Reading, Writing & Pondering

  Grow Wild, My Child by Ainsley Arment is a beautifully illustrated hardcover children's book that was written to encourage children to spend time having outdoor adventures of all kinds. Grow Wild, My Chil d is 32 pages long, aimed at children ages four to eight. This beautiful book measures a little larger than 9 by 11 inches. The illustrations by Bianca Pozzi are gorgeous! The end papers with drawings of various items in nature are also gorgeous. Grow Wild, My Child is meant to instill a sense of wonder in children--wonder at all four seasons outdoors--and having adventures outside through all of those seasons. It also encourages a sense of make-believe and dreaming while outdoors. I think the writing has wonderful rhythm. I love the writing and the pictures. I grew up loving my time outdoors in nature--but that was before the internet got going. I would love to see children continue to love time outdoors in nature and to use their time to dream and imagine as this book encour...

It's easy for puppies to get distracted by new things. In Willa and the Way Home by Jennifer Moorman, Willa the puppy gets distracted by a butterfly shortly after moving to her new house with her human family.  In Willa and the Way Home, Willa realizes she is lost after following a butterfly near her new house. In the story, a bird and a cat befriend Willa and help her find her way home in this heartwarming story. The story is cute and also is one that could be encouraging to children as the focus is on having courage and getting help from friends. Both of those can be good things for sure. I also liked the cute illustrations. I love dogs, cats and birds, besides humans, and the illustrations in Willa and the Way Home are so cute. They are also vibrant and eye catching with bright colors. It all works together to make a fun new book to read with children. Willa and the Way Home is a hardcover book that measures 8 1/2 by 11 inches in size and is 38 pages long. This book releases f...

  Are you planning a move with children or do you know someone moving with a family? We Are Home When We're Togethe r by Jean Stoffer and Grace Start tells the story of a family that is going to move and the changes that will take place. We Are Home When We are Together could be a helpful book to read as a family before a big move. Not only could the story be encouraging, but it could also be a good starting point for questions and discussion regarding your family's move. We Are Home When We are Together also helps children understand the various places that people call home--from sprawling houses to apartments and from the desert to the mountains. The main thing this book teaches children is that they are home whenever they are with their family, no matter where they are. Home is more than a place, it is the people you are doing life with. We are Home When We are Together is a beautifully illustrated picture book that is 32 pages long. It is also fairly large as it measures...

  What is a hero? That's What Heroes Do by Adam Kinzinger with Whitney Bak helps children understand who heroes are and what they do. That's What Heroes Do is a large picture book, measuring a little larger than 9 by 11 inches and is 32 pages long.  Some heroes may seem obvious to children as they are military heroes like Christian's dad. Other heroes aren't as obvious like lifeguard, teachers and those who design prosthetic limbs. The book explains that there is one thing all heroes have in common--they help people in some way. Then the author explains that children don't have to wait to grow up to be heroes--they can find ways to help people every day.  I love the message of That's What Heroes Do . I like how children may learn that they can be heroes today by helping others.They don't have to wait until they grow up to be a helper.  I also like the brightly colored illustrations from Katie Melrose. I especially like that the pictures are inclusive becau...

  Are you looking for some new magical fairy tale stories? My Gift by Raluca Sirbu is a beautifully illustrated book (Alisa Barannik, illustrator) that will delight children (and adults!) with 3 tales of hope and courage. My Gift is aimed at children ages 5 to 10 years old. The hardback book is illustrated in bright, vivid colors. The book measures roughly 8 by 10 inches in size and is 36 pages long. The author is from Romania and these Romanian stories are inspired by true events in the Romanian past.  The stories in My Gift show people being freed from oppression. They show courage. They show how to stand strong in the face of evil. They are wonderful stories for children in today's world. The brightly colored pictures illustrate the stories quite well.    I received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions within this review are my own. 

  Are you looking for a new book to gift a baby or a toddler? Or maybe a toddler's Easter basket right now? The Beginning of You by Laine Lawson Craft is such a cute illustrated book with rhyming lyrical prose throughout the book. This cute board book measures 7 inches square and has the thick cardboard pages that make it easy to little ones to turn the pages on their own. The Beginning of You is 17 pages long and is aimed at children ages two and under. The illustrations are inclusive and show children of all skin colors, which I like. The words of this book are written with a wonderful rhythm. I like how she writes about how we are all made by God in our own special way. The words also remind little ones that they are loved by the Creator who made them.     I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions within this review are my own. 

  Are you looking for a new Easter book for a child? The Great Waking Up by Sarah Shin is a colorfully illustrated picture book aimed at children ages 3 to 8. This Easter book measures a little less than 9 inches squared. It is bright and colorfully illustrated. I love that it is so inclusive--including Jesus looking fairly historically accurate. The illustrations are so beautiful that they bring to mind stained glass windows when I look at them. Anastasia loves dreams. In The Great Waking Up she talks about her dreams with her mother. Her mother tells her that there will come a day when there is the Great Waking Up with no more death. In this book, they live in the time of Jesus. They see Jesus do miracles. Then they see Jesus is crucified and become confused about his role--until He wakes up himself. This whole book is the story of Jesus and Easter told through the eyes of a young girl. The Great Waking Up is this author's second children's book. In the back of the book, t...

I am a white middle-aged woman. I don't have a brown son. HOWEVER, I have friends with brown children and I want to support them and all the brown people My Brown Boy is well-written. I also love the gorgeous full-color illustrations. This book shows how brown boys can be whoever they want to be. The author's brown son was followed by a policeman at a young teen even though he did nothing. I don't know what it is to be profiled based on my skin color but my heart goes out to this child. Also, I have son that is neurodivergent. He does things his own way and his skills unique to him. I like how the author shares how her son is unique with his own skill set. I also appreciate how she shares that he sometimes gets scared. I think this book does a good job of sharing how we sometimes judge by skin color when we need to look at everyone's heart.   I received a copy of this book from the publisher through the Amazon Vine Program. All opinions are my own.

  Our Friendly Farmhouse by Melissa Fergusson is a tale of one family's dreams that came true. It is aimed at children ages four to eight.  I like that the author wrote this book alongside her children and gives them credit for helping write the book. Our Friendly Farmhouse is a book that is beautifully illustrated by Gretchen Ellen Powers. I love the pastel pictures that show all the fun things that could be going on at the farm. I also like that this book inspired families to either make their own hopes and dreams or reflect on hopes and dreams that came true. In the back of the book, the author shares photos and briefly tells how this is a real dream that came true for her family.    I received a copy of this book from Tommy Nelson. All opinions within this review are my own. 

  Where I live the children will head back to school in two or three weeks. Summer has gone by quickly! If Jesus Came to My School by April Graney is a great book to read with your children ages 3 to 8 before they head back to school. If Jesus Came to My School has great rhyme/rhythm in the words. I like how well it flows. The pictures are bright and cheerful and work well with the text. I especially like how this book encourages kids to treat everyone with compassion and kindness. The whole book encourages children to imagine a day with Jesus coming to school with them. This children's book encourages children to let Jesus' love shine through them. I especially like that it encourages children to help those who are struggling or who are different.  If Jesus Came to My School measures roughly 8 1/2 inches squared and is forty pages long. The pages are fairly heavy and glossy and easy for young ones to read and turn themselves as well as reading together a a family. ...

  What to do with your Whirly Swirly Thoughts by Jennie Allen starts out with a letter to parents from the auhttps://readingwritingandpondering.blogspot.com/2025/05/what-to-do-with-your-whirly-swirly.htmlthor. In this letter she shares why she wrote the book and how she hopes it will be helpful. She also encourages people to recognize that sometimes people need more help than a book and it is okay to talk to a counselor. I like that she recognizes that and offers that advice to parents. What to do with your Whirly Swirly Thoughts does have some colorful and cool illustrations. That is my favorite part of the book. I like that it offers some advice for helping to change thoughts BUT I feel that it invites the child to stuff down the bad stuff and not really deal with it. The verses that are used make it seem that we should only think good thoughts. And yet, David and other psalmists certainly dealt with some bigger thoughts. I think God gave us all emotions and so many times in chu...

  If you know me, and my own son, you know we are foodies. Ripening Time by Patrice Gopo was a great book for us to read as we loved the food-oriented story about the ripening plantains. Ripening Time showcases the message from the back cover that, "Some of the sweetest things in life are worth the wait." This book starts out with a young girl shopping with her mom and sister at the grocery store. While there, they buy plantains. Mama tells the girls when they are ripe, she will cook them. The book then follows the girl and the plantains through the week as she waits for them to ripen. Ripening Time is honestly one of my favorite children's books about food. I loved the beautiful, vibrant illustrations. This 32-page book is large, measuring about  9 1/2 inches square with a dust jacket. I have never had plantains but would like to try them after reading this book. I think it would be especially fun to read the book as a family or with a group of children and then make ...

  Princess Paris Finds Her Purpose is a beautifully illustrated book written by Demi-Leigh Tebow and illustrated by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov.  I like the message that comes through in Princess Paris Finds Her Purpose. Spreading Kindness is more important than looking like a Princess when her crown is stolen. This hardcover book has a dust jacket and is larger in size at a little over 10 inches squared. There are 32 pages of a fun adventure as the Princess goes through her day on her way to meet a King. On her journey, her crown is stolen but she is given many opportunities to be kind to those around her. One unique thing about this book is that there are African words that children can learn to say in another language and also learn the meaning of. I like that this book has so many positive things about it. I also love the beautiful illustrations. I especially like that the main character is a dog as a dog lover. It is an all-around fun read for children ages 4 to 8. I received...

Are you stubborn or do you know someone who is stubborn? I think there are times we can all be stubborn in our own ways. I think children can probably recognize that too--and may be able to see themselves in this story. The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep: A Story of God's Redemptive Love is both written and beautifully illustrated by Hannah E. Harrison. This book won a 2025 Christlit book award and it is a good one. This children's book is based on Psalm 23.  The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep is a hardcover book that measures roughly 9 by 11 inches with a dust jacket. It is aimed at children ages three to eight. But personally, I think children's books are basically for all ages. I think this one is so cute and well-written. I like that the story incorporates some humor along with the stubbornness aspect of the story. I like the ending. The illustrations are well done--beautiful colors and add so much to the story. I can easily see why this one won an award....

    How You Got Your Name by Trey Kennedy and Illustrated by Jesus Lopez isn't quite the book I expected when I selected it. I thought this was going to be one of those serious, endearing books. However, this book is a silly book that is meant to be funny. If you are looking for a funny book to read with your child, then this may be just what you are looking for.  How You Got Your Name is a large colorfully illustrated book with a dust jacket. It is large and measures a little over ten inches square. It is aimed at children ages four to eight. It has a place in the book to write about choosing a child's name that could be meaningful, if filled out by the gift giver, parent or guardian of the child. Honestly, How You Got Your Name was too silly for us to enjoy but I am sure there are others that will appreciate the humor and enjoy the lighthearted theme.  I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.