open to Continental US Addresses Only!

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
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“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

God Made You Nose to Toes By Leslie Parrott Published by Zondervan

My thoughts: There have been many "takes" on teaching little ones how God made them. How God made each and every part of them and made them special. In God Made You Nose to Toes the child is carried through the sweet rhymes with a little boy and his pal, the Toucan.

The illustrations are especially colorful and have a sweetness that has a real cuddle-factor. Just like the cuddle-factor that children have. Leslie Parrott takes a little different approach to teaching that the body of the child is designed and made by God. I love this way she says things like....

God placed on the beaches some shells and some sand,

and he gave you five fingers and called it a hand. 

You see what she is doing? She is talking about something like the beach, shells, and sand and the image shows a child playing on the beach. Using.... ??? You guessed it, his hand.

God made many sounds that he wants you to hear,

so on each side of your head he planted an ear.

And then the author talks about the ear (well, ears, plural) and that they are placed on each side of the head. So the child is made conscious of the fact that God put his ears on both sides of his head. A great opportunity to teach how this way we can hear sounds that surround us. And the purpose of the ears? Well, because God made all these wonderful and beautiful sounds He wants you to hear.

This board book has a padded cover and is perfect for those little hands that will hold it fast and carry it whither-so-ever they go. I highly recommend it!

About the book: Help little ones understand that God created each part of their bodies so they can enjoy life and everything in it. In this delightful padded cover board book by well-known author and family therapist Leslie Parrott, children can follow along with Toucan––with a great big nose––as he helps them learn God loves each one of them completely.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from the BookLook Blog Review Program on behalf of the publisher, ZonderKids to facilitate a review of my opinions. I was not compensated.

A Royal Christmas Wedding by Rachel Hauck

My thoughts: This is a delightfully light, joyous read that brings all the frills and happiness of a Christmas wedding to the plot and in addition it packs it all into a modern day fairy tale.

Another in Rachel Hauck's Royal Wedding series where ordinary American girls meet and marry into the royal line of the Brighton Kingdom, it proves to be enchanting and sugary sweet.

Well, there are moments of bitter sweet threaded through the sugar, but often that makes for a better piece of candy as well as a better story plot.

A bit preposterous in places, but being a modern fairy tale, that is o.k. This is a fun read and I totally enjoyed the lightness it brought into my reading time.

About the book: Avery Truitt aches for true love—the kind she once shared with Prince Colin. Can she dare to hope for happily ever after, or is a fairy-tale ending beyond reach?

College volleyball star Avery Truitt has not seen her former flame, Prince Colin of Brighton Kingdom, since he suddenly pushed her away five years ago. But now, the sadness of losing her father and the joy of her sister Susanna’s pregnancy have brought Avery back to Brighton just in time for Cathedral City’s enchanting Christmas season.

Avery knows she can’t avoid seeing Colin—now the Kingdom’s most eligible bachelor—whether or not her heart is ready to relive the pain. But seeing him again might bring her the closure she needs after all this time.

When Colin finds himself at the center of a centuries-old Brighton tradition, he must decide whether to follow the path laid out before him or follow his heart to the only woman for whom he would ring the Pembroke Chapel Bell.

Can Colin convince Avery to meet him at the chapel on Christmas morning—as tradition dictates—or will Avery run back to her St. Simons home and pursue a coaching career as planned?

In the fourth installment of the Royal Wedding Series, New York Times bestselling novelist, Rachel Hauck, weaves a charming story of holiday romance as two broken hearts seek the love they once knew.

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate this review of my own opinions without compensation.