"I'm Going to Give You a Bear Hug!" book review

If you are looking for another book to add to your children's library, the book "I'm Going to Give You a Bear Hug!" (written by Caroline B. Cooney and illustrated by Tim Warnes) would be a perfect fit. The pictures tell a story of the nightly going-to-bed ritual, while the text is cute rhymes of all the different animal hugs one can give.

I loved the cadence, and the ease of reading this book. The rhymes felt natural, and this book was just fun to read to my 2 year old. The illustrations are beautifully done, and I look forward to reading this book for years to come.

This is a simple book full of expressions of the love we feel for our little ones, and provides opportunities to talk about different animals or about your own rituals for going-to-bed at home. It would be fun to have your child act out the different kinds of hugs too :). All in all, I give this book 5 stars...it's just a great book!

Disclosure: I received this book for the purposes of this review from FlyBy. All opnions expressed are my own.

Just so you know, you can learn more at the official website, or on Facebook or Twitter. You can also purchase this book on Amazon.
 

"The Angel of Forest Hill" review

The story line in Cindy Woodsmall's Christmas romance book was so unique and intriguing that I couldn't put this book down. I finished it within two days and loved every bit of it. While this book is fiction, I felt as though I was getting a glimpse into the less-perfect aspects of Old-Order Amish life. In this book, a bereaved Amish widower asks a complete stranger to marry him so that she could live in his home and help care for his three young children. Over time their relationship evolves from that of a "business" proposition to friendship and beyond. 

Even though Amish fiction is my favorite genre right now, the one complaint I have about it is that it's hard to keep track of names, places, etc because many Amish names are the same or very similar. I tend to get story lines mixed up and it takes me a while to get fully into an Amish fiction book because I'm just trying to keep up and keep track of what's happening. "The Angel of Forest Hill" was not the case!


"The Angel of Forest Hill" is a well-written, clean story of love, healing and family. Anyone who has read Cindy Woodsmall before will love this new book, and it is perfect for the Christmas season.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

To learn more about this book, visit Waterbrook.

"Where Jesus Slept" review & giveaway (ends 11/21/16)

I know, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I wanted to share this cute book with you so whoever wins the giveaway can get their book in time for their little ones to enjoy during the Christmas season. "Where Jesus Slept" by Norma Lewis, and illustrated by Katy Hudson is a fun little book with a cadence that reminds me of the book "This is the House that Jack Built" where each page builds on the previous one.

"The Book of Heroes", "The Book of Heroines" review & giveaway (ends 11/9/16)

My 9 year old is an avid book reader. He will often finish books from the library within a day or two and seems to just consume them. When "The Book of Heroes" and "The Book of Heroines" showed up at our door, I knew he would love them! I showed them to him when he got home from school and I don't think he set those books down for the rest of the day.

He took them to his brother's soccer game that night, and to school the next morning. Suddenly I was hearing random facts about amazing people while he read through the books. Basically, they were a hit here! I got to explain to my son what a heroine is, and it gave him the opportunity to realize that heroes and heroines can be anyone, from a kid, to a dog, to a woman or man. These aren't people with super powers, just people who did amazing things.

Fraying at the Edge Book Review

In case you can't tell, Amish books are one of my favorite genres. I love that they are clean, uplifting and I feel like I learn a lot about a culture that is otherwise foreign to me. Of all of the "Amish fiction" authors, I think Cindy Woodsmall is my favorite, and she did not disappoint with her new book "Fraying at the Edge".

"Baby, Baby!" Review & Giveaway! (Ends 9/29/16)

Disclosure: 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.

My 2 year old LOVES books! She can sit and look at books for ages every day, so I was excited for the chance to get a new book for her to read and add to our collection. As soon as Baby, Baby! arrived, she insisted on reading it.

We read it again today repeatedly, and though she's not a baby anymore, she is certainly fascinated by them. She loved pointing out all the objects in the book and had fun with the mirror at the end. I like that the end of the book is a reminder of God's love for everyone, especially our children.

"Would a Worm Go On a Walk?" review & giveaway (ends 7/5/16)

Disclosure: I received this book in exchange for my review. All opinions expressed are my own.

My kids love books! We frequent the public library, and our bookshelves are stocked with a variety of books that all of my kids love. When I had the chance to review "Would a Worm Go on a Walk?" by Hannah C. Hall, I knew my kids would enjoy this book too.

Room for Hope book review

I'm at the stage of life where I don't feel like I have the time to sit down and read...during the day, my toddler insists that I would much rather read board books, and by the time she's in bed, I'm too exhausted to want to read. However, once I started reading Room for Hope by Kim Vogel Sawyer, I really enjoyed it! (I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.)

Sawyer's writing style is relaxed, and doesn't have an overly complex plot. When I sit down to read, I want to relax and not have to process what I'm reading too much. Maybe it sounds silly, but I just don't want to think too hard. Anyhow, I loved the main character Neva and learned a lot from her in ways I can improve my own life in order to become a better person. This is a Christian fictional book and refers to Christianity with regularity, but is relates easily to many Christian sects.

All-in-all, I fell more in love with the characters as I got further into the book and was even thrown for a loop at one of the plot twists. I love that there were no swear words or risque scenes in this book and recommend it to anyone who loves religious fiction books. It is a beautiful story about finding love and hope despite the challenges life throws at you.

Ties That Bind book review

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book for the purposes of this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love reading Amish fiction! I love the escape from my regular life into the world of the Amish, and I love to read more about their culture. The book Ties That Bind was no exception. I truly enjoyed reading about the Brenneman family, and appreciated that this book looked at the story from the many different perspectives of various family members.

I felt that this book was a little different from a lot of Amish fiction because the author, Cindy Woodsmall, wrote about some of the failings of the Amish culture, and how members of their communities deal with those problems. It made me reflect as the reader how my family/community relate, and the issues we might have. I also felt that I could relate to the main character Ariana in her struggle to stay true to her Amish upbringing, but to try to bridge her world with the Englisch.

I do hate it when a book leaves the reader hanging, and this book did that to me! I was so mad at the end because everything was so unresolved. I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out so I can find out what happens to the characters.

All in all, I loved this book. It was well written and kept me engaged from the beginning. I can't wait to read the rest of the story!