Tag: book

Don’t Miss the Boat! from New Leaf Publishing: Review

Grace-Filled Writer

I’ve recently seen some interesting news about the finding of a wooden structure buried deep in the snow of Turkey which some think may be the remains of Noah’s Ark. While it is intriguing, the problem I find with situations like this is many place their hope in finding proof this is true. Our culture would prefer to trust fallible human experts rather than believe in and trust the account of Scripture because it would mean they have to say, “Yes, I believe in God.”

Don’t Miss the Boat: Facts to Keep Your Faith Afloat by Paul Taylor is an excellent read because it is unlike any other book concerning the flood I have read. Most books I have read about the flood cover one of three things:

1. This exposition of the scriptural account.
2. The history
3. The science

Paul Taylor’s book covers all of these areas and has a surprise at the end for fiction lovers! He has taken the facts added a dose of creative license and has come up with short stories written in the 1st person narrative from several different individuals involved in the biblical account. There really is something for everyone.

The already mentioned sections are neatly arranged in the table of contents. This is helpful for readers who are more interested in science and not as much in the history. Perhaps you are a fiction buff, you can skip right to those areas before reading anything else. Although I recommend reading the entire book, the reader can easily begin in any section and not feel lost.

The exposition of Scripture is the very first part of the book which is important to me. Paul Taylor doesn’t leave anyone guessing where he stands with regard to the truth of God’s Word. I like to know up front where an author stands. It doesn’t mean I’ll stop reading the book, but it gives me a perspective with which to read.

The best part about the book from my perspective is the chapter entitled The Gospel According to Noah. Taylor clearly lays out the parallels between Noah and the gospel. It is something I never really connected together before. There isn’t anything Taylor writes which cannot be found in Scripture, but his observations are a unique and fresh perspective.

For more about this book, take a look at the trailer below!
Also check out more reviews on the NLPG Blog below!
Disclaimer: I received Don’t Miss the Boat from New Leaf Publishing in exchange for an honest review.  I was not required to give a positive review. I was not compensated in any other way. 

The Mary Frances Cookbook from Applewood Books: Review and Giveaway!

Grace-Filled Writer

I like to say I’m an accidental Charlotte Mason educator. I can’t claim to have chosen this type of learning because I was two years into our curriculum before I’d ever heard of Charlotte Mason, let alone realized our curriculum was modeled after her style! The heart of Charlotte Mason is good habits, first-hand experience, and living books. A living book is defined as a book which is written as an exciting narrative which draws the reader in. It may be on any subject and engages the reader and entices them to learn more. I can attest that this style of learning fits our family well. I believe in it and my girls love the books we have used so far.

The Mary Frances Cook Book by Jane Eayre Fryer is a wonderful example of a living book originally published in 1912. While a cook book may not be something you automatically think of engaging your children, I can assure you this is something altogether different! This is a storybook about a young girl whose mother is not feeling well, so she decides to help her out in the kitchen. Much to her surprise all of the pots, pans, and utensils in the kitchen come to life and help her learn all she needs to know. Through the course of the 26 chapters, each a little story of its own, Mary Frances learns to make 40 recipes! Each of the recipes is included in the book along with detailed instructions on how to prepare them in a kid-friendly words.

I’ve been reading this to the girls during lunch. I’ve been letting them help me prepare meals for a while and lunch is one of the easiest. They were really excited when I told them I’d read to them during their meal which surprised me since they knew they’d need to be quiet during the meal.

They have enjoyed every chapter and I can never get away with reading just one! Since it was published in 1912 some of the wording and phrases feel old fashioned, but not as much as I expected at first. I do tend to reword as I read at times for simplicity, but I rarely had to do this. We are still reading the book, but it won’t be long before we finish at the rate we are moving.

These are some pictures of the girls helping me make lemonade recently. They love to help in the kitchen and can’t wait to try out some of Mary Frances’ recipes. We will have to make some modifications simply because of the modern conveniences we use now, like using an electric toaster rather than a wire one held over a fire. These simple substitutions have provided lots of opportunity to talk about how things are different now than they used to be. 
Now for the giveaway!!!!! I just love this company! One of my blessed readers will receive one of the four books I reviewed this week from Applewood Books. (Click here to see the choices!)  Make sure you take advantage of all the ways to enter below. 

a Rafflecopter giveawayDisclaimer: I received The Mary Frances Cook Book from Applewood Books in return for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. This is my own opinion. 

Hello, Florida! from Applewood Books: Review

Grace-Filled Writer

Florida feels like the girls’ second home. Rose and Beth were both born in Florida and my husband’s parents live there. We visit the state a couple of times a year and the girls have enjoyed many of the sites in South Florida, but it is such a big state and there are so many other places for them to learn about!
Hello, Florida! by Martha Day Zschock is a fun board book all three of my girls fell in love with! I’m always happy when something I have for Grace gets my other girls excited. She is in preschool so I don’t usually expect her books and activities to engage her sisters. This was one of those times and Grace’s older sisters took great pleasure in reading this story to her! 
The first time I read this to Grace her sisters were working on their lessons. I figured they wouldn’t be interested in their sister’s new board book, so I didn’t think about reading it to all of them. Imagine my surprise, when I suddenly realized they had come up behind us and were reading over my shoulder. They really enjoyed seeing what the alligator tour guides told about Florida next.
Grace asked her sister just today, “Will you read to me?” I love that the girls enjoy reading to their youngest sister and it’s a fun way for them to practice oral story telling. So many different areas of Florida are represented in this short book. Florida is a diverse state, so much more than just the beaches and amusement parts normally remembered. The diversity of the land is well represented. The beautiful illustrations capture the imagination and once again the girls asked if we could visit the areas mentioned the next time we visit. 
My favorite pages were about the Everglades, the area we lived in when Beth and Rose were born. We used to count the alligators in the canals created in the Everglades as we traveled to and from our town, but none were as cute as the two in this book! They are so sweet and made for excellent tour guides. 
Whether you are visiting Florida for the amusements, the history, the beautiful nature, or because you have family there, this will be a fun book to take along with you. Perhaps you’re studying through various states around our country. This would make a fabulous addition as would many of the other books in the series. The detailed pictures make it fun to read over and over and will give even your youngest travelers a sense of what is in store for them!
Disclaimer: I received Hello, Florida!  from Applewood Books in return for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. This is my own opinion. 

Journey Around Maine from A to Z from Applewood Books: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
My girls’ heritage begins in Maine although they aren’t very aware of it! My husband was born in Maine and lived there until he was eight. His mother and grandfather were also born in Maine. I was very excited to have the chance to help them explore this unknown part of their roots.
Journey Around Maine from A to Z  by Martha Zschock was a great place to begin their journey! The entire Journey from A to Z series is an excellent way to learn about states and cities all around our country. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and the amount of information on each page is extensive and thorough. 
Rose asked the other day why we had stopped reading stories before bed like we used to. To be honest I hadn’t really made it a priority since we do so much reading during the day, but after our conversation I realized this was an important family time she was missing. I’ve been aiming to include this into our evenings which don’t include church and the girls are very happy we have renewed this part of our routine. 
I actually had a really hard time getting through the book and we couldn’t get through it in one sitting! They had so many questions spurred by both the information and the paintings. “What’s that?” “What does that name mean?” “Can we go there one day?” The questions came flying faster than I could answer them! 
Not only are many of the wonderful landmarks Maine is famous for represented, but it also explores Maine’s rich history. Everything from the Native American tribes and early settlers to lumber jacks and rock quarries are discussed. Science, geography and culture are all three explored. I loved the diversity of what was represented. Pictures books about states are typically very light on content and tend to focus on either history or geography. This book and others in the series are content rich in so many ways. 
One feature we all loved was the sweet chickadee who acted as our guide through the book. On each page the chickadee is part of the painting and I let the girls take turns finding her. Grace informed me the bird was a little girl! Each book in this series has a different bird to take readers on their journey. It really was a fun treat to play seek-and-find all the way through. 
My only lament is there isn’t a book for every state and major city!

Disclaimer: I received Journey Around Maine from A to Z from Applewood Books in return for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. This is my own opinion. 

A Little Maid of Virginia from Applewood Books: Review

Grace-Filled Writer

Life in colonial America has become a recurrent theme for this year as we prepared for our trip to Williamsburg.

Rose loves all things history and is reading several years ahead of her expected grade-level. The struggle I have is providing her engaging stories written in a way that will challenge her, but also be age-appropriate. The Little Maid series by Alice Curtis has provided wonderful historical fiction at a higher reading level which is also appropriate for her young 8 years. She has read one other book by Alice Curtis which she really enjoyed and definitely looked forward to beginning A Little Maid of Virginia. 
I scheduled Rose to read a chapter from the book each day. This was one of the most challenging books she has read simply because of the language style. Written in the early part of the 20th century, the complex descriptions and sentence structure are not easy for our 21st century minds. My sweet girl jumps right into challenges though and is not afraid to say, “What does this mean, Mommy?” I truly feel challenging a child’s abilities gently and intentionally is the best way for them to progress.
Rose enjoyed the historical aspects and it opened many opportunities to discuss life during this time as well as more information about the Revolutionary War. The fact that the story revolves around two girls who are cousins made it very enjoyable for her to read as she is also very close to her cousins. 
This also would make an excellent read-aloud choice for family reading. It is a wonderful example of the living books way to introduce history to young girls. Many aspects of colonial times and the Revolutionary War are difficult to express to young children because of their sadness and violence, yet Alice Curtis inspired my daughter to want to know more and gently introduced her to this period of history. 
Are you looking for great classic novels to introduce your daughters to history? This is a wonderful series to check out!
Disclaimer: I received A Little Maid of Virginia from Applewood Books in return for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. This is my own opinion. 

A Week of Applewood Books and a Giveaway!

Grace-Filled Writer

I’m so excited to have the chance to review for Applewood Books again! This company is primarily dedicated to the publication of classic, out-of-print books in order that they might be preserved for future generations. There are so many wonderful books from this company and I have the privileged to review four of them, one coming you way each day the rest of this week and a giveaway at the end too! Each day a new link will go live from the list below. At the end of the week there will also be a giveaway and the winner will get to choose one of the four books. I’m so excited!

Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

Robert Griffin III: Athlete, Leader, Believer by Ted Kluck: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
2011
I’m so pleased to have my first guest-post from non other than my dear husband. We are a Redskins family and my girls all enjoy cheering on the team with their daddy. Enjoy my husband’s review of this new biography of the Redskins rising star, #10. (The pictures of the team are from our trip to Redskins training camp a few weeks ago)
I typically do a lot of reading and research while at work, I therefore don’t do very much reading for pleasure. Every so often, however, a book catches my eye and I just have to read it. Since I am a huge Washington Redskins fan Robert Griffin III: Athlete,Leader, Believer by Ted Kluck, was one of those books. I have been a Redskins fan my entire life. I have been a fan through some great years and remained a fan through some tough years. Ever since the Redskins drafted Robert Griffin III I have had high hopes for the Redskins. 
The book begins by talking about what made Robert Griffin III into the athlete he is today. I learned how we was raised in a military family, his work ethic, and the support and encouragement he received from his parents. As I read through the book, I loved how chapter after chapter described the steps Griffin III took to get to the NFL and what happened once he was there. Being the Redskins fan that I am, I thoroughly enjoyed the chapters that recounted the 2012 NFL season. It was as if I could replay the games in my mind as the author described the details of the games.
Not only does this book talk about Griffin III’s NFL career so far in the NFL, it also addresses his faith. I love knowing how Griffin III’s faith fits in to who he is as a person and how it helps him as an NFL quarterback. According to the book he is a man of integrity which is a result of his faith in God, something lacking in many modern athletes. In a society where we hear of more and more athletes being jailed for more shocking and horrendous crimes, it is refreshing to learn about those who have not compromised their faith in the face of fame. 
The only disappointing thing about the book for me was the number of misspellings and grammatical errors. While I still highly recommend the book, it would benefit from another round of editing.

This book is a great read for any football fan and especially a Redskins fan. It’s a book that will be hard to put down and could easily be read in a single sitting. 


Disclosure:  I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Look Left, Look Right, Look Left Again from Greene Bark Press: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
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My girls are always so interested in the why of everything, especially safety rules. We have been very strict to teach our girls they must obey, even if they don’t understand why at the time for their safety, but explaining why has also been a very important part of our teaching. They need to obey, sometimes blindly, but teaching safety should occur other times as well. 
photo lookleftlookrightlookleftagain_zps08f68e39.jpgThis sweet little book by Ginger Pate is a wonderful tool for gentle instruction of safety rules and the reason why we have those rules. Look Left, Look Right, Look Left Again ($8.50) from Greene Bark Press Inc. is beautifully written and engaging for my girls who are in just the right age range, 3-8. I think the format is best suited for preschoolers simply because it is a board book. Most grade-school kids will balk at board books, although my girls are an exception to this! I’m not sure if it is because they don’t experience the peer pressure to fit-in, but so far I have yet to hear one of them complain a book is too little for them.

My oldest, who is eight, grabbed it right out of the box and settled down to check it out. She is obviously past the board-book stage, but my girl will read anything she can get her hands on. I think she secretly wanted to check it out before her little sister got to it! It wasn’t long though before Grace found her new book and immediately fell in love with the little duck, Wally. What an adorable protagonist!
One of my favorite aspects is howWally is instructed by his mother about safety rules when crossing the street. In a society where a good portion of the media portrays parents as irrelevant and often idiotic I am pleasantly surprised when books or other media put parents in a positive light. Mama Waddlewater is protective and wise. She instructs her son and gives reason and makes sure he is safe. 
I also liked how Mama Waddlewater teaches Wally to practice. He insists he was going to cross the street the right way and tells her indignantly he knew better. Mama says it is still her job to make sure he is safe. What wonderful words from a storybook which have echoed my own so many times!
Beth enjoyed reading this to her little sister. It was fun to hear them discussing the pictures and enjoy the book together. They both said this book was fun and I found them reading it several times. 
This is really just such a pleasant story and so sweetly written! To see what my Crewmates had to say click below!  
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I Am Ruth: Review

Grace-Filled Writer

Ruth…a poignant love story…a hopeful legacy…an unwavering loyalty…and it’s all true.

Our world wants to denounce the truth of Scripture and portray it as irrelevant myth. Doing so takes away the accountability laid out for us by our Creator. Rather than living life in a way which serves God and puts the good of others above our own our society pushes us to live selfishly, being more concerned about our own benefits than even those we are closest to. We know better, but sometimes we need a reminder.

Ruth has always been one of my favorite books in the Bible. As a girl I was drawn to the love-story between Ruth and Boaz. As a woman I am drawn to the parallel love-story of our Savior, our personal kinsman-redeemer.


I am Ruth from Master Books (a division of New Leaf Publishing) is stunning, simply stunning. I vividly remember the Bible storybook my parents read to me with a real-life person photographed as Ruth. Perhaps this is what initially drew me in. The rest of the book’s pictures were mostly paintings, merely an artists renderings. Just like then I was drawn to the realism. I once again have the visual images of real people and it was like reading the biblical account for the first time.

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The beautiful images taken on location in Israel capture the imagination. They are so beautiful and full of emotion you can imagine the individuals speaking the words of Scripture as you read. I felt the despair as famine and heat forced Elimelech to feel desperate enough to leave the land God had given his ancestors.  

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Weep with Naomi and her daughters-in-law as they journey back to Israel and eventually part with Orpah. 
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Listen in to the conversations Ruth and Naomi have as they discuss the wheat Boaz has allow Ruth to glean.

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Celebrate the marriage of Ruth and Boaz followed by the birth of Obed as you see the joy-filled faces of the couple and Naomi. 
I think what struck me most about this book was while the photography by Kenneth Berg drew me in, the excellent exposition of the book kept me reading. Each chapter of Ruth is written in full form, but before you get to that Brenda Duff fills in the historical details and significance of various aspects of the Jewish culture. Never has Ruth held so much meaning for me personally. 
Take an exclusive peek here…

I’m not the only one who loves this book! Check out what others have to say by clicking on the link below!
Disclaimer: I received I am Ruth as part of the Moms of Master Books Team. I was not required to give a positive review. I was not compensated in any other way. 

FREE Book Friday with Master Books!

Grace-Filled Writer

I’m so excited to host FREE Book Friday for Master Books (a division of New Leaf Publishing) this week! I have come to rely on this company to teach me truth as I have slowly come to understand my grade school education was filled with the errors of evolution. I’ve been slowly creating a Creation library for our family and have has the Answers Books on my wish list!

I’m so excited to give you the opportunity to win The Answers Book 2 by Ken Ham. I have learned so much as I read this. I knew no matter what my teachers told me, evolution was incorrect. What I struggled with was the absolute certainty many of them presented their so-called facts with. I was also completely unaware of the evolutionary teaching permeating so many other subjects…history, humanities, and even literature were frequently impacted by this false teaching. This book presents factual evidence which systematically breaks down all of the errors in evolution.

I appreciate that Ken Ham states up front that unless you start with the assumption the Bible is 100% accurate, you will not agree with this book. At the same time he presents compelling scientific arguments and facts which cannot logically be disputed. I was especially fascinated with the chapter which dicussed Stanley Millers experiments which resulted in the creation of amino acids in a laboratory. I was appalled to learn what I had been taught was absolute fact is in reality highly suspect evidence at the very least. The true results of this experiment as presented in the book in fact prove more for creation than evolution. How blessed I have been to read truth and arm myself with knowledge so I can discuss the topic of creation vs. evolution intelligently.

I wish everyone could win, but since this isn’t possible make sure to add this series to your wishlist for your own library!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer
I received The New Answers Book 2 in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.