Regret Free Parenting: Raise Good Kids and Know you're Doing it Right

The next book I reviewed for Thomas Nelson’s blog group, Book Sneeze, was Regret Free Parenting: Raise Good Kids and Know You’re Doing it Right by Catherine Hickem. When I received the book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to gain any new knowledge. There are many Christian parenting resources, several which I have read, and some of the information can get repetitive. After reading the first chapter, I could tell that this book had some very valuable teaching in it, and was going to be worth my time. Hickem makes several very important points that are laced throughout the entire book. One is that we, as parents, must be intentional in all that we do. She gives specific examples of how we can be intentional with our words, actions, and everything in our lives. Mixed in with the discussions on different topics are real-life examples. Hickem is a licensed psychotherapist who also has children herself. The examples given are relevant, and thought provoking. This book covers topics that will be of interest to parents with toddlers, all the way through the teenage years. I would recommend this book to any Christian parent (mother, especially) who wants to go a little bit deeper with your thinking about how to raise your children.

Read and Share: The Ultimate DVD Bible, Vol. 2

The next thing I reviewed for Thomas Nelson's blogger review group, Book Sneeze, was the "Read and Share: The Ultimate DVD Bible, Volume 2. I have seen the first volume of the Read and Share movies, and was already very happy with that. I was looking forward to getting this Bible, and the movies, and I knew my 2 year old son would be really excited. The Bible and DVD's did not disappoint! There are two DVD's, each with 45 minutes to an hour of playtime. They play the same stories that are in the Bible, in the same order. This is great for older kids who would like to follow along in their Bible as they watch the movies. The Bible is great also. There are some stories in there that are not typically in a children's Bible, and the wording is really good. It is detailed, but easy for children to comprehend. The only negative thing about this, and it's very minor, is that the DVD's come in little plastic sleeves on the inside and outside cover of the Bible. With a toddler or young child being the recipient of the Bible, this will not be a good holding place for the movies. Other than that, I think this is an excellent resource for the whole family to learn more about God's Word!

"Save the Date" Review

The next book I reviewed for the Thomas Nelson blog review site, Book Sneeze, was “Save the Date” by Jenny B. Jones. I have read some of Jones’ other fiction, and I like her style of writing. I was looking forward to reading this book, and thought the cover made it seem like a good read. The book is a good length for a novel, 304 pages. It was long enough that you felt like the author could tell the full story, without being too long. The story centers around a woman who runs a non-profit organization for girls who have aged out of the foster care system. She has a fairly stable life, that is shaken by a turn of events that she did not expect. The building where she houses the girls is suddenly about to be sold, and one of her largest donors backs out. She is left trying to find a way to keep her girls together, and keep the one stable thing they have in their life. Then a former football player, now politician enters the scene with an interesting proposition. Pretend to be his girlfriend, then fiancée, in return for the cash she needs to save her non-profit. The book will leave you wondering what the outcome will be!

BIG RED Bible Review

The next thing I reviewed for Thomas Nelson’s blog group, Book Sneeze, was ""Big Red" Holy Bible-Contemporary 3D Art. The Bible is a soft cover format, which is not my preference, especially for children. The translation is ISB (International Children’s Bible), which is a great version for children! It doesn’t stray too far from the NIV version, but makes the scriptures very relatable for children. I would have liked to have seen more pictures in the Bible, making it appropriate for a wider range of children. Also, the pictures are much more modern than a traditional children’s Bible. They are contemporary, like the title states, and appealing to children who are used to watching animated movies. It states that it is a 3rd grade reading level, which seems true. The Bible highlights the majority of the Bible stories that are well known, and uses words that are familiar for children so their understanding is heightened. This is a good gift for a child who enjoys having a parents read from the Bible to them, or for an older child who can read the stories themselves. There are a few things I would change about this, but overall I like it.

"The Least Among You" Review

The next thing I reviewed for Thomas Nelson’s Book Sneeze blog review group was a DVD titled, “The Least Among You”. I was very disappointed in this movie. It is inspired by a true story, which usually makes a movie have a good storyline. It is based on a young man, Richard Kelly, who is living in the 1960’s, in the middle of racial integration. He is arrested for a crime he says he didn’t commit, and must attend a seminary for 2 semesters. The thing he doesn’t realize until he begins school is that he is the only black student at the school. Although the premise for the movie is good, the storyline was very choppy, and left the viewer confused at many points. There is also a point in the movie where a VERY offensive curse word is used. This type of language should be noted in the PG-13 rating box, and it wasn’t. For a movie that quotes scripture throughout, it is very offensive to hear a curse word like the one that was spoken by the main character. This movie, in my opinion, is not worth watching. The storyline is too choppy, and it is definitely not a ‘Christian movie’.

The Boy Who Changed the World

The next book I reviewed for Thomas Nelson’s blog group, Book Sneeze, was “The Boy Who Changed the World” by Andy Andrews. Having read another book by this author that was written for adults, I wasn’t sure what to expect out of a children’s book. I had a good first impression of the book, judging it by its cover. The illustrations by Philip Hurst are beautiful. They have bright colors, and are interesting to look at. I really liked the concept of this book. It starts out talking about a boy who changed the world, and told the things he did. Then it backtracks to someone who greatly influenced that boy’s life, and says that maybe it was the person before him who changed the world. It continues traveling back in time, recounting the ways that an individual changed another person’s life, and how that, in turn, changed many more lives. I like the fact that the characters are not fictional. They are real people in history who did wonderful things that ended up helping 2 billion people. I read this book to my 2 year old son, and while he was interested in it, I would recommend the age group to start a few years older. Some of the pages have lengthy paragraphs that may not hold a toddlers’ attention. Overall, a wonderful book!

Who's In Charge Anyway DVD Review

The next thing I reviewed for Thomas Nelson’s blog group, Book Sneeze, was a movie called, “Hermie & Friends, Who is In Charge Anyway?” Although I have watched other Hermie movies before that I thought were good, this one wasn’t my favorite. The overall theme of the movie is good. It is teaching children that God will help us with situations that we don’t like to become something great for Him. One of the reasons I didn’t love the movie was because it didn’t seem very fluid. It seemed random, and jumped from scene to scene too abruptly. It has clips from previous movies also, which can be disappointing if you have already seen the other movies. Some of the things I did like about the movie were the voices of the characters (very cute), the animation (good), and the voice of God. (calming, reassuring) It also did address issues that many children face, such as fear, intimidation, and figuring out God’s plan for our lives. I think this movie would be best for children ages 4-9. With all of these factors combined, I would give this movie an average rating. A good movie, but not one to run out and buy for your collection.