Book Review & Great Gift Idea

I am excited to have another opportunity from Random House/Waterbrook to do another blog review. This was a package deal where I was able to review 3 books. Two precious books for children & one "grown up" book.

The first book I read was the book Treasured by Leigh McLeroy. The part that I loved most about this book was looking at places in scripture where an object represents something symbolic. McLeroy helped bring this into a whole new light that I had no considered before. She is quick to refer to scripture directly rather than her personal opinion but this is balanced well with some of her own testimony.

Cigar boxes. Refrigerator doors. Scrapbooks and sock drawers and top shelves. These are the places we store our treasures–the keepsakes that tell the story of whom and what we’ve loved, how we’ve lived, and what matters most to us.
God is a collector, too, whose treasures are tucked securely into the pages of his book: a golden bell here, an olive leaf there, a scarlet thread, a blood-stained cloth, a few grains of barley. Each of these saved artifacts reveals a facet of his heart and tells the story of a Father whose most precious possession is…us.
In Treasured, Leigh McLeroy considers tangible reminders of God’s active presence and guides us in discovering evidence in our own lives of his attentive love.

The next two books were written by Lisa Tawn Bergren. Although we have a bazillon children books, we don't have any by this author. I fell in those with these sweet books. Jot the names down because this is a GREAT Christmas idea for children you will be buying for! The first is God Gave Us Love. This is a great book about loving one another, a good reminder for children & adults! The story is very cute as it follows a little cub & his Grandfather as they go fishing. My 4 year old's attention was immediately held & it gave us an opportunity to talk about how we are supposed to love everyone around us & how God loves each of us.

As Little Cub and Grampa Bear’s fishing adventure is interrupted by mischievous otters, the young polar bear begins to question why we must love others… even the seemingly unlovable.
In answering her questions, Grampa Bear gives tender explanations that teach Little Cub about the different kinds of love that is shared between families, friends, and mamas and papas. Grampa explains that all these kinds of love come from God and that it is important to love others because…
“Any time we show love, Little Cub, we’re sharing a bit of his love.”
This sweet tale will warm the hearts of young children as they learn about all the different sorts of love, while the gentle explanations of each provide a valuable opportunity to encourage children to share with others a “God-sized love.”

The next book came at the perfect timing as we prepare for Christmas, God Gave Us Christmas. It was a great tool to use as we are trying so hard to keep our focus on the real reason for celebrating this season as we develop our own little family traditions. Again, the story was one that both of my boys enjoyed listening to. We were able to talk after we read it about how we will focus on Jesus' birthday this season. This would be a perfect gift for any children in your life even before Christmas to help them remember what the celebration is all about!

As Little Cub and her family prepare to celebrate the most special day of the year, the curious young polar bear begins to wonder… “Who invented Christmas?” Mama’s answer only leads to more questions like “Is God more important than Santa?” So she and Little Cub head off on a polar expedition to find God and to see how he gave them Christmas. Along the way, they find signs that God is at work all around them. Through Mama’s gentle guidance, Little Cub learns about the very first Christmas and discovers that… Jesus is the best present of all.
This enchanting tale provides the perfect opportunity to help young children celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and to discover how very much God loves them.

These books were provided for review by the Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Here's where you can find the books:

ttp://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400071753

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400074471

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400074815

Happy Reading!