Imagination Station - Books 8 & 9

The Imagination Station series is back! Battle for Cannibal Island by Marianne Hering, Wayne Thomas Batson and Escape to the Hiding Place by Marianne Hering and Marshal Younger both illustrated by David Hohn are books 8 and 9 of this 12 book series. These books are part of what I consider the second part of the series. Books 1-6 follow a continuation of a plot line working to return a lost ring to Mr. Whittaker. Books 8 & 9 while they continue the familiar framework of cousins Patrick and Beth going on adventures with the Imagination Station are written so each book can stand alone and could be read in any order. The authors continue to work through history picking pinnacle times and people for Patrick and Beth to travel to and encounter. In Battle for Cannibal Island the cousins travel back in time and meet the missionary James Calvert who ministered to cannibal tribes in Fiji in the 1850s. The cousins find themselves aboard one of the Queens ships just off an island inhabited by cannibals. This story has a strong message of missions and gladly following God's will for your life. In Escape to the Hiding Place Patrick and Becky find themselves in Holland during World War II. The cousins get to help out in a big way and learn that there are lots of ways to help God's kingdom. These are quality books for young readers. They are filled with adventure, danger and lots of learning moments. They show character, humility, bravery and many other redeeming qualities. I'm very happy to have fun and positive books to share with my two emerging readers. I received copies of these books from Tyndale publishing for the purpose of this review.

Adventures in Odyssey Devotional

Adventures in Odyssey: 90 Devotions for Kids is a wonderful new devotional for kids. The familiar characters from the Adventures in Odyssey series fill this book sharing story examples that reinforce the devotional topic. There are 13 themes each with 6-7 devotions per theme. The devotions are short, about two pages which is a perfect length for this age, but they are packed with information and Biblical truths. There's a daily challenge with each lesson and a memory versus. I'm planning on using this for our next family devotional. The themes covered include Salvation, Learning about Jesus, Discipleship, Prayer, The Bible, Exercising Faith, Forgiveness, Giving, Witnessing, Worship, Going to Church, Serving Others and Overcoming Sin. It's a great line-up that I can't wait to share with my kids. I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review.

For your young naturalists!

Jim Arnosky an author of many wonderful nature books has an absolute gem of a series with his lovable character, Crinkleroot. These books are sure to awaken the naturalist in all readers both young and old alike. Join the jolly nature lover Crinkleroot as he shares all about the great outdoors. There are all kinds of guides like knowing trees or birds or a guide to tracking. There's even a nature almanac in this series which all books offer an engaging overview of nature. The detailed illustrations are charming and my two enjoy looking for Crinkleroot’s pet snake sassafras on each page. My two have learned so much from this series and even more they have retained so much of that information. Sadly, several of these books are out of print but hopefully your library has a good selection available to choose from as ours does. Join Crinkleroot on one of his walks through nature and let him show you all the treasures there are to be found. Some of the titles in this series include: I was Born in a Tree and Raised by Bees, Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Trees, Crinkleroot's Nature Almanac, Crinkleroot's Guide to Walking in Wild Places, Crinkleroot's Guide to Giving Back to Nature, Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Birds, Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing Animal Habitats, Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing Butterflies and Moths, Crinkleroot's Guide to Animal Tracking, Crinkleroot's 25 Birds Every Child Should Know, Crinkleroot's 25 Mammals Every Child Should Know, and several more.

Hope For Parents of Troubled Teens by Connie Rae. This is an informative read for anyone with kid's teen years and younger. It is very comprehensive about different struggles that you and your teen might go through and how to handle them. It also is a great proactive resource helping you build a relationship with your children and prepare you for what teens may go through as they grow. I know I will reference this book in throughout the years as it is packed with useful advice and ideas. It's centered on Christian teachings and truths. There are scripture references and prayers as well as lots of ideas on actions you can do to help take a look at the bigger picture during these sometimes-trying adolescent years. It's well written, very conversational. The author, Connie Rae is counselor, mom and also a parent that went through a tough time with her own son as a teenager. She openly shares and draws from her own personal experience. This book is a great resource and help. I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of this review.

K5 Learning

We've just completed our free blogger trial with K5 Learning and I'm excited to share about this great site. I let both my children, preschool and early elementary ages, try out this site. Both were engaged with the activities and both would ask if they could play on the site without my prompting. I think that speaks volumes when the kids actually enjoy doing educational games and activities. For those not familiar with K5 Learning it's an online site that offers reading, spelling and math skill building for levels K-5 though I must say my preschooler also found lots to do while on the site. I can see so many applications that this site could help with like; for kids that might be struggling in these areas, for keeping learning activities going throughout the summer months, for a fun but educational outlet for kids to enjoy some computer time after school and as a supplemental to a homeschool curriculum. They also offer an assessment which both of my kids took. It was great to see where they are excelling, on target or where they need a little more help in an area. You can sign up for a free trial to see if it's right for your family and there is also lots of information and resources for parents on their blog.

I Couldn't Love You More & a Giveaway!

I Couldn't Love You More by Jason Ingram and Matt Hammitt with illustrations by Polona Lovsin is a simple read to share with your little ones. There's very little text on each page but there's a powerful message in those words. This story shares two amazing truths of how God is always with us and while we parents couldn't love our children more Jesus loves them even more. It's a wonderful reassuring read, a perfect way to wind down the day with these promises from God. The illustrations are of sweet animals playing or cuddling with their parents. They are vibrant and fun. Matt Hammitt is the lead singer of the band Sanctus Real and wrote these words originally as part of song with the same title that can be found on the album, Every Falling Tear. Here's a link to a video of Bowen and his children sharing about the inspiration behind this book.


I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Publishing for the purpose of this review.

For Busy Moms

Paul C. Reisser, M.D. has put together three guide books for busy moms. They are Busy Mom's Guide to Parenting Young Children, Busy Mom's Guide to Parenting Teens and Busy Mom's Guide to Family Nutrition. I'll start and focus primarily with the one I enjoyed the most which was the Guide to Parenting Teens. I think I enjoyed this one the most as we are not anywhere near the teen years so much of this was new information for me to consider as my own teen years seem far behind me. I thought the book did a great job covering a wide range of topics that will impact our teens at various levels. I am certainly glad I read through this book and feel that I am more equipped with information for those teenage years and the best part is I have all that information at my fingertips to reference again and again as needed. It covers the topics of potential teenage struggles from trying to assert their independence to teen sexuality, to drugs and alcohol to the ever-imposing technological world of internet and social media. It is a Christian world view to these issues which is what I am seeking. I appreciated the organization and breakdown of each section and new topic making it an easy to access quick reference guide. Key concepts/questions are highlighted throughout the text as it moves from one area to the next. The other two guides follow the same suit and are equally packed with useful information. They also have the same organizational breakdown making them quick easy reference guides as well.

The Guide to Family Nutrition was a little bit too nuts and bolts for me though. It looks at the science and nutritional side of foods and their makeups which was interesting and informative but not something I think I'll pick up again and again to reread. In chapter 4 it delves into the matter of controlling our weight and problems that may be faced with eating and diet. This chapter and chapter 6 on diet for children that weren't so scientific in their presentation. As a mom I was most hoping to get more of the practical application of all these facts, maybe in the form of recipes, or a list format of foods to avoid, what to look out for on labels, substitutions you could make. The information is in there, but it is presented in such a way that I feel this book is probably the least successful in being a quick and easy go to reference. I feel like I would have to read through parts to find just what I was looking for or to even figure out what it is I'm looking for.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Publishing for the purpose of this review.