"When God Created My Toes"

"When God Created My Toes" by Dandi Daley Mackall; illustrated by David Hohn

Description:
"When God created my toes, did he make them wiggle? Did he know I’d giggle?Did he have to hold his nose, when God created my toes?"

This charming picture book allows your child to imagine what it was like when God created them. From the top of their heads to the tips of their toes they will explore and understand God’s delight in creating them.Through rhyming lines and vivid illustrations children will gain confidence and self-esteem when they begin to fully realize how perfectly, intricately, and uniquely God created them.

My thoughts...
My family absolutely loves this book - especially my 2 year old daughter! We literally read this book every single day, at least five times/day! And every time we have a new visitor (grandma, aunts, friends)...this is the first book she grabs to share :)
 
This book is so beautifully illustrated, written so creatively and a book that never gets too old to read over and over again. Its funny, educational, imaginative and such a joy to read to my little girls each day. We love the cat, and the daily lessons that every child learns as they grow up and learn about themselves - body parts, getting hurt, getting in trouble, having fun and more!
 
Thank You soooo much Blogging for Books & Waterhouse Multnomah for allowing me to share this book with my family! I cannot wait to read more books from you in the future!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah book review bloggers program, "Blogging for Books". I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Please rate my review here: http://www.waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/ranking/10432

Free Samples ~ Week 24

Oh my goodness! I had a busy week of freebies, mail, samples, goodies and more in my mailbox this week!!! I cannot wait to do all the product reviews and giveaways for Frugal Fabulous Finds!!

Monday & Tuesday

• Shutterfly 5x7 card (Mother's Day freebie)
• Snapily animated cards x 2 (Mother's Day freebies)
• Country Crock Coupons for 75 cents off from smile.ly
• Suave (free bottle) Professionals coupon
• "daddy dates" by Greg Wright (book from Book Sneeze for Frugal Fabulous Finds - FFF)
• "The Chocolate Diaries" by Karen Scalf Linamen (book from Blogging for Books for FFF)

Wednesday

• Maternity Shirt from Kiki's Fashions (product review for Kiki's Fashions for FFF) - Giving this to a friend who is pregnant to test out :)
• Kraft First Taste ~ Breakstones Cottage Doubles freebie coupons
• Kraft First Taste ~ Kraft Philadelphia Shredded cheese freebie coupons
• Mothers Day card from my mom :)
• M ~ The Magazine for Kansas City Moms
• Similac Coupons (which I will not use...if you know anyone that would send me an email or comment on here!)
• Uncle Ben's Ready Rice FREE coupon
• Summit Woods Crossing coupons (a local mall near our house)
• Box of goodies from Wendy at Frugal Fabulous Finds - freebies & product review stuff (Coupon organizer, book, labels, and more!!)
• Polar Pillow (product review for FFF)
• Costume for Destin (product review for FFF)

Thursday

• Grad invite for Pat's cousins' girlfriend - very sweet of her :)
• Baby shower invite for my cousin's 4th baby
• My "Moo" business cards x 10 - ALL FOR FREE! (I got pics of the girls & our family on them - then put our address, email, and Shutterfly site & this blog on it)
• Itzbeen baby timer (product review for FFF)
• Le Bibble Bottle bib (product review for FFF)
• Coco Penny goodies ~ onesie & matching hair band for Arwen, and hair bands for Destin (product review for FFF)

Friday

• World Wildlife Fund bookmark & info
• Free headset (from 1SaleADay.com)
• Roll of wallpaper from Graham & Brown (product review for FFF)

Saturday

• Digital Photo magazine

Free Samples ~ Week 23

Week 23 (April 18 - 23)

• "God Gave Us Two" book from Blogging for Books (see review from last week!)
• Chocolate bar (shaped like a house) from Kudzu via Facebook
• "History is an Argument" poster from teachinghistory.org
• The J.Lohr Vineyard Table recipe booklet
• Johnsonville Italian Sausage coupons (2 x free, 2 x $1.50, and 2 x free Rinaldi Sauce ~ I think I might give these away or have a giveaway...since we have been eating sausage for the last month almost every week with my coupons from the She Speaks program!)
• Orville Redenbacher's Pop Up Bowl Sample (a reg. size bag) & $1.00 off coupon
• Copenhagen Flask (its stainless steel with leather outside) with my husband's initials on it
• Large Poster from Kaspersky Lab that has Rosie Riveter on it

"God Gave Us Two" by Lisa Tawn Bergren

"God Gave Us Two"

Written by Lisa Tawn Bergren, illustrated by Laura J. Bryant

Description:
Now that Mama polar bear has another baby in her tummy, Little Cub is bursting with curiosity. “Why do we need a new baby?” she asks. “If we don’t like the new baby, can we send it back?”, “Will you forget me when the new baby comes?”

Gently and lovingly, Mama and Papa assure their firstborn that the new baby is a gift from God they want very much, just as Little Cub was–and still is.

“God gave us you. Now he’s given us two!”

The winsome sequel to God Gave Us You, God Gave Us Two playfully affirms a child’s uniqueness and place in the family and helps little ones accept, appreciate, and love their new siblings.

My thoughts...
This is the second book of the "God Gave Us..." series ~ there is also God Gave Us You (see my review), Heaven, Love, The World (see my review), So Much, and Christmas. I absolutely loved this book! I only wish I could have had this when I was pregnant the second time around!

Little Cub is going to be a big sister to a new baby brother or sister...and in the end you find out she is a big sister to both! Her mama had twins :)

It is such a cute story, with beautiful illustrations! I would recommend this book to any growing family - especially for those with one going on two/three children of their own. I just love how they talk about mama bear's tummy getting bigger and bigger - and it talks about what Little Cub will be able to do when the new baby comes.

Such a cute story...it really touches your heart, and families with little ones will absolutely love it!

Thank You so much Blogging for Books & Waterhouse Multnomah for allowing me to share this book with my family! I cannot wait to read more books from you in the future!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah book review bloggers program, "Blogging for Books". I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

"God Gave Us You" by Lisa Tawn Bergren

"God Gave Us You"

Written by Lisa Tawn Bergren, Illustrated by Laura J. Bryant

Description:
When a charming polar bear cub climbs into bed one night, she asks her Mama a very important question--one that little "human cubs" often wonder about, too: "Where did I come from?"

As Mama bear tucks her youngest cub under the quilts, she gently, tenderly, and reassuringly communicates the message loving parents everywhere (bears and non-bears alike) want their little ones to hear: "We wanted you very, very much, and we are so very glad because--"God gave us you."

Perfect for bedtime, naptime, storytime or anytime, God Gave Us You provides a valuable opportunity to build children's self-esteem every day and assure each one that he or she truly is a welcomed, precious, and treasured gift from the Lord.

My thoughts...

This is the first book of the "God Gave Us..." series ~ there is also God Gave Us Two, Heaven, Love, The World (which I wrote a review about), So Much, and Christmas. I am hoping to get the "God Gave Us Two" after I review this book which is about having a second baby (perfect for our family)!

This book was beautifully illustrated, and beautifully written to answer the question to a little one - where did I come from? It talks about the mama bear being pregnant and how her belly grew bigger and bigger, the ultrasound, how daddy talked to her belly, how they went to the hospital and said how happy they were that "God gave us you".

I would recommend this book for any family - my daughter just loved reading this with me! It is truly a treasure of a book, and one that you won't find anywhere else! If you would like to buy this book, click on the title of the book above where you can purchase it on Amazon.

Thank You so much Blogging for Books & Waterhouse Multnomah for allowing me to share this book with my family! I cannot wait to read more books from you in the future!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah book review bloggers program, "Blogging for Books". I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

"The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari"

"The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari"

Written by Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark; illustrated by Vincent Nguyen

My Detailed Description:

Padraig and Roger have decided that they want to camp out ALL night long at the base of Mount Sillymanborrow. At first they have fun, eating tasty, crunchy bugs and making s'mores. However, the fun starts to go away when it begins to get dark and the noises of the wild start to ruin their evening. The boys begin to believe that the sounds they are hearing are animals in the wild, such as rhinos, elephants and monkeys, while in reality they were common animals you might find in your backyard...an owl (howler monkey), squirrel (giraffe), raccoon (elephant), and a dog (rhino).The boys share an adventure in the night when they help to save a small leopard (a kitten) from a tree (where the dragon learns he can blow fire for the first time). As the boys are finally deciding that it is too much for them to be out, dawn breaks and they realize they have been brave and have stayed outside ALL night long. Then they decide they need a nap before taking on any other adventures of the day.

My thoughts...

This is a story about Padraig (a dragon) and Roger (a turtle) who determine to go on a safari which is really staying out all night in their backyard. They have some adventures with some not so wild creatures during the night. The book is beautifully illustrated. The story seems to get bogged down at times. There is a bonus story at the end (The Legend of Mount Sillymanborrow - which wasn't scary at all - it was pretty cute!) and a page of conversation starters & questions to discuss courage and friendship with your children/classroom. There is also a bible verse which the story is supposed to be teaching about. Would be appropriate for preschool through elementary age children (ages 4 and up).

I felt the book was awkward to read aloud, because the characters used British sounding phrases such as "my good fellow," "Oh, righto," "Cheerio. Right jolly good," etc. The story line worked well to teach children about facing fears, and being kind to their friends.

My two year old daughter enjoyed the pictures, but the book was too lengthy/chatty to read to her, and awkward (as I mentioned above). The two characters seem to just talk balk and forth the entire story - which was kind of boring. The whole lesson of the story was supposed to be about being brave & how to not be scared of the dark - I'm not sure if the characters learned that lesson (they just stayed out there long enough until it was dawn). I wasn't a fan of the British phrases or the big vocabulary words either. I think I will wait to actually "read" this book to my girls for awhile...but until then we will enjoy looking at the beautiful pictures and learn to imagine & pretend together just as the boys do in the story.

A really cute book, but not outstanding. I give it 4/5 stars. You can find this book on Amazon or at a bookstore near you!

Thank You so much Blogging for Books and Waterhouse Multnomah for allowing me to share this book with my family! I cannot wait to read more books from you in the future!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah book review bloggers program, "Blogging for Books". I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

"God Gave Us The World"

"God Gave Us the World" by Lisa Tawn Bergren; illustrated by Laura J. Bryant

Description:

Like most young children, Little Cub is full of questions when he visits the museum with his family. One special exhibit displays bears from various locations around the world. The young polar bear is surprised to find that a world exists beyond the North Pole. He's even further amazed to discover that bears who live in those far off places are not just like him. They look different, they eat different, they like different things.

Little Cub wonders why God didn't make all bears alike and place them all together in one place.
My thoughts...

Every little "cub" needs someone like Mama Bear to show them the wonderful reality of God's inventiveness. In the beautifully illustrated pages of 'God Gave Us the World', Mama Bear gives Little Cub a glimpse into the vastness of the world he lives in, the amazing inventiveness of a Creator who designed a universe of variation and diversity, and the importance of taking care of the corner of the world in which God placed him. By the end of the day, the little bear cub knows without a doubt that every bear is unique. Every bear is loved. Every bear has his own special place in God's great big, wonderful world.

All children could benefit from the contents of this beautiful picture book.
What a great way to discover that "different" does not equal "bad" or "wrong", and that God loves each one of the creatures he created--every color, every tribe, every nation...every bear!

Between the bright covers of God Gave Us the World lies a treasure trove of gentle wisdom and value. It is entertaining, educational--and an absolute must-have for young readers (ages 3 and up).

I read this book to my almost 2 year old daughter, and she got kind of bored with it. The message of the book is a great one, but the next time we read it I will definitely have to sum up the words because its a little long for her to sit through and listen.

What I like about this book is the approach it takes to explain the variety of different types of the same animal. As we get older, we understand that variety happens in animal families, not evolution. This fun book for small kids helps to explain that God only needed a couple of bears on the ark and that all varieties of bears came from that family.

I also like the way it references mankind by showing that even though we may not look or act the same, we are loved just the same in God's eyes. And that we also came from the same couple of parents.

The artwork is done is a warm and friendly style that all children will enjoy.

A lot of adults today could learn a few things by reading this cute little book. I recommend this highly for your children's library.

You can find this book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/God-Gave-World-Lisa-Bergren/dp/1400074487/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Thank You so much Blogging for Books & Waterhouse Multnomah for allowing me to share this book with my family! I cannot wait to read more books from you in the future!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah book review bloggers program, "Blogging for Books". I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

"God Loves Me More Than That"

"God Loves Me More Than That" by Dandi Daley Mackall; illustrated by David Hohn.

Description:

How much love does God have for me?

More than the letters between A and Z. More than the bumbles in a bumble bee.

God loves me more than that!

As your child revels in each lively rhyme and engaging illustration from this delightful picture book, they’ll 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 your child 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!

My thoughts...

How much does God love you? In this beautifully written & colorful, vivid illustrations, your child ages baby & up can discover how much God loves them.

"How much love does God have for me?
More than the letters between A and Z
More than the bumbles in a bumble bee.
God loves me more than that!"

The quotation above is the first stanza (or the first two pages of the book) which provides a repeating form for each following section of verse. Each quatrain ends with the line "God loves me ___ than that!" Fill in the blank with more than, deeper than, softer than, louder than, bigger than and others! God's love for us is immense, far larger than we can conceptualize.

Hohn's illustration takes Mackall's not entirely uncommon imaginings of God's love: deeper than a treasure chest beneath the sea, higher than a space shuttle flying by, wider than praries a cowboy rides and takes the reader in to the realm of the fantastic. Hohn places the little boy who is reflecting on God's love for him amongst hippo's dancing in the rain, on a bumble bee's back and as a circus ring leader to mention only a few. We are clearly immersed in the realm of the imagination, and are treated to a fantastic voyage through this little boy's daydreams.

I absolutely loved sharing this book with my two young daughters...they loved the pictures & the underlying message is a great one. My daughter's favorite were all the animals - she loves animals & she loves pointing them out & naming them each time we read this treasure of a book! I would encourage all of my friends, fellow parents & teachers to buy this book and share it with someone you care about!

You can find it on Amazon at this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Loves-More-Than-Dandilion-Rhymes/dp/1400073162/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top  

Thank You so much Blogging for Books & Waterhouse Multnomah for allowing me to share this book with my family! I cannot wait to read more books from you in the future!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah book review bloggers program, "Blogging for Books". I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

"Lioness Arising" by Lisa Bevere

"Lioness Arising" by Lisa Bevere

Description:
In "Lioness Arising" the author describes a vision she had while pregnant with her 4th son - a vision she believes was a revelation from God. In the vision she saw "radiant light everywhere", and a perfect lioness on a platform with "Numbers XXIII" written under it. She finds what she is looking for in verse 24. Later she feels the Lord telling her, "...with the birth of your son, you will awaken a lioness."

From here she takes the reader on a journey to study the lioness (reading, watching, observing) and she spent a large portion of the book sharing what she has discovered with the reader and comparing her findings to women.

The underlying theme is that Christian women throughout the world need to unite, especially within the church, as leaders - this is the only way the world will become a better place.

My thoughts...

I really enjoyed the first couple chapters of the book. It was captivating, and empowering & really wanted me to become a better Christian woman.

But then I just got bored, I started to dread reading the book & really no longer felt empowered, but just tired of reading the same old, same old. I would recommend this book for someone who is active in practicing their religion, and is in need of some feminine boost!

Looking back, something I really enjoyed were the famous quotes she published throughout the book - those were very uplifting & enjoyable. I also really enjoyed learning more about lionesses throughout the book - they really are a magnificent animal, and I would love to be compared to one someday.

Thank you so much to Blogging for books & and Waterhouse Multnomah for sending me a copy of this book! I look forward to reading more books from you in the future!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah book review bloggers program, "Blogging for Books". I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."