Welcome to Part Two of this 2022 Christmas list of some good suggestions of (mostly recent) children’s Biblically-themed titles, a few children’s Bible storybooks, or other books that are explicitly about Christian formation for our little ones. Like yesterday’s more general list, we can say this just scratches the surface of the many books in this category that we stock here in Dallastown. Over our forty years in business we’ve accumulated a lot and new things keep coming. There’s just so much that is worthy, lasting, entertaining and edifying.

Please scroll to the very bottom where we have a link to our secure order form page. All books mentioned here at BookNotes are 20% off and we can send them out promptly. Enjoy the browse.

And, don’t forget — we’ve got the 12 Days of Christmas, too, so you need some gifts for that, right? Of course you do.

The Apostles Creed For All God’s Children Ben Myers, art by Natasha Kennedy (Lexham Press) $17.99                 OUR SALE PRICE = $14.39

Funny how sometimes mainline denominational publishers shy away from overtly theological stuff for kids and the more evangelically-oriented publishers think their customers don’t care about creedal teaching. But yet, this creed is among the oldest formulations of the faith we’ve got and if you understand that the expressive individualism of our culture causes us to erode ancient truths as we make it up as we go, you’ll know why you should immediately buy this book for any kids you know. It’s fun, clever, artfully designed, accessible and a guide to helping kids visualize, memorize, understand, and confess the Apostle’s Creed. Which, as it says on the back, “has united all Christians for centuries.” At least on paper, I’d say.

This is based on the tremendous little hardback for adults by Ben Myers, a theologian and author from Brisbane, Australia.  Readers are guided through this kid’s version by FatCat, the friendly feline, who, we are told, might show up in further FatCat adventures in other similar books.

As the publisher puts it,

Young readers and families will read a line from the creed along with a simple reflection to tuck into their hearts. With a list of Scriptures for further learning and a family prayer, this FatCat book is perfect to read again and again.

The Celebration Place Dorena Williamson, illustrated by Erin Bennett Banks (IVP Kids) $18.00                OUR SALE PRICE = $14.40

Wow, what a great story, a great gift to any family that goes to church or for those for whom church is a bit of a mystery. There are tons of Christian children’s books about God, Jesus, the Bible and living with virtue in the world. There are, oddly, not so many about the local congregation. We have a few about worship, a few for kids in liturgical churches, a couple about baptism. But we need more books like this, that are situated in a house of worship, and there are several spectacular things about this, at least.

The Celebration Place is about the local church. (“Here in God’s house, we all join together. In good times and bad, we need each other.”) Short and sweet, a nice message for kids about church. It also shows (as it says in big letters on the back cover) “No longer is church a divided space — now it’s a Celebration Place.” Yep, this shows that racial reconciliation is key to a healthy local church and that that, then, leads to celebration.  A book about church, about ethnic diversity, and about a life together marked by celebration: now that is a book we’ve been waiting for!

It is true that I do not know of any church like this, where “A young man raps, nodding to the beat. Even old folks stomp their feet” and where “indigenous dance with feathers that fly — arms stretched out to the Creator on high.” But it is beautiful to imagine, eh? I’m glad to read that the black preacher’s voice “booms” but that, “the baby’s coo isn’t too much noise.” (Perhaps the most controversial line in the book — ha!) We are glad it envisions a place where “rolling with wheelchairs or running in, all lift up a hearty ‘Amen!’”

I don’t know of any book, either, that starts telling the story of civil rights activism in the US, shows a colorful spread or two of Martin Luther King, and then shifts to a local church living out the dream of diversity in unity. And ends up reminding us of heaven’s diverse worship showing the multi-ethnic beauty of that future reality. Three big cheers for the great, colorful art of The Celebration Place and offering a one-of-a-kind book about racial and ethnic diversity situated in a local church.  Ages 3 – 7. If you don’t have little ones, why not buy one and donate it to your church library. It’s important.

A World of Praise Deborah Loick, illustrated by Helen Cann (Eerdmans) $17.99                    OUR SALE PRICE = $14.39

This is one of the most lovely books of 2022 and we can’t say enough about its gentle, glorious prose and extraordinary, aesthetically-pleasing illustrations. The author and illustrator have worked on various projects with some of the world’s leading publishers of children’s work (including DK, Lion Press, Chronicle, and Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.)

This starts with Psalms 24:1-2, as nearly every book could, and offers a beautiful “global hymn to God’s abundant love and care for His creation.” The text is not baby-ish and the illustrations are warm and rich, with hints of various lands and cultures. Some further Bible texts at the end remind us of God’s goodness and care.

This is, without a doubt, one of the nicest books this year.

Little Prayers for Ordinary Days Katy Bowser Hutson, Flo Paris Oakes, and Tish Harrison Warren (IVP Kids) $15.00                  OUR SALE PRICE = $12.00

We raved about this when it first came out. The great educator Katy Bowser and the popular author, Tish Warren, joining with their friend Flo Paris Oakes seem to be the prefect women to do this little book. We love it.  Here is some of what we said last Spring.

Even though there are plenty of little prayer books for children, there is nothing quite like this. Perhaps inspired somewhat by Tish Warren’s own Liturgy of the Ordinary or the author’s familiarity with Rabbit Room’s Every Moment Holy, this small book for kids is simple, the prayers short, nothing fancy, but sure and sound and God-glorifying. There truly are prayers for throughout the day, evoking God’s presence into the seemingly secular and mundane. Beth and I respect these women immensely and we remain very eager to recommend it. Perfect as a little stocking stuffer. Hooray!

You Are With Me: Prayers for Every Part of the Day (board book) Birgit Antoni (Spark House) $7.99        OUR SALE PRICE = $6.39

A delightful, small board book that names a certain situation and what a child might do about it, with a very simple prayer. Each episode is coupled with a short line from a Biblical Psalm. 

It starts with a child waking up and moves through their day, ending as they lie down at night. Sweet and vital.

 

The Story of Us Mitali Perkins, illustrated by Kevin & Kristen Howdeshell (Beaming Books) $18.99  OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19

Just when we thought we don’t need yet another creation story in our already overstuffed shelf of retellings of Genesis 1 and 2 (and sometimes 3) along comes a stunning portrayal given fresh voice by one of the fabulous and rightfully well-award children’s authors of recent years. It is so, so good. I highly recommend it.

You may recall us celebrating Mitali Perkins books for older readers, some of which have been best-sellers. Her first picture book came out in 2019 and was a great story about the power of love (to overcome the border wall) called Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border. We loved her fabulously creative picture book inviting readers into the world of Holy Week. (That was called Bare Tree and Little Wind and was so uniquely done!) Or, perhaps you will recall how we tried to encourage everyone to read her great book for adults called Steeped in Stories: Timeless Children’s Novels to Refresh Our Tired Souls, which, by the way, would make a lovely little gift for a teacher you may know, or anyone who appreciates classic kid’s literature. My goodness, Perkins even has a chapter in the remarkable collection put together by Square Halo Books, Wild Things and Castles in the Sky: A Guide to Choosing the Best Books for Children.

She obviously is quite gifted and she knows what she’s doing. She has lived all over the world and has a true multi-cultural imagination. In The Story of Us she teams up with the highly-regarded Howdeshells who have done everything from books for children to album covers to movie posters. Wow.

This is, we must say, one of the most epic tales a writer can tell and some such attempts are too quaint, too sweet, too self-evident. This, though, brings nuance and glory and power as it poetically tells of the very good world God made and what went wrong. In a way, the story is told from the view of air, water, earth, and fire, and how Adam and Eve were “for them.” With lines like “Breath-takers, tag the breeze” and “Thirst quenchers, dance with rain” we are given allusive insights into the cooperation between humans and other creatures. It doesn’t feel like a facile retelling of the Bible, but an epic in its own right, but yet obviously based on our Scripture’s holy tale.

The humans cry out “No creator!” (It is said twice, maybe once a philosophical claim that there is no creator or, perhaps, a “no” to the rule and grace of the creator.) I almost cried reading this terse description of the rebellion and, turning the page, realizing the cosmic implications.

Yet, the redeemer comes, and the air and water and soil and fire are brought in, again, in redemptive and glorious way. I won’t spoil the whole story but the restoration of creation and the power of the redeemer’s work is fully evident. They never come near the theological phrase “creation/fall/redemption/restoration” but in allusive and nuanced wording that only such an expert wordsmith can creates (and with remarkably artful pictures done by this contemporary design team) The Story of Us is itself a work of art and they invite us to imagine this big vision of all of life redeemed. What a great epic story that explains “the story of us.” The Story of Us. Highly recommended.

The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party: A True Story About Heaven, Jesus, and the Best Invitation of All Joni Eareckson Tada, illustrated by Catalina Echeverri (The Good Book Company) $14.99  OUR SALE PRICE = $11.99

This books in this ongoing series of “Tales That Tell the Truth” are, I’d say, among the very best Bible-based children’s books of the last decade. Kudos to the good folks that have tried so hard to be both whimsical and faithful, using great wisdom and profound Biblical insight to see how texts hold together, how one story can point to another, and how the whole unfolding Biblical drama moves to the climax of Jesus’s life, death, resurrection, and restoring rule, which is, always, very good news. Over and over, whether retelling an Old Testament story or a New Testament one, the authors partner with the ever creative Catalina Echeverri to bring home the true truth.

In this case, the story is not exactly a specific text but it is about Jesus offering an invitation, an invitation to heaven. Happily, Joni goes out of her way to remind children that this isn’t some invisible place where we sit on clouds all day. It is a renewed and restored new creation where we will be healed and whole — realize how powerfully good news this is for the author, a quadriplegic person since her teen years — and where we can play (and more!) forever. The feast/banquet/party is “awesome, super fantastic” and this book is, too. It helps kids get excited about the broader horizons of their young lives and will help them not fear the death of older relatives.

Most importantly it offers a chance to make responses to Jesus’s great invitation. This isn’t cheesy or pushy and so may now be one of my favorite evangelistic tools for kids. Use this book! And then get one of the others in the series from us. (See the whole list of them here, but do come back, please.)

The Creator in You Jordan Raynor, illustrated by Jonathan David (Waterbrook) $11.99  OUR SALE PRICE = $9.59

I have been waiting for years for a book like this, a simple enough idea, but one untouched in religious children’s picture books (as far as I know.) It is going to help thousands of little ones get a picture of their life that includes a sense of calling, of purpose, a vision of vocation. It makes clear that we are made in God’s image and therefore we are — get this if you haven’t heard it! — also creators, in that sense, like God. In the earliest days of the seminal Christian story, God works, makes stuff, creates, speaks (and then rests, too.) We, in God’s image, are wired to do likewise. We are not all painters or artists, really, but we are all culture-makers. The Creator made us in the Creator’s image. It’s what we do.

As the back cover playfully puts it, “Before His day off, God had one more to-do: on His sixth day of creating, God chose to make you.”

And here’s the important part, rarely said in typical Genesis Bible books.

Because while in six days God created a lot, there are so many things He simply did not — like bridges and baseballs, sandcastles and s’mores. God asked us to create and fill the planet with more.

The cover art is nice but doesn’t capture the wildly rich illustrations inside. This book is a blast for boys or girls. No matter what dreams or proclivities your child has — art, science, storytelling, building, caring, managing — he or she can find assurance that this is God’s call to them, to get busy, to realize God wants them to carry on, making stuff of the world they’ve got. If you’ve read Culture Making by Andy Crouch (or even Garden City by John Mark Comer) you’ll get this. Yay. I’d say this is for ages 4 – 8.

Just a quick note: you also may want to check out The Inventions of God (and Eva) by Dave Connie, illustrated by Amy Domingo (Waterbrook; $12.99 – OUR SALE PRICE = $10.39) which is another similar book, for maybe younger children, featuring Eva, a girl who is an inventor of sorts. It celebrates God’s call to innovation. Hooray.The art is dynamic (even if I’m not a real fan) and vividly colorful with a really solid message. I’d say ages 3 – 6 or 7. Fun and perfect for some young girls you know, I’m sure.

I Am God’s Dream Matthew Paul Turner, illustrated by Estreall Buscunan (Convergent) $12.99                     OUR SALE PRICE = $10.39

You may know other little kids books by Matthew Paul Turner such as When God Made You and When God Made the World or the very nice When I Pray for You. (A Lutheran pastor friend read his copy in worship this past week!) Matthew Turner is an edgy young activist/theologian (he has written with the late Rachel Held Evans.) His children’s work is really appreciated by his many fans, young and old. We are among them.

This newest one is a beautiful celebration of the “unique, strong, and wonderful traits in every child — and how God delights in each and every one.” It has that very modern look — the kids with such big eyes — that I guess is drawn from certain popular cartoon shows of movie graphics. It’s all that.

As you might guess from such a rather progressive thinker and artist, they go out of their way to show all kinds of kids — kids in wheelchairs, kids of different races and ethnicities, kids who are happily urban and kids planting a garden in what seems to be the countryside. In any case, it’s a rollicking blast, lots of fun, with the sort of goofy illustrations that are so popular these days. This is a great self-esteem booster, helping children know they are special and loved. Ages 3 – 6 or maybe 7.

Known: Psalm 139 (board book) Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jago (Zonderkidz) $10.99                            OUR SALE PRICE = $8.79

When we had the great privilege of being with Sally Lloyd-Jones this past fall she told me this was coming and we are so glad it arrived. It is a slightly oversized, handsomely padded, board book, which can now be put alongside her other similar best-sellers, Found, Loved, and Near.

You surely know the author from her wonderful Jesus Storybook Bible (and its wonderful sequel, Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing), all illustrated so very creatively by the ultra-modern designer, Jago. We love them.

These board books are not as abstract or wild, making them ideal for the very young. Inspired by the basic truth of Psalm 139. Nice.

I Wonder: Exploring God’s Grand Story: An Illustrated Bible Glenys Nellist, illustrated by Alessandra Fuse (Zonderkidz) $18.99            OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19

I loved how this tender book has as chapter headings “I wonder about…” It’s a healthy way to invite children into these extraordinary ancient, inspired stories.

Glenys Nellist is the author of the very creative Love Letters from God books (that have tipped in envelopes that open up with little letters inside.) She’s creative and theologically aware. This book, full of engaging storytelling, is ideal for ages 4 – 8, at least, and ties in a faith-building journey by retelling more than 30 stories from the Old and Newer Testaments. Great illustrations.

Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible Elizabeth F. Caldwell and Carol Wehrheim, editors (WJK) $25.00  OUR SALE PRICE = $20.00

We have a very large selection of children’s Bible story books and there are some with various strengths, angles, tones. All things considered, we have often said this is one of our very favorite Bible storybooks for ages 4 – 8, or maybe slightly older, I’d think, even if the cover may imply that it’s for preschoolers. It features 150 Old and New Testament stores divided into 13 themes that relate to the lives of children. It is really beautifully illustrated, colorful and winsome at times, but nicely, professionally done. There is some diversity and I’m sure it appeals to various ages and stages (and families of all sorts.)

A special feature is how it has questions to ponder (inviting readers to really hear, see, and then act.) The editors are themselves nearly legendary educators in mainline denominational circles who have served the church well for many years. This is one example of their lasting legacy. Cheers!

Listening for God: Silence Practice for Little Ones Katie Warner, illustrated by Amy Rodriguez (TAN Books) $16.95  OUR SALE PRICE = $13.56

I hardly know any other book like this and this conservative Catholic publisher did a great job with fabulous illustrations, a nice retelling of a popular but curious Bible story, showing the final upshot that we need to be still to listen for God.

The story is of Elijah in 1 Kings who puts up with all kinds of racket and storm, only to find God speaking in the classic “still, small voice.” Do children know this story? Do they have the capacity to listen for God? Oh, of course. There is so much explored in this small book and so much taught in it that I’d recommend nearly every Sunday school teacher to have it. The one page note to adults at the back reminding them about this sacred silence practice is very useful, too.

Jesus Loves Everybody Katie Kenny Phillips, illustrated by Mike van der Merwe (iDisciple) $14.99                OUR SALE PRICE = $11.99

Colorful, cartoony fun, this is a great overview of Jesus’s life and His acts of service, his love for others and his big command — that we “love each other as I have loved you.” You may not know it, but, believe me, it’s fabulous.

“Imagine what our world would look like if we loved everyone just like Jesus” it asks on the back. Not a bad question.

Jesus Loves Everybody says (also from the back) that the Bible is filled with all sorts of people,

From stinky fishermen to little children to people who looked the same and people who didn’t? There were people who made good choices and bad ones, were happy or sad, and everything in between. And Jesus was sent to love them all!

God’s Beloved Community Michele Sanchez, illustrated by Camila Carrossine (Waterbrook) $12.99            OUR SALE PRICE = $10.39

This new book for ages 4 – 8 or so is part of a bigger project by Michele Sanchez who has recently released the adult book Color-Courageous Discipleship, and a youth/teen version of the same. (We’ve got those, too, natch.)This offers radically Biblical insight that is framed in terms of faithful discipleship and spiritual formation. It is solid, clear-headed and helpful.

This new kid’s edition starts with a child saying how she learned in school that Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream said we should judge people not by the color of their skin and how some people think that means we are to try to be color blind. Her teacher taught that, actually, Dr. King was a Christian pastor and knew that we shouldn’t be color-blind but “color brave.” Right!

God created a world filled with “vibrant variety” and called it good! With a Biblical and historical journey to learn more about what King meant by a “beloved community” and how to achieve it by loving other’s well, Sanchez’s little book is a terrific resource for any parent wanting to help our children learn about gospel centered love. We can delight in our differences, stand up to bullies and unfair rules, and “declare with our lives and our love that everyone matters to God.”

The Sower Scott James, illustrated by Stephen Crotts (Crossway) $16.99      OUR SALE PRICE = $13.59

I was immediately captivated by this visually stunning — if a tiny bit understated, in a wise, good way — book full of prints that look like demurely colorized woodcuts. I’ve seen other books like this but this is surely a favorite, artful and rich, the writing as lyrical as the images. As YA author S.D. Smith (of the “Green Ember” series) put it, its blend of truth and beauty is “nourishing.” Yes!

It is a story that is designed to plant the seed of faith in children. Trillia Newbell said it will help readers “imagine the Lord as he truly is — the one who creates, tends, prunes, and cares.”

The Sower really is a tale told about a loving creator, a Sower. In a way it recalls (in a simple manner) the old classic The Singer. It is imaginative, telling the story of redemption, from (as it says on the handsome inside cover), “from God’s creation and restoration to the promise of final reconciliation.” It is about a God who tends to His people and His creation. Special kudos to Stephen Crotts for this amazing bit of printmaking, the muted colorization of what is nearly black and white. There’s a nice foreword by Andrew Peterson, too. I don’t know which I appreciate more, the lush prints or the lyrical text. Both!

Joesy Johnson’s Hair and the Holy Spirit Esau McCaulley, illustrated by LaTonya Jackson (IVP Kids) $18.00  OUR SALE PRICE = $14.40

We love this so much we have to tell about it again, even they we promoted it when it first came out. Here is how we described this fabulous book then.

Oh my, many have been waiting for this one since it was announced a while back. The fabulous and respected IVP publishing house has launched out into kids books and this is not only fairly unique, but is written by one of their very important authors, the esteemed Biblical scholar Esau McCaulley (of Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope.) McCaulley, you may know, got his PhD in Biblical studies under N.T. Wright (I’ve heard him talk a bit about being a black guy from a deep South, black church studying with Anglicans in Scotland of all places!) Dr. McCaulley writes op-eds for The New York Times and one notable piece was about his experience of his wife being away on military service and him being for a season functionally a single dad. I have a hunch he knows a lot about the hair of his beautiful black daughter.

This book is about Josey Johnson’s hair and about the upcoming celebration of Pentecost. In the story — energetically illustrated in a way that is just full of motion, it seems — Josey has to get her hair done and buy a new red dress as they get ready for the church commemoration. Besides the beauty shop, they visit an art museum, too. Of course there is the question, “What is Pentecost?” And, I might add, “What difference does it make?” Might it have something to do with the claim on the back cover that says:

We’re all different because God is creative. Each one of us is God’s unique work of art.

You’ll have to get this one to put it all together, but it is an exciting story, a tender story, an educational one for most of us (who may not know that much about Pentecost, actually.) So, yep,  this is a vivid story about a celebration of a girl’s hair and a key moment in the liturgical calendar. If that isn’t interesting to you, I don’t know what is!

A Taste of Paradise: Stories of Saints and Animals Katherine Bolger Hyde, illustrated by Anastasia Sokolova (Ancient Faith) $23.95            OUR SALE PRICE = $19.16

Although they are often pricey, I adore the children’s books from the Orthodox publishing house, Ancient Faith. They are often very, very well-done, nicely made, serious with a side of holy whimsy.

In this case the book highlights stories, legends and fables of great saints who had remarkable encounters with animals. This is interesting in itself, but in good Orthodox fashion, they frame it by harkening back to how the creation was first ordered and how it will be, again, someday. They say it like this:

Long ago in Paradise animals and men walked side by side. When we return to Paradise, the wolf will lie down with the lamb, and a little child shall eat them. In the time in between, many holy men and women have befriended even the fiercest beasts throughout the power of God’s love.

Come meet a few of these saints and their animal friends in this beautifully illustrated collection of inspiring stories. That cover is really great, isn’t it?! Congratulations, or, may I say, “συγχαρητήρια.”

His Grace Is Enough: How God Makes It Right When We’ve Got it Wrong Melissa Kruger, illustrated by Isobel Lundie (The Good Book Company) $12.99  OUR SALE PRICE = $10.39

Called “adorable” by one mom, “relatable and delightful” and “Good news from cover to cover,” His Grace Is Enough really does explain the core gospel truths of God’s forgiveness offered, sin redeemed, grace being sufficient. This book explains heavy Biblical truth that is so liberating — coming to grips with this core part of who we know we are and trusting God to help us confess, receive forgiveness and move on. And how God loves us no matter what and has made a way.

We all get things wrong sometimes, it says. “And we can’t make everything right again, however hard we try.  But Jesus can.”

This playful book looks at several kinds of kids and different responses — all in clever rhyme. For instance, there are those who run away from what they’ve done, some who get mad and act out, some who try to make up for things by working extra hard; you know, the perfectionist types. No need for any of this. His Grace Is Enough. Nice.

When Did God Make the Dinosaurs? An Exploration of Science and Creation Rhonda N. Smith (Westbow Press) $16.95                              OUR SALE PRICE = $13.56

A kindergartner boy named Brandon comes home from school confused in this lovely little book, the best thing we’ve seen yet offering a non-creationist affirmation of standard scientific facts in light of a robust, deeply Christian view of faith, creation, the Bible and science.

The illustrations are standard fare kid’s book drawings and the art and story moves from Brandon’s question — he heard about the earth being made over billions of years but he also knows that his Sunday school teacher told him that it took Got just seven days — to entering a pretend time machine and exploring all kinds of good stuff. Fun!  I like that the story is, in a way, a low-key adventure as the family happily grapples with the honest questions of the children. It “explores some of the interplay between our scientific understanding of the universe’s beginning and the Biblical account of creation” as it says on the back.

The author is a friend of ours from Pittsburgh, a mother of three, who — as the story so often goes — couldn’t find appropriate resources on this very topic when her kids were little. She is theologically solid and well informed. In her bio page she mentions the Reasons to Believe Institute. You should try it; it will create great conversations, for sure.

Gemma Hunt’s See! Let’s Be A Good Friend Gemma Hunt (Lion Press) $12.99                               OUR SALE PRICE = $10.39

I love ordering books sometimes from UK publishers who often have a certain style and class about them. This is charming, thoughtful, not dumbed down, if still super cute and very child-oriented. It’s a funny blend of stories and, sometimes, Bible stories retold subtly in modern language. It will allow you to explore with young children what makes a good friend, for instance, and then in the See! Section learn fun and lively stories that show how to live out these virtues from the Bible. It’s upbeat, tender, enjoyable, with great illustrations. Gemma Hunt is a media figure in England, and I can see what.

A delight to read. Gemma Hunt brings the Bible stories to life in a new way, engaging young minds. — Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby

The Holy Ghost: A Spirited Comic John Hendrix (AbramsComicArts) $18.99                  OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19

We are sometimes asked for lists of graphic novels and comic-arts books. This new one is now on that list, joining what may be our biggest seller of this sort, John Hendrix’s previous The Faithful Spy: A True Story! Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler. He has some beautifully done Bible story books, too, but this new one is, well, really something. In cartoons.

The Holy Ghost (with that clever subtitle, “a Spirited comic”) is pretty much an “apologetics” work with various thought-provoking comic strips (featuring conversations between a squirrel, a badger, and a friendly blue ghost.) It’s upbeat and charming and witty. I’ll admit it is a bit odd. It is for older kids. Hendrix is a genius, there’s no doubting that…

Finding Jesus on Upside Down Days: Family Devotions From the Barnyard Jill A. Miller, illustrated by Brad Woodard (New Growth Press) $18.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19

This is a great, great collection of 52 family devotions all based on stories from the farmyard. Jill Miller (the wife of respected author Paul Miller) here gives families a weekly message to consider, complete with very cute animal cartoons and drawings. Some of these are, believe me, a bit topsy-turvy. Her friends (the animals) are used by God to teach us about God and how to have peace in trusting him. Lovely, fun, interesting, and simple, solid stuff.

I am glad that Jill has a particular passion to assist those with disabilities. She has a handicapped daughter, and another that died tragically. She’s had some pretty upside-down days herself so this would certainly be suitable for any families going through hardship or for those involved in special needs settings. This is fun and tender. It will point you to Jesus. What family doesn’t need that?

How Great Is Our God: 100 Indescribable Devotions About God and Science Louie Giglio with Tama Fortner, illustrated by Nicola Anderson (Tommy Nelson) $17.99                                     OUR SALE PRICE = $14.39

We have announced all three of the books in this series that are all colorful and sound devotionals that show God’s providence and care in the marvels of science. From the first one (Indescribable) to the more recent The Wonder of Creation, each offers Biblically-inspired, science-oriented mediations. There are nice indexes, too, showing which entries are about animals, say, or the Earth or bodies or outer space. With a great blend of colorful illustrations and photography and nice sidebars, it’s an eye-popping gem. What a blast. For kids maybe as young as 6 up to maybe 10 or 11.

The Story of God’s Love for You Sally Lloyd-Jones (Zondervan) $14.99                                    OUR SALE PRICE = $11.99

We announce this from time to time, reminding folks about it — what a great option to give to a young person as a lovely, handsome small (but life-changing) gift. Here’s the deal, in short:

You may know (I hope you do) the wonderful preschoolers Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible. Well written, charming, and theologically substantive (where “every chapter whispers His name”), it is a best-selling favorite — so much so that people often give it to older kids, even high-schoolers. Jago’s children’s art is super cool, but, still.

Soon enough, the publisher realized this so they took out the children’s pictures, changed the cover, renamed it, added some classy, discrete blue graphics on nice, thick paper, and added a handsome ribbon marker and — yep! —it is the same Lloyd-Jones children’s Bible text without the little kids look. What a great idea, making it a handsome intro to the Bible for middle grades and even older readers of all ages.

TO PLACE AN ORDER 

PLEASE READ AND THEN CLICK ON THE “ORDER HERE” LINK BELOW.

It is very helpful if you tell us how you prefer us to ship your orders.

The weight and destination of your package varies but you can use this as a quick, general guide:

There are generally two kinds of US Mail options, and, of course, UPS. If necessary, we can do overnight and other expedited methods, too. Just ask.

• United States Postal Service has the option called “Media Mail” which is cheapest but can be slow. For one typical book, usually, it’s about $3.69; 2 lbs would be $4.36.
• United States Postal Service has another option called “Priority Mail” which is $8.50, now, if it fits in a flat rate envelope. Many children’s books and some Bibles are oversized so that might take the next size up which is $9.20. “Priority Mail” gets much more attention than does “Media Mail” and is often just a few days to anywhere in the US.
• UPS Ground is reliable but varies by weight and distance and may take longer than USPS. We’re happy to figure out your options for you once we know what you want.

If you just want to say “cheapest” that is fine. If you are eager and don’t want the slowest method, do say so. It really helps us serve you well so let us know.

– DON’T FORGET TO LET US KNOW WHAT SHIPPING METHOD YOU PREFER –

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