Tag: moms of master books

Awesome Science DVD’s: Review

Grace-Filled Writer

I was soooooo very excited for the opportunity to review some of the Awesome Science videos! I’ve been eyeing these for a while, but my girls were not quite old enough to really understand them yet. My oldest, now 8, has really loved learning more of science and how it relates to the Bible, like how mountain ranges formed during the global flood and what started the ice age. We’ve also been learning about ancient cultures and religions and we have talked more about why some people do not believe God created the earth. We have always been very open in our explanations and I can do this more confidently with resources from Master Books.

The two newest titles in the Awesome Science series are Explore Rocky Mountain National Park and Explore Glacier National Park. All of the DVDs in this series aim to show how observational science and historical biblical accounts can coexist. It is important to know that no matter what evolutionary science may claim, the Bible does not contradict science. Quite the contrary, if one starts with a biblical worldview scientific evidence in fact supports the historical accounts.

So much information available regarding the geological formation of the earth either completely ignores Scripture or goes even further to say anyone who believes the biblical account of Creation is ignorant at best. I love having solid information at my fingertips to share with my girls.

Noah Justice is the articulate and energetic hosts for each episode. Most videos for kids have adults presenting information, which is fine, but Noah’s excitement is contagious and we love it! I very much appreciate the respectful way which he presents both sides of the debate, showing how much of the evolutionary belief is found to be lacking. Consistent references to Scripture and empirical scientific evidence help us to further understand explanations which make more sense than those who seek to find a way for creation apart for God.

Rose is eight and loves this series. She’s already asked to get more of the videos soon! Beth is six and while she enjoyed them, she does better if we just watch a short section. Grace is four and honestly lasted about as long as the opening music! These are excellent videos, but very much geared towards older elementary children. They very much enjoyed the bloopers of Noah, especially falling down the sand dunes! They love to laugh and really enjoyed this part.

My favorite part was that the gospel was clearly presented at the end of each video. You see, all this information is good and important, but if we are still without a relationship with Jesus, none of it really matters anyway. That is the beauty of these videos. They are not intended to be a source of ammunition we intend to volley at the opposite side. They instead seek to points us to the Creator of the universe, arming us with truth to stand against the falsehoods thrown at us daily.


Check out what my fellow Moms of Master Books had to say about these videos! 

Disclaimer: I received the Explore Rocky Mountain National Park and Explore Glacier National Park DVDs 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. 

Water & Weather from Master Books: Moms of Master Books Review!

Grace-Filled Writer

I’m so excited each month to review a new title from Master Books. We are so blessed to have such wonderful science and history resources available to readily! This month’s title was exciting for everyone, especially my science loving eight-year-old!

The newest title in the Investigate the Possibilities series from Master Books (An imprint of New Leaf Publishing) is Water & Weather by Tom DeRosa and Carolyn Reeves. This light-weight paperback title is jam packed with intriguing information and wonderful questions to inspire curiosity and promote investigation. I love when science is presented this way. Although this is part of a wonderful line of science curriculum, it feels less like a text book and more like a science lab as you turn each page.

Weather has been a hot topic around our house lately anyway because of our rare snow events this winter! We’ve had two good snowfalls which aloud for several days of sledding here in the South. This has prompted lots of “What makes it snow?” types of questions. My four-year-old suggested Jesus takes pieces of dirt, paints them white, and throws them down…at least she has the right idea of whom controls the weather even if her facts are a little skewed!

Each of the 20 units may be done in order or used in any particular order which is really nice. My daughter really enjoyed just reading and looking through the book for fun. I picked out a couple of experiments which had to do with clouds and rain since that was something she had been discussing with her Daddy earlier in the day. She was very excited to point out and show me the types of clouds she had observed on the way home from her homeschool science class that morning.

Each of the units has several Investigations for the students to complete to better understand the information in the text. These investigations are introduced after a brief introduction and some explanation. After the investigations is more scientific information to help explain their findings. I love how genuinely scientific this is written, but in a kids way. I remember my own science texts being rather dull and boring. This book has a much more engaging feel.

Rose loved creating clouds with shaving cream. She did an excellent job of recreating the cloud types

It didn’t take long for Rose’s little sisters to want to get in on the action! They typically don’t get excited about science until they see Big Sister having a blast with experiments and investigations! This was a great opportunity for Rose to do some teaching and show she really understood what she had learned. We pulled out our Wonders of Creation Weather Book to learn a little more. 

Our final investigation helped show the girls how clouds are formed. We put a little warm water into a clear bottle on the bottom and held an ice cube on top. It didn’t take long for “clouds” to begin building in the bottle. This showed in a very tangible way how air temperature and moisture interact together.

My favorite part about this book and all the books from Master Books is they always point my girls back to the Creator. I can give my girls anything published from this company without any hesitation. Rose always asks, “Are these books by Christians?” because I have explained to her how not all scientists believe in God or that God created the world. Her eyes always light up when I say, “Yes!” because she knows she can trust the information.

Master Books has once again hit the mark with this fabulous book which inspires hands-on learning, includes factual science, and keeps Christ as Creator the focus.

Disclaimer: I received Water & Weather 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. 

Galapagos Islands: A Different View ~ Review

Grace-Filled Writer
Have you ever read a book transport you? One which made you long to travel? Lots of fiction books give me this feeling, but rarely has a nonfiction title delighted me through pictures the way Galapagos Islands: A Different View has. Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing, has once again captured my imagination with a new view of reality.

This compilation by leading creationists is beyond breathtaking. Honestly, I couldn’t read the book the first time through. The photographs drew me immediately. They show the beauty of these islands which have captivated historians, explorers, scientists, and the every day individual for generations. I know in reality I’ll never travel to this exotic local. Seeing it from the perspective of those who know the Creator of the beauty they behold makes this book especially meaningful.

So after I got my fill of the stunning photography I could enjoy the text, which was equally compelling. I absolutely love how the book is grounded with Scripture. This stays very much in keeping with the founding principal of all creationists: Start with Scripture. I know I can trust every publication from Master Books to be completely in line with the Word of God, but each time I read one of their books I appreciate it even more.

The crux of this particular book is viewing the splendor of the Galapagos Islands in a different way than the world typically sees it. It is difficult to think of the Galapagos Islands without leading to evolutionary lines of thinking because they are so tied to Darwin and his theories. I very much appreciated as I read the clear way both observable scientific evidence and Scripture are not in opposition with each other. They instead very much compliment one another. The secular world wants us to deny Scripture because they claim it cannot be reconciled with their version of scientific interpretation. This merely is an issue of where an individuals presuppositions lie.

I’m grateful again for a resource I can delve into and enjoy just as much as my sweet girls! I feel incredibly blessed to have these resources at my finger tips as I teach and answer their questions. 
Disclaimer: I received Galapagos Islands: A Different View as part of the Moms of Master Books. My opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive view of this book.

Answers Book For Kids #5 and #6: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
One thing I appreciate about homeschooling is the opportunity I have to teach my girls about science through Creation. Master Books (a division of New Leaf Publishing) has been a wonderful resource for us. In addition to knowing that my girls are learning how Creation is completely compatible with current science I’m also learning volumes myself! 

The latest books we had the chance to review as part of the Moms of Master Books team are part of The Answer Book for Kids series. We already owned the first four books and were extremely excited to receive Volume 5 and Volume 6 by Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge. They were some of the first Creation-based materials I bought for my daughters. Rose, my oldest, constantly hungers for knowing more. I was getting tired of correcting information in the other science books we owned and decided to try to find some books which would answer her questions from a biblical perspective.  
The girls were a little wound up one night before dinner so I grabbed these out of the schoolroom and offered them to my little ladies. I knew they’d love them, but I didn’t expect them to settle down do quickly! Grace, four-years-old, isn’t even reading yet, but she still loved looking at them! Grace is actually looking at a different book in the series. I was planning to just let her share with her sister, but no-way! She insisted on having her own book. 
One of the aspects Beth really enjoyed was that each question was asked by a different child who was named and pictured. She was so excited to see who wanted to know what. I like this fact as well because it makes it feel much more kid-friendly. These are real questions kids want to know, but often are answered from the perspective that God doesn’t exist or at the very least didn’t have anything to do with the creation of the universe. What a blessing for my girls to have science books I can get excited about. 
Rose got really excited when I pull these out to read. “Mommy! Those are the books that told me if bees had stingers when they were created!” Keep in mind this was over two years ago. My little scientist can’t get enough knowledge which makes me happy. I know she’s getting solid, scientific, and biblically based information with everything we read from Master Books. 

You and your kids can enjoy the entire series of The Answers Book for Kids from Master Books. Your children will enjoy every word and you will feel good about what they are reading! These full-color books are written in  kid-friendly manner and will inform children of all ages. 

You can read more reviews about these delightful new books by clicking below!
(Link coming soon!)
Disclaimer: I received The Answers Book for Kids Volumes 5 and 6 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. 

World of Astronomy from Master Books: Review

Grace-Filled Writer

The newest book in the Exploring series from Master Books (a division of New Leaf Publishing) is available! This is my first chance to see a book from this series as a Moms of Master Books reviewer and it is excellent. It is geared towards older students than my girls who are elementary age, however I think it would be a perfect fit for upper elementary and middle school students.

The World of Astronomy is written in an easy to read style and I have enjoyed learning more about Astronomy from a biblical perspective. I’ve been slowly collecting materials and curriculum which will inform me as I have very, very curious little girls. I much prefer having an answer or at the very least knowing a reliable source of where to find the answers to their often deep questions. Just as with all other books published from Master Books I trust the content to be not only in line with Scripture, but also very scientific.

My favorite section was on the telescope. The chapter gave an excellent history of the first telescope and how it has changed over the years. It kept my attention and did not feel as if I were reading a dry text book that I remember from my days in grade-school. I’m not certain if that is somewhat due to maturity, but I do know I have enjoyed what I have read. My only disappointment was that the text only includes black and white pictures. This is not a major issue, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.

I am excited to explore more about astronomy with my girls this year. We purchased a telescope which we are still learning how to use. Now that the sun is going down sooner and the time-change is approaching we will have many more opportunities to learn about our universe and The Word of Astronomy will be a great asset on our journey!

Disclaimer: I received The World of Astronomy 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. 

Marvels of Creation Series: Review

Grace-Filled Writer

What do you do with kids who have insatiable curiosities? Give them more to learn from! I love how much I can trust anything I receive from Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group. Although I happily read all we receive, I don’t feel like I have to preview it before my girls get their hands on it. I know it will be solidly biblical and scientifically accurate in addition to beautifully illustrated and engagingly written! The most recent series I’ve had the chance to review is Marvels of Creation by Buddy and Kay Davis. Buddy Davis is known for his wonderful videos from the Creation Museum and Answers in Genesis. My girls love watching him teach them about dinosaurs!

I just barely had time to snap this picture before my girls whisked these lovely books away! They were jumping up and down behind me asking, “Are you done yet?!?!” I have used these books as resource material, but my girls just love reading them. They quiet time every afternoon after lunch and have been choosing a book from this series often. Each book has an appendix with a glossary of terms which is a nice addition. Other information is also included in the appendix which I’ll write about for each specific book.

Magnificent Mammals shows mammals from all over the world with beautiful photographs and information. Some of these mammals my girls have seen in our zoo and they love talking about that. I love how the appendix includes footprints and approximate sizes of these prints for a variety of animals. We’ve never come across animal tracks in our yard, but it will be fun to have as a resource if we ever do!

Sensational Sea Creatures is my personal favorite. I’ve always loved learning about the ocean and at one time though I’d like to be a marine biologist. Included in this appendix is information about the anatomy of fish. This is so interesting and not often covered in a book meant for children. I really like that my girls can see how a fish is built intentionally by our creator.

Breathtaking Birds has been the favorite of Rose who has become infatuated with owls in the last couple of months! This is her favorite part to read in this book. The appendix in this book contains information about the anatomy of birds as well as how and why they are able to fly. I especially love how many of the photographs used are of birds in flight. They are breathtaking!

Each page in every book has specifications about the animal’s height, weight and life-span specifications as well as special design features and lesser known facts. My girls are absorbing all of this information and can’t wait to tell me and my husband all they have learned!

One day I heard, “Come one everybody! It’s story time at the library!” I walked in to see my girl using the Marvels of Creation for their pretend storytime! It was so sweet and they were actually reading this information aloud for their little sister who is just learning to read.

These books are an excellent alternative for evolutionary based field-guides. You can see samples of the books on the New Leaf Publishing page when you click the links. I’m certain your entire family will enjoy these!

Disclaimer: I received the the Marvels of Creation series in exchange for an honest review.  I was not required to give a positive review. I was not compensated in any other way. 

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.

Visit Kenneth Berg on Facebook

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.  

Visit Kenneth Berg on Facebook
Weep with Naomi and her daughters-in-law as they journey back to Israel and eventually part with Orpah. 
Visit Kenneth Berg on Facebook

Listen in to the conversations Ruth and Naomi have as they discuss the wheat Boaz has allow Ruth to glean.

Visit Kenneth Berg on Facebook
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. 

N is for Noah: Review

Grace-Filled Writer

Have you ever considered teaching theology to your preschooler? I hadn’t. We have taught her for a long time about how Jesus died on the cross to pay for her sins and how we are all sinners, but this is about as deep as it went. I suppose I just fell into the trap of thinking there is no way a preschooler could comprehend much deeper. I’m so grateful for Master Books (A division of New Leaf Publishing Group) and how they are giving me opportunity to rethink this type of thinking. The most recent book I’ve had the privilege to review as a Mom of Master Books has challenged me to

Reviewing N is for Noah has been unbelievable fun. When I found out it was coming to review I was mildly interested as I thought it was simply going to be the story of Noah’s Ark told in the framework of an alphabet book. Cute, yes, but nothing really different. I couldn’t have been more wrong! Prior to this publication are two other books along the same idea called A is for Adam and D is for Dinosaur. I would love to have the first two in this series after having experienced this one!

Grace loves this book. We have been doing one page a day much to her dismay. The spiral bound book follows the story of Noah, but teaches so much more than this. Through a simple rhyme preschoolers learn why there is sin, why we need a Savior, who that Savior was, that we can trust the Bible to be true…the list just goes on and on!

On the reverse side of the picture and poem is a teacher page which tells you what to say. Am I the only one who loves scripted lessons? There are times when I’m at a loss as how to explain something. I typically know the answer, but translating that information into elementary-ese…let alone preschool-ese…presents quite the challenge! Ken and Mally Ham took this challenge and created a resource to empower parents and teachers with accurate, age-appropriate answers. In addition there are activity ideas, additional biblical connections, and discussion questions…so many options for you to further your study. I think this would be a great resource for anyone planning an alphabet study as well.

Are you ready for another awesome thing about this book? There are free coloring pages to use with your children! My girls adore coloring anyway and I love how many of Master Books publications have free resources offered on their website.

This is one of the most doctrinally sounds preschool resources I have ever had the opportunity to use. Click below for more reviews if this fabulous book from my fellow Moms of Masterbooks!

Disclaimer: I received N is for Noah 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. 

Children’s Atlas of God’s World from Master Books: Review

Grace-Filled Writer

I’m so incredibly excited to be posting my first review for the Moms of Master Books team! Being part of this team has been one of my hopes since shortly after beginning my blog. Master Books has become my favorite publishing company since beginning homeschooling and being part of their review team is simply a dream come true!

This first book I’m reviewing is the Children’s Atlas of God’s World from Master Books (a division of New Leaf Publishing). The first place I go to now for my geography, history, and science resources in Master Books, but I hadn’t considered an atlas from a Christian worldview before. For the most part a traditional atlas will give factual information rather than that from a secular perspective, so I was curious to see what one from a biblical perspective would hold different. Boy was I excited when I found out!

The book is divided into continent sections where an overview of the continent is given. Following this page several of the countries are highlighted. For each country the statistics are listed as well as the country’s flag, map and beautiful pictures of the area. Historical and geographical information is provided in a child-friendly manner in short paragraphs, easy for young readers to explore on their own. Another aspect I like is the inclusion of biomes which teaches more about the land and climate of the region.

My favorite part is the inclusion of Christian History and traditions. With this information children are told when missionaries first arrived as well as how God is working in the country. This is a blessing in our home because missions is something we are very passionate about. In addition to using this in our home, I plan to take this to our monthly women’s meeting where we focus on missionaries and their work around the world. This year I’ll be heading up a portion of the meeting designed to help our children become more mission-minded. This Atlas will give me a great starting point for discussion with the kids in our church about the world and missionaries.

This Atlas will be a great resource to any home whether you homeschool or not. The beautiful pictures compliment the accurate and interesting information. I’ve enjoyed reading it as much as my girls! Master Books has scored once again with another new resource for kids to explore the world around them from a Christian worldview.

Disclaimer: I received the Children’s Atlas of God’s World 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.