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...

  Do you sometimes wonder who you are? Or what you were made to do in this world? What God Says About You by Hosanna Wong is an uplifting and encouraging book aimed at children ages four to eight.  What God Says About You is a large picture book with a dust jacket measuring about 8 by 10 inches in size. It is 32 pages long. Even though it is aimed at children ages four to eight. I would lean towards this book being more interesting to the older end of that spectrum but it depends on the child, of course.  What God Says About You is rhyming verse. It is kind of long and uses some larger vocabulary words, which is why I suggest it for children on the older end of that spectrum. I think the illustrations are gorgeous. They are fairly inclusive and I like that too. At the end of the book there is a 2-page spread summarizing all the good things God says about us and that spread is especially good. This book could make a nice gift for someone to encourage them or even as a good...

  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...

  Home is Right Where You Are by Ruth Chou Simons is beautifully written and illustrated. This children's book is based on Psalm 23 and that Psalm is on the last page in the book in its entirety. Home is Right Where You Are is a large dust-jacketed book. It measures 9 1/2 by 11 1/4 inches in size and is 32 pages long.  The writing in Home is Right Where You Are just flows so well from one page to the next in this beautifully illustrated children's book. It would make a lovely gift. Ruth Chou Simons wrote this book with her six sons in mind so it is a book to relate to family as well as to God. I have read and enjoyed her adult books previous to this book, and this book is every bit as lovely as her adult books. Purchase Here: https://bit.ly/homeiswhereyouareFGM   I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Frontgate Media. All opinions are my own.  @tommynelsonbooks @ruthchousimons #ruthchousimons #homeisrightwhereyouare #psalm23

   Indescribable Atlas Adventures by Louie Giglio is a large book measuring  about 10 by 12 3/4 inches in size. There are 112 pages full of colorful maps and destinations in the world to dream about visiting. In the introduction, Pastor Louie Giglio shares how he used to dream about traveling to far off countries when he perused maps he borrowed from the classroom at school.  Indescribable Atlas Adventures would be a good first atlas for kids. It is aimed at children ages 5 to 10 but that can vary with reading and maturity levels. These easy to read maps offer basic information for over fifty countries. There is information on animals that live there, foods that grow there, cultural history and so much more. It is an interesting and fun book to look at and read--even for adults!  This book also contains some Bible verses and God-related information that make it a book aimed at Christians. It is a book I would recommend for Christian families whose children like ...

  You'll Always Have a Friend: What to Do When the Lonelies Come by Emily Ley is a lovely book about friendship aimed at children ages four to eight. This book measures about 9 by 13 1/2 inches and is 32 pages long. It is a good size to read aloud as a family and for kids to read alone. You'll Always Have a Frien d has good rhythm and the rhyming verse is encouraging and uplifting to children--and the adults listening. I think the illustrations by Romina Galotta are lovely and compliment the text nicely. I especially love how they are inclusive and show people of all colors and of varying abilities. I also like how this book encourages children to like themselves and to be themselves so people like them for who they are. Oh, that we would all have that encouragement and inspiration.  I have enjoyed this author's adult books in the past. This is the first children's book that I have read by her and I think it clearly reflects her lovely heart and spirit. I would love to...

  God Made Me from A to Z: 26 Activity Devotions for Curious Little Kids by Allison Key Bemiss is a really fun book to use with little ones.  God Made Me from A to Z is a soft cover book that measures about 7 /25 by 9 inches and is aimed at children five and under. There are a lot of fun activities in this book including a recipe for muffins, measuring hugs, water bottle bowling and so much more. There are a lot of fun ideas in here to keep children active. The pages are thick and colorful. There is a mix of activities, Bible verses, prayer, and a short devotional for each letter of the alphabet.This book would have been both fun and useful when I was homeschooling out son. I would recommend it to any family with young children. It may also be useful to a Sunday School teacher or leader of another young children's group who needs ideas for readings and activities with children. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

  Get Your Hopes Up: 90 Devotions and True Stories for Young World Changers by Carlos Whittaker offers hope and encouragement to kids who need it today.  Get Your Hopes Up is aimed at tweens and teens. This book is good for both guys and gals. It is also a book that crosses cultures and skin colors. The book is also good for kids from various socioeconomic groups. I love that it is an all-inclusive book. I also love that these stories and devotions are full of hope and encouragement, because who doesn't need more of that? Each of the readings starts with a Bible verse, then a devotional story and ends with a prayer, like many devotionals do. However, this devotional is written in such a way that it is down-to-earth and easy for people to relate to. Carlos writes like I think he must speak--I feel like he is sitting next to me having coffee/tea, and sharing stories with me that relate to Scripture. I am not a teen but I found these devotionals to speak to me too. This book is ...

  Just In Case You Ever Feel Alone by Max Lucado is another heart-touching children book by this caring pastor author. This book is beautifully illustrated by Eve Tharlet with warm and soft images that look comforting alongside comforting words. I love the sweet and kind words throughout this mostly-rhyming book. I like that this book talks about families caring for each other but doesn't explicitly say that you are born into that family. Rather, this book leaves the definition a bit loose so those who are adopted or in a different type of family may also feel love around them and not feel alone. The book also emphasizes that God unconditionally loves us and He is always with us too, so we need never feel alone. It is a lovely book and the words and the pictures work well together.  Just In Case You Ever Feel Alone is aimed at children ages three to seven. It is 32 pages long and measures about 8 1/2 by 11 inches in size. It has a dust jacket too. It would make a wonderful gif...

  Good Night, Body: Finding Calm From Head to To e by Britney Winn Lee starts off with a note to parents about how to use this book to guide children to learn to feel more at home in their precious bodies. This book measures a little larger than nine inches square and is 40 pages long. It is aimed at early elementary children from ages four to eight. Good Night, Body is sort of an interactive bedtime book. It is a book that could help children get the last wiggles of the day out and start to settle down and relax. Several of the exercises are for relaxing. It could be fun to do this book together as a family. I like the illustrations so well. They are inclusive of people of all skin colors and include differently-abled children as well. It is a beautiful book both in the writing and in the pictures. This book is just a clean reading activity book and does not include Scripture. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

    Indescribable Activity Book for Kids by Louie Giglio with Tama Fortner is a cool interactive activity book for children ages six to ten.  This book has 165 pages of activities in it. There are mazes, puzzles, logic games, STEM projects, Simple Science Projects as well as ideas for helping people in the community. It is full of fun and learning activies that are both big and small, some are active and some are more laid-back. All of them would be great to use at home with children during summer vacation and they could be used along with homeschool lessons. This book also includes God alongside the science so children focus on faith as well as learning. The illustrations done by Nicola Anderson and Lynsey Wilson are bright and colorful. They would definitely draw a child in.I also like that there is an index in the back if you or the child are wanting to focus on something specific. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are m...

  Dream Big for Kid s by Bob Goff and Lindsey Goff Viducich is a BIG nicely illustrated children's book at 32 pages and about 10 inches squared.  Dream Big for Kids is aimed at children ages four to eight. I would lean on giving it to children more in the six to eight year old age range but it all depends on the child. Dream Big for Kids encourages kids to use their imaginations and dream during the day--not just at night. What could they do when they grow up? What do they like to do? What do the kids hope for themselves and the world that they live in? This book is a Christian-based book so there is talk about God in this book and how we are all created by Him to be uniquely gifted to do things in the world. I like that this book encourages dreaming and hoping for good things. I like that the book is inclusive in both illustrations and its wordings so all children can learn these things. Dream Big for Kids would make a nice gift for someone too. I received a copy of this b...

  I have always enjoyed Sarah Young's books. Many times they make me think and we have also used her children's books when I was homeschooling my son. We went through Jesus Calling and another book following that one. The readings in those books are all from the perspective of Jesus talking to the reader. What I like about Jesus Listens is that it is from a prayerful perspective and Jesus listening to you. In the introduction, the author says that she hopes that the daily prayers to Jesus in this book would be just a starting point. She hopes that they will invite the reader to share their thoughts and feeling as well as other things happening in their lives. She says she hopes that the prayers in the book will be just the start of conversations with Him. I like that idea. Sometimes written prayers don't quite fit your own situation and this invites the reader to make it their own. There are 365 daily readings that all start with a Bible verse, then the prayer to Jesus and ...

  Children often learn to fear making mistakes. Unfortunately, they often learn that perfection is important. You're Always Enough and More Than I Hope For by Emily Ley was written to help children realize that everyone makes mistakes and that they don't have to be perfect. This book was written to help children understand that they are loved just the way they are. You're Always Enough and More Than I Hoped For is a large, colorful book. It has 32 pages and is close to 9 1/2 by 11 1/2 inches. This colorful book is aimed at children ages eight and under, but I think it would be good for children up to age ten or so. So many children need affirmation that who they are is enough in today's world where social media can get a grip at an early age and the competition can begin in their minds.  I liked You're Always Enough and More Than I Hoped For in many ways. There is a lot to look at in the colorful illustrations. There are children of differing races and abilities. A...

  For some young people, if they spend time thinking about it, there is a lot to be anxious about in the world right now--school work, relationship issues, world problems, and more. 100 Devotions for Kids Dealing with Anxiety by Justine Froelker could be a book that would help some tweens and teens as it is aimed at those ages eight to thirteen, but depending on the person could be helpful to those slightly young or older than that. In 100 Devotions for Kids Dealing with Anxiety , each reading starts with a Bible verse, followed by a short devotional to read, and ending with prompts to write related to each reading. There is a lined space following each prompt, but for those who write a lot, they might want to use their own blank book/notebook.  100 Devotions for Kids Dealing with Anxiety includes readings on giving worries to God before bed, Waiting and Patience, Feeling afraid, and feeling like we are enough, among other issues related to anxiety. Each reading is fairly sh...